"He who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is compelled by the same necessity to exemplify the highest things."
-Gregory the Great (450-604)
In college, I had the privilege of leading my school's Taekwondo Club. I found it to be a fun, but demanding role. On good days, I got a great workout, developed our techniques, and had a blast with my team. However, sometimes there were bad days. On bad days, it was a challenge just to show up . . . let alone run laps, practice drills, or spar! The worst part, I noticed, is that everyone on the team seemed to be lethargic on the same day.
I have to level with you: on bad days, I felt like throwing in the towel and ending training early. However, I knew that my teammates were watching me. If I left, then my example would have been a discouragement to the team. I had to get in the right mindset and attitude to prove that our circumstances should not dictate how we act. After all, if we quit when it was tough in practice, how would we ever be able to succeed when it was tough in tournaments?
I am an avid fan of John Maxwell, which is why I was thrilled when we published his newest book titled The Right to Lead last week. The most profound lesson on leadership I took from reading that book is that before leading others, you must lead yourself. He said, "Commitment in the face of conflict creates character." At our tournaments, my toughest opponent was never the athlete standing across from me. He was always myself, as I could never imagine winning anything without first beating my own lazy attitude. John goes on to say,
Courage teaches us what should be feared and what ought not to be feared. Only by taking action do we gain that knowledge. And from that knowledge comes an inner strength that inspires us to persevere in the face of great adversity-and inspires others to follow. In the most difficult of times, courage is what makes someone a leader.
It is no doubt that, with the year coming to an end soon, you are looking for a way to lead your team to finish strong. How do you plan on leading by example? Or, on the converse, how have leaders inspired you through example?