LeadershipConneXtions

Madonna and the Horrible Feeling of Inadequacy

Here is a striking statement from Madonna, which Tim Keller provides on page 72 of Counterfeit Gods.

I have an iron will, and all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy. . . I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being, and then I get to another stage and think I'm mediocre and uninteresting. . . . Again and again. My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. And that's always pushing me, pushing me. Because even though I've become Somebody, I still have to prove I'm Somebody. My struggle has never ended and it probably never will.

With these words from Mandonna, Keller launches off on the idol of Success. I thought this was a powerful chapter and one that all leaders need to pay attention to. 

For that matter, I think most leaders struggle with most of the idols Keller describes in his book. For most of us, there are dark things deep below the water line that influence us more than we care to admit.

Drivenness!!!  Driven to prove you are Somebody... worthwhile... who has value... who can be loved... appreciated... admired... needed...

For any of you who are Type-A, over achieving, High D, can't relax, win at just about any cost kind of leader - get this book now. Block out a day and read through it and start a new journey of transformation.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Tiger Woods! A Tragic Case Study of the Dark Side

 I was going to post about Tiger Woods when the story first broke, and I am glad I didn't. As some days have gone by, more and more details have emerged. It will not be long at all, until we begin to see the first books appearing about Tiger Woods.

Does anyone want to wager . . . when the first book will be published? I think there will be something on the stands by mid-January AND MAYBE earlier.

This is not a depth analysis, just a few "stepping stones" for reflection.

  

(1)  I have had little interest in Tiger Woods, since I don't care for golf that much. But, I did respect the fact that Tiger is (still is) one of the greatest and most dominant athletes of any sport ever. And I kind of rooted for him to go as far as possible in excellence, since I appreciate excellence and the hard work it takes to get there.

(2)  Now, think about our celebrity culture and how obsessed we are with Tiger Woods and the revelation of his dark side. In one sense, this obsession points to the disease in our own culture. We are much more interested in the sex life of a "fallen" sports celebrity and much less interested in (well) just about anything of real significance going on around the world.  

 

 

  

(3) Money, power, fame. The Scriptures and the long centuries of spiritual reflection on these themes have provided us with wisdom on these matters. Here is one little piece of that wisdom. Any one of those things is a danger. The more you have of it - the greater the danger.  And Tiger has about as much as you can get of all three. He has about a billion dollars. He is one of the most famous celebrity athletes EVER. And his presence radiates power. If any one of them is dangerous, can we even imagine how dangerous all three of them are.
 

 (4)  Sex and intimacy. Oh yes, and Tiger has one of the world's most beautiful women as his wife and the mother of his children. You just start to wonder - why? And how? 
 

(5)  What makes this even more striking is that Tiger presented an image of a "good guy." A noble character, a healthy human being. Oh do our heros have feet of clay.
 

(6)  I am certainly disappointed, but am I surprised at his fall? NO! In fact, to be honest, I'd be much more surprised if he didn't fall. Again, money, power, fame, sex --- how does one guard the heart against all these powers? And against the CONSTANT temptations that come his way to misuse them. We much lesser mortals struggle with our own attempts to be faithful to God and our temptations are of much less magnitude. 
 

(7)  It also comes as no surprise that Tiger is an addict. With the details of his encounters becoming more known (and let's assume there is even some exaggeration in the details), it is obvious that Tiger is a sex addict. His choices are just irrational. And dangerous. But all addicts know that.
 

(8)  May we all pray for Tiger Woods and those he has hurt and used, that grace would somehow penetrate into this horrible mess and bring redemption and healing.
 

 (9)  May we also become wiser and be alert. Those of us who think we are standing, take heed less we fall. For there is an enemy who hates us with a vengeance and who delights in our misery.  I would highly recommend Tim Keller's new book, Counterfeit Gods, which I reviewed in this post (click here).
 

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Why Do People Fail on the Job?

Jeffrey Gitomer refers to several national tests (he does provide sources) that reveal pretty interesting statistics about why people fail on the job.

20% Fail due to improper training and therefore poor job skills.

15% Fail due to poor verbal and written communication sills.

15% Fail due to a poor or problematic boss or management.

50% Fail due to their attitude.

Daniel Goleman might simply describe it as low emotional intelligence on their part.

How accurate is this?
How were these tests conducted?
Are there other tests that give other answers to the question of failure? (For example, Bobby Clinton would have some very different answers to this question from his leadership work over the decades.)

