We have signs all around us. Many signs tell us what to do, where to go, or what to be aware of. Most signs are designed to help us. While running the other day I started to make note of all the man-made signs along the trail. I wanted to challenge myself by making a leadership lesson out of every one of them. Here are a few fun examples.
Know your conditions and lead to them. Every season demands the appropriate leadership strengths. What’s ahead for your family, your team or your business? Don’t be a victim to your conditions. Use your conditions to determine how you should lead.
Ha-ha this one made me laugh. We all bring baggage (or poop) with us. What’s yours? Negativity? Moodiness? Self-Pride? Lack of discipline? Laziness? Stubbornness? Anger? Arrogance? Fear? Drama? Keep your poop under control and cleaned it up. As the sign says, it transmits disease!
Get out of the way! The trail of becoming a great leader narrows because the elements of moving from good to great involve higher thinking and bigger sacrifices. What if someone you lead has the ability to grow beyond you? Will you keep right and let them pass? It is the calling of a leader to bring out the best in others. Don’t use your title or position of authority to block others. Keep right when appropriate! Sometimes keeping right just means listening to your followers.
Then there are signs that aren’t man-made. These signs are not written or posted for all to read. They are usually felt and experienced. This trail I run on is sometimes full of activity and then sometimes it’s like this: lonely. To me this represents perseverance to keep it going. No matter my pace I have to keep going. Yes I could walk or even stop, but that doesn’t get me off of this trail any sooner. The trail (or trial) still has to be completed. Every step represents progress. My wisdom and experience from life represents my stamina for each new trail. God doesn’t allow a trail we can’t handle. He will, however, present a trail that will stretch our current abilities. He knows our stamina, and he knows our pace. He wants us to become more fit for his purpose and plan for us.
This trail is a quiet sign for me. I find relief running on it. Sometimes it’s crowded, which reminds me that others are also experiencing great grief or adversity in their own lives. Sometimes it’s lonely and vacant, which represents that I have to complete this run within my own soul, and in doing so I will someday be fit to help others run this path.
Signs are all around us. Have fun with the man-made ones. Be aware and grow from the God-inspired ones.
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