~The ultimate measure of leaders is not why they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy~
Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. ~Nehemiah 7:1-2
Two emotions usually follow a great achievement: a sign of relief and celebration and a sense of . . . now what? The period after a success can become a dangerous time. Sometimes we feel tempted toward complacency, especially if we lack another goal. We can become satisfied and let down our guard. Momentum leaks.
The moment of victory is a crucial time for any organization. A transitional problem occurs when the leader does not know how to grow with the organization. Nehemiah’s life illustrates the difference between a catalyst and a consolidator.
Two Types of Leadership Seasons
1. Catalyst: Gets it going 1.Consolidator: Keeps it going
2. Designer: Thinks it up 2.Developer: Follows it up
3. Motivator: Encourages 3.Manager: Organizes
4. Entrepreneur: Relies on self 4.Executive: Relies on others
Unchecked Emotion-Unsuccessful Leadership
Then Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, “Let not my lord suppose they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.” ~2 Samuel 13:32
After David sinned with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan warned the king that the sword would never depart from his house. And David endured domestic problems from that day on. No one saw this more clearly than his son, Absalom. When Amnon raped Absolom’s sister Tamar and David did nothing about it, Absalom became irate. After his attempts to get an audience with his father failed, Absalom decided to get everyone’s attention. He avenged his sister Tamar by murdering Amnon, his half-brother. For this crime his father banished him.
After he was permitted to return, Absalom got angry with General Joab and set his field on fire. Despite his actions, Absalom couldn’t get the fatherly attention he wanted so desperately. So he used his passion to sabotage his father’s leadership. In the end, Absalom died a maverick leader whose passion went awry.
[tags]Leadership, Unsuccessful Leadership, Personal Development, Unchecked Emotion, John C Maxwell, Maxwell Leadership Bible, Christian Living, Management, Transition Problem, Managing People, Absalom, complacency,maverick, catalyst[/tags]