But I think we can say this. There is a lot of failure going on that is rooted internally in bad attitudes and then the actions that manifest those attitudes.

• So - how is your attitude?  
• Do you have any attitude issues with anyone these days?  
• How is your attitude at work?  
• And at home? 
• What are the top five words that best describe your most frequent attitude?

The old quote used by John Maxwell is a bit trite, but with a core of truth.

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Responsible Action or Whine Away - Your Choice

There is nothing (okay, not much) that is profound about this short post. It's pretty simple and straight forward. It's terribly dualistic. But here it is.

There are those people who have as their approach to life - responsible action. They see problems. They see needs. They see what is wrong with the world. And . . . they know what needs to be done about those things. They know why it needs to be done. And they are motivated to get it done. So they do it.  These are the people who wind up being called leaders.

Then there are those who see the problems, the needs and what is wrong . . . and they whine. They complain. They criticize. They may even wail and mourn. But they don't take responsible action. They whine.

Okay, like I said, this one isn't profound.  But here is the application. Look at it as a spectrum.

      _________________________________________________________________________
Responsible Action                                                                                                  Whining
 

Where do you tend to fall when you see problems, needs and what is wrong? To be honest, there are more times then I care to admit, that I can get into some whining.

Think about the most recent problem, need or wrongness you experienced. What was your response.

Take responsibility for what you do. And be willing to be responsible for other things you believe are worthy and which affect others.

And if you aren't going to take responsibility, do everyone else a favor and at least stop whining.

In case you are wondering, this is not directed toward anyone that I know. There was no situation that was the occasion for this reflection. (Well, maybe it is directed toward me, just a little.)

There are two more good images below.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Machiavelli Lives On in Modern Leadership

Here are a few quotes from Machiavelli's The Prince. Read them and we realize that the spirit of Machiavelli who wrote them in the early 1500's  is alive and well in the 21st century.

If you have to make a choice, to be feared is much safer than to be loved. For it is a good general rule about men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, liars and deceivers, fearful of danger and greedy for gain.

Those princes (leaders) have accomplished most who paid little heed to keeping their promises, but who knew how to manipulate the minds of men craftily. In the end, they won out over those who tried to act honestly.

You must be a great liar and a hypocrite. Men are so simple of mind, and os much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived.

Some time back I picked up a book that I have not yet read. I am a bit afraid to read it. It is The 48 Laws of Power (and not it isn't written by John Maxwell.) It is by Robert Greene, also the author of, The Art of Seduction.

I would describe The 48 Laws of Power as Machiavelli translated and contextualized for the 21st century. It is a cynical, manipulative, self-centered, power wielding way of leadership. Listen to a few of the chapter titles.

Law 2:  Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies

Law 3:  Conceal Your Intentions

Law 6:  Court Attention at All Costs

Law 7:  Get Others to Work for You, But Always Take the Credit

Law 15:  Crush Your Enemy Totally

Law 17:  Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

And on and on it goes.

We are talking about a fundamentally different worldview with Machiavelli and Greene that is at odds with the biblical worldview. Unfortunately, Machiavelli seems to be more prevalent in contemporary leadership than Christ. 

By the way, The 48 Laws of Power was a national bestseller. What do you think - did your boss read it

Brian "a recovering Machiavellian" Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Bad Leadership and the Mysterious Case of the Pot Slandering the Kettle

Lee Iacocca has some really hard words to say about former President George W. Bush. He said these words while Bush was still president. He said them in his book, Where Have All the Leaders Gone. Here is the statement.

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the h*** is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course." . . . 

Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. Courage in the 21st century doesn't mean posturing and bravado. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk. . . .

Thanks to our first MBA president, we've got the largest deficit in history. Social Security is on life support. And we've run up a half-a-trillion dollar price tag (so far) in Iraq. And that's just for starters.

It should be pointed out that Iacocca was not a member of the opposition party. In fact, he was a Bush supporter and campaigned for Bush in 2000. So, you get the sense that Iacocca thinks Bush is a really bad leader. (Isn't it amazing what one can now do with Photoshop?)

However, you know the story of the pot calling the kettle black. It seems to me more than just a bit hypocritical for Iacocca to be lambasting Bush for bad leadership, when Iacocca has some pretty major shortcomings as well.

