Time to Lead
October 31, 2008 • Leader Development
The current economic and financial woes are truly a sign of poor leadership over past years and decades. It has little to do with one party or the other, but rather a collective compromise of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”
Freddie Mac, Fanny Mae, Regulation, Earmarks… All of them capitulation of principle in order to get what each party or individual representative needs or wants and to keep them looking good in the eyes of their constituents.
The current crisis has been brewing for years. And while this house of cards was being built, most of the builders cashed out years ago in the finalization of each deal. The end result is that you and I must now pay for the political overspending of programs meant to solve problems, but which, in actuality, caused bigger and deeper problems.
We need leaders! It is time to lead out of principle, not out of fear. I am afraid we have built a machine that won’t allow true leadership to rise to heights of influence to truly be influential. The bureaucracy, mired programs and media harassment have chased many a good leader to run for the opportunity of private business enterprise. I am one of them.
Yet I can’t take it any longer. I am spitting mad. It is time for every one of us to take inventory of our influence and begin stirring the pot of action. It is time to lead. I am not suggesting militancy or micro-managed conquering. Rather, I am suggesting that we step up and realize our influence, every one of us. I am asking you to consider spending more time raising up leaders under you to become servants to those around them.
It is a time for clear principle, applicable wisdom and fervent inspiration. Yes, times are bad. So what. Let’s stop worrying and do something. Let’s start with prayer to ask God for guidance. Let’s begin to lead ourselves first. Then let’s begin to preach a message of inspiration and practical prudence. Let’s begin to govern our own affairs well and inspire those around us to do the same. The cumulative effect will be transformational to communities and businesses.
Maybe some leaders will choose to go a step further by giving up their comfort to provide leadership with action and courage. Maybe, just maybe, the system will not chew them up before they make it to the stage of national influence.
We are days away from the election. The time to lead is now!
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