Staff Writer - Audrey Linton
On a Sunday afternoon in a little cafe in Central London is where I take time to collect my thoughts and plan my writing for my weekly blogs.
As I sat pondering what I would write, I overheard a conversation of a lovely couple who sat next to me.
“I really admire her, she is always trying to better herself”, said a very beautiful, dignified elderly woman to her husband.
That phrase resounded in my ears “she is always trying to better herself.” I immediately wrote in my notebook “to be” to “to do”!
Are we human ‘beings’ or human ‘doing’. I have to admit it but I fall in the latter category. Time and time again I’m always trying to better myself. Now, there is nothing wrong with that. I always encourage people to better themselves, go for their dream and be the best that they can be, however, there has to be a balance in that we come to a juncture where we can ‘just be’ rather than ‘to do’.
In this productivity driven age where targets, performance management, risk management and performance indicators are prevalent in our workplaces, it engenders a mindset of ‘doing’ as the only way forward. I often hear managers say that they are so busy doing operational work that they do not have time to manage people.
Ease the burden...pass the baton!
One biblical character who became distracted as a ‘doer’ was our good friend Moses.
He had a whole nation to manage, develop and keep motivated. In terms of manpower and workforce, the nation of Israel could be comparable to the size of the UK National Health Service – yes he had pastoral responsibility of over one million people – some scholars say it could possibly be a little over two million! Moses delegated to himself the arduous task of listening to people’s disputes all day. Now any leader would get worn out in such a role!
One day his father in law, Jethro (reference Exodus 19) , gave him some wise counsel. I paraphrase:
“Moses what are you trying to achieve?” reasoned his father-in-law. “Why are you trying to resolve everyone’s disputes on your own? Look this will wear you out!”
Jethro continued, “I suggest that you develop an organisational structure and train up some leaders who will be able to share this task. Look for some capable, honest men who are men of integrity, love God and will support you. Empower these leaders to oversee groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty and ten. These men should always be available to resolve common disputes amongst the people.
Empower them to make decisions about smaller matters, the heavier caseloads should be brought to you.”
Now some of you may say “so what – we know that?” Yes, I’m sure you do but how many of you do that? How many micro-managers do we have in the house? Now don’t answer that!
Self care is one of the most important lessons in the University of Leadership. This wise father in law set the bar for leaders to follow. Here is a summary of Jethro’s Top 3 Tips:
- You cannot lead on your own – leadership is about plurality. It is not a one man (or woman) show. A wide gamut of skills, knowledge, attributes and personalities need to be developed and worked with and worked through. Leaders put plan in place to make yourself redundant and empower up and coming leaders.
- Leaders need ‘to be’. Reflective practice is one of the least practised skill in leadership. Build into your schedule regular daily/weekly reflective time. Hire a coach or mentor who will be able to help you see the wood from the trees. Even Moses fell into the trap of thinking that he was needed all the time, but his wise mentor enabled and envisioned him to think differently.
- ‘To be’ brings revelation and innovation. An interesting observation is that a short while after Jethro gave Moses this advice, Moses had a divine encounter and received affirmation and further revelation from the Lord .
Are you struggling with the pressures of running your business, team or church? May I suggest that you find a ‘Jethro’ whether that is in the form of a coach, mentor or business/spiritual adviser. Your greatest discoveries will be realised in ‘the being’ rather than in the ‘doing’.
Let me know your thoughts.
I’m also available at http://www.p31consulting.com/