Iacocca's success at Chrysler was much more acclaimed than real and lasting. Up to about halfway through his leadership at Chrysler, the company's stock rose almost three times as much as the general market. But then . . . (well, here are the words of Jim Collins quoted by Ruth Tucker in Leadership Reconsidered):

Then Iacocca diverted attention to transforming himself. He regularly appeared on talk shows, starred in 80 commercials, entertained the idea of running for president of the United States and promoted his autobiography which sold seven million copies. Iacocca's personal stock soared, but Chrysler's stock fell 31% below the market!

Hmmm . . . that's interesting! It seems a lot easier to point out bad leadership in others than to see it in ourselves. It is easy for Iacocca to see the many ways Bush failed as a leader, but not so easy to see his own narcissistic leadership (by the way, one of the main types of dark side leadership discussed by McIntosh and Rima).

It is a whole lot easier for me to see bad leadership in others and to give myself a pass where I am deficient.

It is a whole lost easier to think in terms of best case scenarios for my "self" and worst case explanations for others.

I do think we need to be appropriately critical of bad leadership AND at the same time, borrow some of Jesus' words. Let the one who is without bad, darkside, dysfunctional leadership tendencies throw the first stone.

Ok, I think I'll just slink away out of here, unnoticed.

Brian "The Pot and Kettle" Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Enron and the Dark Side of Human Nature

Here is a powerful observation about Enron, or perhaps I should say, the leaders of Enron. It is holding nothing back.

"The tale of Enron is a story of human weakness, of hubris and greed and rampant self-delusion; of ambition run amok; of a grand experiment in a deregulated world; of a business model that didn't work; and of smart people who believed their next gamble would cover their last disaster -- and who couldn't admit they were wrong."

I'm not sure I even want to comment on this . . . it speaks for itself!  So, I'll only say this.  

Leaders, like everyone, have a dark side. But, the more significant your leadership position of influence, the greater the danger that you will really hurt people.

Power corrupts, Lord Achton told us.

The love of money is a root of great evil, Paul told us.

God opposes a proud heart, but gives grace to the humble, from both Peter and an author of Proverbs.

Power, money, sex, pride, and plateaus are the reason leaders don't finish well, from Bobby Clinton.

It is true in the world of business, in the government, in the church, any place you find human nature - you find this potential.

We'd be crazy or naive to stick our sand in the head. We need to raise the bar for leaders and not give passes for human weakness.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Homeless Wanderers, Professional Critics, and Terminal Self-righteousness

John Alexander was one of my "teachers" through his writings in both books and the days of The Other Side magazine. John was an evangelical with a deep passion for social justice issues and he charted a third way that was not very popular for either conservative evangelicals or mainstream liberals.

Then he disappeared and I didn't hear of him for years. It was actually so long that I kind of assumed he had died.

Well, he resurfaced for me when I was reading, New Monastics. I learned about his post-The Other Side life in that book which I won't describe here. But I was very struck by a statement from John Alexander.

I began to suspect that I was a homeless wanderer, a professional critic suffering from terminal self-righteousness.  That's undoubtedly the end point of the postmodernism of my gneration, and I didn't want it as my end point.

a homeless wanderer!

a professional critic!

suffering from terminal self-rightouesness!

the end point of postmodernism!

I don't know if it is the end point for all postmoderns, but his first three confessions are surely true for many post-moderns, at least some of the ones I have known and conversed with. And I can see those own realities appearing in my own life.

Scary . . .

Someone important in church history (but I forget who) prayed, 'Lord save us from ourselves."

That's a pretty good way to pray today. At least it is a place for me to begin my prayers . . .

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Control Freaks

If you've been to an AA meeting, you know the routine for introductions.

"Hi, my name is Amy and I'm an alcoholic."

"Hi, my name is John and I'm an alcoholic."

Sometimes I think we should start our leadership meetings by saying, "Hi, my name is ___________ (insert your name) and I'm a control freak.

Control and leadership.

It is a real issue and a painful one.

We hate it when things are out of control. We don't like not being in control. We hold on to control (power and authority) way too much. We are slow to give away control to others. We are quick to take control if we don't have it.

Being "out of control" is certainly a problem. Lindsay Lohan is out of control. So is Kate Moss (hanging out the window upside down!!!). British soccer fans are out of control. A child throwing a temper tantrum is out of control.

Self-control is a virtue and one that needs careful development. But the control we are talking about is different. It is the kind of control that seeks to solely possess power and authority for decisions. It is the kind of control that seeks to hyper manage reality by our own efforts. It is our attempt to force reality to "be" according to our will.

