I have been reading an amazing book on leadership called Habitudes, The Art of connecting with others, by Dr. Tim Elmore…

He talks about the leaders in the business industry and church mostly. The way he describes one section of leaders was a Window and Mirror Leader which he describes this way;

When anything good is happening or has happened they look out the window at all the people around them and say “Look how good this team is.. Look at what they have achieved..” Or when something is going on that is poor or something goes wrong they look in the mirror and say, “How can I improve so that I may lead this team better.. What can I do to change..”

I have failed at this so much as a leader.. I get narrowed minded, and the culture around me isn’t helping. The culture of this world in My generation is deeply locked in the “I want this, I need it, I get this now…” We do anything for the sake of me.. We are normally always looking out for our own sake and very rarely for others, even in the church.

I’ve seen it in schools, businesses, churches and colleges that we get so caught up in the me. That we even try pulling people that are good at something toward us just because they are good at something and we want them for our business or our ministry just because. Not even because we feel like they are called there but just because “we need” someone and that they would be a good fit.

We start to just reach and talk to people because we need help, not to hear and believe in them and spur them on to their true calling in God.

Can I be honest.. I fail in those areas so much, from trying to pull people just because, to talking about how good I did when something good happens, and then I reverse all the failure upon the people around me when something bad happens… You may say “you are leader in a church aren’t you?” Yes. Yes I am.

I mess up and still fall short just as much as anyone. I am trying to grow and learn from my mistakes just as much as the next person. I am only a natural man forgiven by a supernatural God. He is the one that has placed me in the places I am, I still ask Him why in the world He would choose me and I am still waiting for the answer on that one myself, but all I know is God has called me, and I’m going to listen to the calling…

I may be over generalizing but, How often do we when something good happens we look in the mirror and puff ourselves up, and when something bad happens we look out the window at everyone else that its their fault… “Their fault this happened to me, its their fault I’m this way..” We never take the moment to stop looking out the window and blaming people and start looking in the mirror and change something and look at the one thing that has been part of every problem in our life’s, Ourselves…

We as leaders need to get this right… We need to focus on the people we are leading when everything goes right and look out the window and encourage them and tell them how great of a team they are. We need to lay our focus on without the team around us we wouldn’t be where we are. And when something goes poorly or wrong and fails, that we go to the mirror and find something to change or correct that we may be able to lead the team that has been entrusted to us better.

May we forever live in His Glory.

Joseph III