Although the primary purpose of this blog is to educate about finances, I cannot stop myself from talking about one of my true passions: leadership. Yes, I am a student of finance and economics, but my MBA concentration is leadership development. And, in my opinion, that is the part of my education that matters most.
John Maxwell, the absolute authority on leadership in the world today, says that "Everything rises and falls on leadership." So, what about leadership is important? Everything is. Bad leaders lead to bad organizations and the opposite is also true.
I had the privilege of attending the Global Leadership Summit this past Thursday and Friday, and I got to hear some of the greatest thinkers and leaders in the world today. Not only did they share their triumphs and successes, they shared their faults and failures and why they were so much more important.
The subject I really want to dig into is unity. Leaders are unifiers. They are tasked with uniting like-minded people with a like-minded cause to get things done. And while they do that they are to train up other leaders. Period. That is the job of a leader. But if unity is not at the core of the leader, it won't be at the core of the organization.
The phrase "Unity, unity when there is no unity" is not original to me (I actually heard a pastor say it this summer), but it has really stuck with me. It comes from Jeremiah 6:14. "They offer superficial treatments for my people's mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace." This verse refers to the prophets and priests (leaders) of the day. Similarly to the leaders of those days shouting peace when there was, in fact, none, leaders today love to shout about unity when there is none to be found.
Churches that are blatantly "church splits" laughably call themselves "church plants" (and, frankly, this is insulting to anyone who has ever planted a church). Companies have mass layoffs just to meet a bottom line. People who were loyal to an organization can be stabbed in the back when they are deemed too old for work.
We are all better than this.
Craig Groeschel said it best on Thursday, "We are far better united.." What are we doing on a daily basis to promote unity? How are we reaching across the table, the aisle, or the pew to get to know someone and their situation better? If there is one thing I've learned in my three years of college it's that the world is not nearly as black and white as we all make it out to be.
School years are starting soon. Be a leader. I don't mean get as many titles and awards as you can (I could write chapters on why titles do not equal leadership). But be a servant to others. Leadership is about using the power you have been given to empower others to go out and do the same, and then the cycle starts over.
We have all been blessed with influence. Use it.
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