Here are some of our reasons (justifications, excuses, rationalizations, etc.) for being control freaks.

ONE:  I'm afraid to lost control because something might go wrong.

TWO:  Someone might take advantage of me if I share or give away some of my authority and control.

THREE: What if I appear weak to others if I am not in control?

FOUR:  If I give away power and authority (control) to others and they fail - then they will look bad and the organization will suffer, and I WILL LOOK BAD.

The reality for control addicts/freaks is that we will always have a rationale for keeping control.  And we will keep control and that will hurt us, our colleagues, partners, team and ultimately the organization.

The irony for control addicts/freaks is that control is an illusion. Life is messy and mysterious. People are complicated (they have layers, like ogres and my friend Mike). Choices are rarely black and white, but come in multiple shades of gray. And only God is the sovereign God who is in control.

Time for some reflection:

• How are you doing on this control thing?
• To whom are you giving true power and authority (control)?
• What are your preferred "excuses" for keeping control?
• What are some of the next steps you can take to let go of some control?

Many years ago, I came across the picture below with an interesting caption. The caption said something like this:

Contrary to popular opinion, stress is not a 20th century phenomenon.

Brian Rice

Narcissistic Leaders

My dad (now deceased for many years) had a saying he loved and which he would pass on to me from time to time.

If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your baloney.

Actually dad didn't use the word baloney when he said it, but this is a  Christian blogsite! 

From time to time I have an encounter with a leader who is tring to dazzle others with their brilliance and "baloney." Charisma!  Personality.  Smooth going, sweet talking, fast dealing leadership.

It seems impressive, but the smoke and mirrors show is eventually exposed for what it is - and that is lacking in substance and authenticity.

I think both of those qualites are what many (but not all) people are looking for. Give them something solid and worthy (this is the substantial) and real and vulnerable (this is the authentic).

As I said, I've had some recent encounters with a few of the razzle-dazzle leaders. Sometimes we refer to them as Narcissistic Leaders.

I wonder - are they even fooling themselves? Have they bought into their baloney? Do they not know what they are doing and projecting?  Or do they know and it is all a manipulative game for them to get what they want.

If you are a mentor and you are trying to work with such a leader - you have your work cut out for you.

If you are such a leader - you have an enormous limitation that you don't even recognize. Your great need (and tragically great lack) is that of self-awareness.

The truly insightful book on this was The Culture of Narcissism (worth reading if you have never done so). And on the personal level, there is a chapter devoted to this topic in The Dark Side of Leadership.

Brian Rice

Tomorrow:  The Last Lecture video clip

(Clinton's) Top Six Reasons Leader's Don't Finish Well (with an application to Eliot Spitzer)

Okay, I have to apologize. On this post about a week ago I said that I wouldn't blog any more about Eliot Spitzer.

Well, I have to do one more, but it is not really about him, other than as an illustration of Dr. Robert Clinton's finishing well paradigm.

The top six reasons (not in order) that leaders don't finish well are:

1. Pride
2. Misuse of money
3. Abuse of power
4. Sexual failure
5. Plateauing (they stop growing)
6. Social base (or family problems)

Here is a reality. Where there is the presence of one (i.e. where there is smoke) there are probably others as well (the fire).

I didn't know much about Spitzer's leadership. I've been reading articles on him and he is described as angry, a steam-rolling, non-collaborative, my way or the highway, double standard guy (where he expects much of others but not of himself), non-teachable (doesn't learn easily from others or take advice from others), belittling of others, questioned about and evasive of fund raising tactics - and on it goes - kind of leader.

Well, in that short paragraph  you can see (1) pride, (2) the possible misuse of money, (3) certainly the abuse of power. Now, he has been undone by (4) sexual failure that has with it (2) the misuse of money, and he is certainly going to have a ton of (6) social base  marriage and family problems to work through.

The point is that bad qualities tend to come in clusters. If you sense or see the presence of one in the life of a leader (including yourself) you better be alert to the emergence of others.

Here are two books for leaders who really want to pay attention to issues of character formation.

Gary Thomas, The Glorious Pursuit: Embracing the Virtues of Christ is still one of my favorites.

And a little more challenging is Os  Guiness's book, Steering Through Chaos: Vice and Virtue in an Age of Moral Confusion.

