We do not live in a dream world. The world we wake up to everyday and work so hard in to make a difference, is far from perfect. No, there are definitely negative things that happen daily. Read the newspaper or watch the news; that would speak for itself.
Negative things also happen in our own lives and in the workplace. The art of good leadership is not to give too much attention to certain negative things, or as I like to call them, pollution. Certain leaders feel that it is their responsibility to find these negative things and make it their number one priority. Talk about a waste of time and energy resulting in less efficiency.
The art that good leaders have mastered is to simply not allow certain pollution into their lives. The fact is, however, that you will have to manage certain negative things. Identify the true problems and obstacles and learn how to solve them effectively. Learn how to delegate certain negative things to the right person. Take Moses for example; he did not take responsibility for every dispute or conflict amongst the people. Others could do it too, allowing him to focus on spiritual leadership.
Learn how to manage worries and apprehensions. Most of the time we worry about things that will never happen. Listen to God’s voice in times of worry. In various places in the Bible He writes about the “don’ts” of fear and worry. He makes it clear that worrying does not extend your life expectancy or improves your life. In fact, it intensifies everything and shortens your life expectancy (Matthew 6). Leaders must know that all their emotions, fears and worries are passed on to their team.
Leaders must also learn how to use things such as technology wisely. Media, a wonderful tool, can also waste time and have a negative influence on your life as a leader. It is also common knowledge that the overuse and abuse of technology put strain on marriages and families. Leaders must therefore intentionally put their time into relationships and be vigilant of the fact that an excess use of technology can damage relationships. A leader that operates from a home with healthy relationships, is one step in front of any other leader.
The well-known Henry Cloud writes:
New things that actually have hope for the future cannot appear until you get rid of what was taking up the space that the new things need.
Get rid of unnecessary pollution in your life and make space for the positive.
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