During the month of February when we still lived in South Carolina, we received 6.25
inches of snow. Now, bear in mind that we lived in the midlands of the state -- just north of Columbia -- and needless to say,
snow, much less one that large, is rare for South Carolina. Quite frankly, however, it
produced one of the best days of my life. My two year old had a blast
standing at the window watching it snow and, more importantly, he enjoyed his
time plodding through it with daddy. As it typically the case for
southern snows, they don’t last long. Most of the snow melted during the
day, but right after supper, I took him outside for one last walk.
As we wandered through the woods
reliving what I used to do as a boy when it snowed, I had a chance to do some personal reflection. It was amazing watching him, and he taught me several lessons
about leadership. In sum, there are 4 “Ps” that every leader must
consider, and I’ll share those with you below.
Perspective — on our stroll, I would plot the path for us to follow
because I am much taller, which afforded me the opportunity to see ways through
the brush. A leader must set the direction for his followers with a
mission/vision, goals, and strategies. That vision needs to be shared,
because if it is not, you’ll hear what my son said several times: “Dada,
this way!” He persisted in going his own way at times, so I would
reinforce the “vision” with him: “Son, snow is this way!” That was
enough to turn his attention back to what we were doing, and he would come
running with his mouth wide open and slobber going everywhere. He wanted the chance to hear the crunch of the snow under his red boots. As a neat part of the story, the boots that he wore were his mother's when she was his age! The resulting picture below is one of the most precious that I have....
Pace — as leaders have established the perspective for those
following, pace is key. If a leader gets too far ahead, their
actions are counter-productive. Never forget that leadership is a team
event and not an individual one. So often, people to be “valuable
leaders” but leave those following them in the dust. That choice,
effectively, means they have lost. The key is for everyone to finish
leaving no one behind. My son would stop to play in the snow, and, using
my devious mind, I decided to test this theory a bit. While wearing camouflage and it being nearly dark, I’d slip ahead of him and hide in the brush; but
most of the time, he’d spot me. One time, though, it worked. He
stood up, could not see me, and panicked. He was looking everywhere and
yelled “dada…Dada…DADA!!” When I whistled, he found me and ran right
where I was. At that point, I had stopped leading my son and my “policy”
caused him undue anxiety. When leaders lead, they do so with others in
mind.
- Jesus did the same thing for His disciples. He pushed them into situations that they should have been prepared to handle, but He then came alongside and taught them when they revealed faint faith. Look at Matthew 8:26 as the disciples faced a troublesome storm and Jesus calmed it for them while later teaching them -- adjusting to their pace -- more lessons that they would need later in their lives.
Patience — if we have portrayed our perspective and have our pace at
the proper setting, leaders still must exhibit patience. Sometimes,
people will just choose to go their own way or will get distracted. We
are human and those things happen, but a leader’s response to those situations
make all the difference. Do not use a person’s mistakes as a time to
trample them but use it as a teachable moment. We learn from experience,
and often, those experiences are hardships. As an example, my son would
see me and the path that I paved for him, but would halt and exclaim “what’s
that?” He would stop and dig or snap a stick or would do whatever he
wanted. I would wait for him; however, every now and then, he’d get
himself into a tight spot. Instead of just going to get him, I’d get
close to him and guide him out of those issues. It was amazing to watch
him encounter similar situations and remember how we got out of that the last
time — he learned from experience but it took patience to teach him.
Partnership — more importantly than anything else, leadership is about
people. As I said earlier, leadership is a team event not an individual
one. My son would not take my hand at all while outside, but, when he
fell down and could not get up with while wearing those snow boots, I’d hear
“Dada, help!” If we ever see someone needing help and they ask but we
refuse, we’ve just lost credibility and word will spread. Let's go even further here, God's Word tells us that if we know to do good and refuse to do it, then we have sinned (James 4:17). Leaders,
although at the top, are there because of those “under” them. My dad told
me to be very careful who you step on while climbing the corporate ladder
because you’ll pass them quickly in your fall to the bottom. That’s sound
advice from a person only with a GED and who worked in a textile mill his
entire life.
Who would’ve ever thought that snow
would be such a powerful learning experience on leadership in life. Being a father is a taxing and tiring responsibility, but it has powerful implications for future generations. These small walks in the snow will be remembered by our children. Always use these "natural" opportunities to teach the little ones about Jesus.