One of the core premises we have with Leadership ConneXtions International is that character counts and the formation of the leader's character, that begins deep below the water line, is crucial for finishing well. This may seem like the "soft side" of leadership. But the hard reality is this:

For most leaders who do not finish well, it is not due to lack of skills or technical competency. It is due to character issues, inner life issues, relationship with God issues, emotional intelligence issues, etc.

Brian Rice

Eliot Spitzer - Should He Resign?!

If you are following any of the news about Spitzer, it now is being revealed that he has had multiple encounters with high priced prostitutes.  That's not surprising.

But this bit of news hit me. Some of the New York democrats (and fortunately there are not too many of these voices) are suggesting that the prostitution thing is not a deal buster for Eliot and that just because he has visited prostitutes - it does not mean he should resign. The suggestion was that - it depends on what the public thinks about it.

WHAT THE PUBLIC THINKS ABOUT IT?

Is the hope that the public now is mostly fine with prostitution, that the public sees it as a normal thing, that we're not bothered with what Eliot has done, that lots of people are doing it, but Eliot got caught, and because lots of people who do it are not getting caught - that's it okay?  And if so - then Eliot can keep on being a crime-fighting, corruption-fighting politician!

Excuse me - but isn't this ridiculous beyond words??!!

For a bit more sanity on this read this ABC report.

I'm not approaching this from a political party thing. It is an issue of morality and integrity.

Okay, no more posts from me on this.

Brian Rice

Saying No to What is Wrong and Evil

My Global Ministry colleague and good friend, Andy R. alerted me to an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal. He gave me the article and I read it, liked it and put it in my blog file to write about later. Now, six weeks later, I have pulled it out again. It was from the WSJ, May 17, 2007.

Jenkins and Gilchrist was a Texas law firm of about 600 lawyers. They had ambitious plans for growth. They hired Chicago tax lawyer, Paul Daugerdas, who worked on tax shelters and told them he could generate $6,000,000 in revenues a year.

Some people in the firm had concerns about legality and going over the line in way that would bring IRS scrutiny. They ignored those voices, hired Daugerdas. They did go over the line and did get IRS scrutiny. This March, after signing a non-prosecution agreement with the federal government, Justin and Gilchrist closed their doors.

William Durbin, the chairman of the Board for Justin and Gilchrist had these powerful words to say:

"The task of leaders is to say no to what is wrong and evil. I wish I could have been more courageous . . . I played a very large part in bringing about the demise of a firm that I had been a large part of for 23 years, and that I loved."

Leaders need to have their moral radar finely calibrated. Leaders need to have their sense of discernment highly attuned to what is going on in their organizations. If you think something is close to the line of being proper - pay attention to it. It probably is. It is much better to be safe than sorry. An ounce of prevention is much more palatable than the pound of cure. (Sorry to our non-American readers who have to endure the truisms and proverbs of North American culture).

Live out of the courage of your convictions and be quick to say a strong NO to what is wrong and evil.

Brian Rice

Fun Quote, Serious Topic

Every now and then I come across a "zinger" of a quote.

This one is from Kierkegaard in his book, Attack Upon Christendom. In that book, Kierkegaard is lamenting and exposing the tepid, lifeless, anemic Christianity of his culture. It was a Christianity that had the appearance of spiritual life but not its substance.

"Where there is one certified hypocrite, there are 100,000 twaddlers, for one certified heretic, 100,000 nincompoops."

In Kierkegaard's view, Christians had become dull, boring, uninteresting, twaddlers and nincompoops. At least heretics are interesting!

Brian Rice

Extremists !!!!!

The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists will we be? Will we be extremists for hate or will be extremists for love?

I recently read those words, copied them down, and forgot to note the source.

The words were powerfully illustrated because Living Word Community Church was recently one of six area churches who were picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church. If you are not familiar with this group - they are a severely disturbed group of extremely angry fundamentalists. In particular, they hate homosexuals and hate anything and anyone who does not agree with their agenda.

If you want to get a sense of their extremism click here to go to the home page of WBC.

So there they were, outside the entrance to LWCC on a cold Sunday morning. They had their posters of protest. God hates fags. God hates America. It was really quite sad. We had intended to serve them coffee and donuts, but a variety of circumstances worked against us to prevent this from happening.

Hatred is powerful. No matter what euphemism we use to describe it, no matter what reason we use to justify it.

Everyone should be slow to become angry. For anger does not bring about the righteous life that god desires.  James 1:19-20

I read these words in my devotional times in 1 Peter during the past week:

Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps . . . When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (2:21-23)

The extremism of Jesus was an extremism of love, of grace and of enduring suffering for the well-being of the world.

