Grace – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

If you are alive and breathing, you can still become everything God has created you to be. – Joel Osteen

In 1858 the Illinois legislature- using an obscure statute- sent Stephen A. Douglas to the U.S. Senate instead of Abraham Lincoln, although Lincoln had won the popular vote. When a sympathetic friend asked Lincoln how he felt, he said, “Like the boy who stubbed his toe: I am too big to cry and too badly hurt to laugh.”

If you hang around in leadership long enough you will know what discouragement feels like. I’m not trying to depress you but simply stating the obvious. Behind the glittering image and friendly smiles are leaders who face incredible pressures and shoulder responsibilities that can be daunting. Unfortunately, many leaders feel trapped with no one to talk with or vent to due to the “glittering image” that they feel compelled to present to the public.

Let’s be honest. Times of discouragement will come. How you react to it will make all the difference going forward. As a leader, you are not immune from troubles, in fact, you may have more. So how do you keep a proper perspective and come through it on the other side a better leader? Here are three reminders that you need to consider.

You are not alone

Life happens to all of us. It’s not always pretty. As a leader, you know this to be true. Disappointments come – you didn’t land that new client, a colleague betrayed you, sales are sluggish – you get the picture.

Here is what you need to know: your disappointment today is preparing you for great opportunities tomorrow. But there’s a catch. It all hinges on your attitude. While bad things can happen to good people; good people turn bad things into great opportunities. Click To Tweet

At a young age, Walt Disney easily could have been discouraged and given up. He was fired by the editor of a newspaper for “lacking ideas”. He could have taken his rejection and thrown in the towel. But if anything he used that experience to motivate him to greater things – and the rest, as they say, is history.

When times of disappoint and discouragement come, remember this truth – you are not alone.

You are stronger than you think

One truth I’ve learned over the years is this: you can be defined by life’s moments or you can define life’s moments. So how do you define life’s moments? You do so by choosing faith over fear, forgiveness over resentment, and by embracing God’s view of your life over man’s view. You don’t always have control over what comes your way but you can choose your path going forward. Click To Tweet

Thomas Edison experienced one of those defining moments in his career. His lab caught fire and was destroyed. All of his work went up in flames. To add insult to injury, his building was under-insured. It was a devastating and defining moment. How would he respond?

“There is great value in disaster,” said Edison, “all our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” Edison did not choose the fire, but he did choose to define the moment.

Here is the truth to remember: We don’t like adversity and disappointments because we mistakenly believe that we can’t handle it. But I submit that you are stronger than you think and you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way. Are you ready to define your moment?

You are not defined by your past you are prepared by it

Every experience that you go through is preparation for what’s next. Along the way, you have gained valuable experience. Some of it has come easy while at other times you wish you could have a do-over. It’s all part of the learning curve. I’ve been there countless times and I dare say you have as well.

But if you want to move forward as a leader you have to learn to let go of the past – especially the bad and cut yourself some slack. What’s important is that you have learned your lessons, have peace in your heart and are stronger as a result.

Discouragement sets in when you see yourself through the lens of failure rather than through the lens of grace. Click To Tweet

Here is the truth you need to remember: you are not the sum of your fears or your mistakes. Your past is your boot camp and it has prepared you for such a time as this.

Times of discouragement will come. But the good news is- it will pass. Stay strong and be encouraged. You are not alone, you are strong, and you are prepared!

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[No] matter what a waste one has made of one’s life, it is ever possible to find some path to redemption, however partial. – Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain

A word about redemption

The life of a leader is a life of many imperfections, failures, and flaws. Then add to that all of the false accusations, whispers, and rumors. Hang around in leadership long enough and you will come to know what I mean.

Thankfully though, perfection is not a prerequisite for leadership. But neither is this truth a license for bad behavior. On the leadership journey, we all need some grace and redemption.

I am reminded of a story involving a young boy working in the lab with Thomas Edison. It comes from a book by James Newton in which shared this story.

Edison was working on a crazy contraption called a “light bulb” and it took a whole team of men 24 straight hours to put just one together. The story goes that when Edison was finished with one light bulb, he gave it to a young boy helper, who nervously carried it up the stairs. Step by step he cautiously watched his hands, obviously frightened of dropping such a priceless piece of work. You’ve probably guessed what happened by now; the poor young fellow dropped the bulb at the top of the stairs.

It took the entire team of men twenty-four more hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb carried up the stairs. He gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first one. That’s true forgiveness.

How many times as a leader have you been like the boy who dropped the bulb? How many times in our learning curves have we come up short, missed the mark, didn’t come through, or failed to deliver? We’ve all been there.

On our leadership journey, we all need some grace and redemption. Let’s briefly examine a few key concepts.

The redemption I need

This framework has already been established so I won’t dwell here long. Suffice to say, as leaders we are all flawed in some way. When you see yourself as one who leads from a position of needing redemption and grace as much as the people you lead, it will cause you to walk humbly. The Scripture says, “to whom much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48), and this is especially true for leaders today.

The redemption I give

I can only imagine the reaction of that young boy’s face when the next day Edison handed a new light bulb back to him to walk up the stairs. But that was a testament to the redemptive heart of Edison.

What about you? As a leader, and by your actions, you have opportunities to be an agent of redemption and forgiveness. Your one redemptive act of kindness toward a colleague or team member may be all it takes to turn things around for that person.

I am not talking about abandoning expectations or lowering the bar as it relates to standards and performance, but I am speaking to a specific leadership skill not found in the manual but in your heart. The human equation. Perhaps if we listen more, talk less, forgive more, condemn less, love more and hate less, then we can reflect a standard of leadership worth emulating.

Redemption quotes

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination”. – Nelson Mandela

“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, making sure that impact lasts in your absence”. – Sheryl Sandberg

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart”. – Eleanor Roosevelt

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you”. – Ephesians 4:32

“Civility doesn’t weaken a message, it helps others hear it”. – Kate Nasser

A final word

We live in a world of hurting people. And here’s a truth I learned many years ago – hurting people hurt others. As a leader, in your sphere of influence however large or small- you’ve been given an opportunity to be a small light in the darkness. Your one redemptive act of kindness or forgiveness may be all it takes to set the course right and change someone else’s life. Let redemption be a defining quality of your leadership.

*Note: Leadership In A Word is my writing theme for 2018. Each week the focus will be on a word that impacts you as a leader. My style is new but my message and commitment to delivering fresh leadership insight to you are the same. It’s my sincere desire to help you grow as a leader and to partner with you in reaching your full potential.

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Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Tag: Grace

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