FOLLOW THE LEADERsuccesses. Leaders must learn to be vulnerable...transparent...open...honest.
If a leader will let down the drawbridge protecting his aloofness in the
ivory “tower of power”, then others will become more open and vulnerable
about their mistakes and fear of failure. While we may impress people with
our successes, we encourage them with our failures. Only secure leaders will
talk about their failures. Insecure leaders only want to talk about their
successes. A leader may temporarily impress people by his successes, but
he will lastingly impact people by the lessons from his failures – lessons
that have broken and matured him into a wiser person.
“Many of life’s failures are people
who did not realize how close they
were to success when they gave up.”^4
(Thomas Edison)Through persistence and practice, successful leaders have learned the art
of failing and falling forward! They seldom ever fall backward – because
their emotional engine does not have a reverse gear! When they do fall – as
every leader does – they generally fall forward toward their goal! Remember
the story of the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for
forty years? Their problem was that most of them continued to fail and
fall toward Egypt – rather than toward the Promised Land. The nature of
their failure and the direction of their falling revealed where their hearts
really were. Their affections were more back in Egypt than they were in
the Promised Land. There were several among them however, like Joshua
and Caleb, who had a very different spirit. Their hearts and affections
were no longer in Egypt, but in the Promised Land. Whenever they failed
and fell, they fell forward – toward the Promised Land! Their spirits and
bodies were pointing toward the “...land flowing with milk and honey”
(Ex. 3:8) – not toward the “...flesh pots of Egypt” (Ex. 16:3; KJV)!
Principle:
“Persistent leaders fail frequently – but they always
fall forward.”I repeat again the words of the Apostle Paul with which we began this
chapter: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,