The question is not will you and I be extremists. The question is - extremists of and for WHAT and for WHOM?

Brian Rice

The Devil Wears Prada: A Leadership Story and the Power of Choice

The Devil Wears Prada

Okay, I resisted getting this movie at first, but Becky and I did finally rent it. And I loved it.

Leadership trainers - watch it - lots of good clips in this one.

Meryl Streep plays a great role as, Miranda Priestly, the head of a fashion magazine empire and the example of all that is wrong with authoritarian, abusive, aloof, leadership. She is ice, insult, injustice and injury.  She cares nothing for others, than that they serve her, immediately and competently. She is a monster and yet on top of her business world.

Andy Sachs (played by Anne Hathaway) is one of Streep's new personal assistants. The movie is about the corruption and transformation of Andy into someone who can survive and succeed in that world. There are powerful scenes about the choices we make. And the consequences of those choices.

Definitely worth watching. And then reflecting on the course that your own choices have led you. I won't tell you how it ends - watch it and find out!

Brian Rice

Lord Acton and J.R.R. Tolkien: Suspicion About Power

This coming Monday evening the topic for our Leading Edge class will be on power, authority and the servant leadership model of Jesus.

"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Historian Lord Acton (pictured to the right) said that in the late 1800's.

Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, certainly influenced by the events of World War 2, explore the abuse of power and the corruption that power has. The One Ring of Power created by Sauron promises great power, but corrupts all who receive it. Saruman (a good wizard turned evil) and Boromir (a great warrior of Gondor) are both corrupted even by the lust for the ring. Three of the great and good figures - Elrond (ruler of the elves), Gandalf (the good wizard who remains good) and Galadriel (another ruler of the elves) all refuse to take the ring. They know the ring would corrupt them.

The only ones who are able to carry the ring (and bear its burden) are Frodo and Sam. The lowly, simple, humble Hobbits of the Shire are the only ones who can resist its temptation. And in the end, even Frodo sucuumbs!

Tolkien said these words about power:  "The proper study of man is anything but man, and the most improper job of any man . . . is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity."  Tolkien, Letters #52

Let me paraphrase, a bit, some advice from James 3:1.

"Not many of you (according to Tolkien, less than one in a million) should presume to be leaders(using the word leaders instead of teachers), because you know that we who lead will be judged more strictly."

Power and authority are terrible things when corrupted by our inner darkness. The misuse and abuse of power is one of the main reasons why leaders don't finish well. Faithful leadership, that finishes well, means we are constantly vigilant on how we are doing with the use of power. 

May we be one in a million!

Brian Rice

Leaders and the Lies They Tell Themselves

This past Tuesday Living Word Community Church had our monthly All-Staff meeting. Pastor Steve Almquist (senior pastor) shared some of his thoughts about the Ted Haggard episode.

Steve encouraged us not to put the focus on Haggard himself, but on the issues that are involved with Haggard's personal story being illustrative of those issues. Steve said some of his own personal reflections went down the path of thinking about the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we exert great energy to maintain as the years go by.

Steve said, there are some questions we need to ask:

1. What lies about myself have I bought into?
2. How will I know, since almost by definition, I am blind to these lies or have so rationalized them that I can't see them very well.  (This is above all the matter of self-awareness.)
3. Who can help me see the things that I can't see or don't want to see?
4. How will I build and maintain meaningful accountability structures in my life, where certain individuals speak truth in love into my life?

Good stuff! In fact, more than good . . . it is VITAL!

"Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  (Proverbs 4:23)

Let's make sure we figure out how to guard the heart.

-BR

A public tragedy

The news in Colorado the past days has been ugly for Christianity. The headline in the Rocky Mountain News over the weekend said, "I was tempted" and showed Ted Haggard and his family in their car about to drive out of Colorado Springs. The expression on his wife's face was so sad that it almost made me cry. This is tragic!

Regardless of what Haggard did or did not engage in with a male prostitute, the cause of Christ has been tarnished, and in a very public way. Haggard has now said he bought methamphetimines from the person and got a massage from him, but he never used the drugs and did not engage in sex. Why does this answer the searching questions we all have about Haggard, and about our own brokenness?

I am reminded of three stark truths in light of this situation:
1. As goes the leader so goes the church or organization
2. Inner life work for the leader is paramount
3. Few leaders finish well

- BN