I “feel” (and we know how dangerous it is to operate on feelings) that there are fewer leaders now than in days gone by. It may or may not be so. But it seems that is the case. Leaders must be a lot like heroes. I wonder where all of them have gone as well.
One of the characteristics that define a leader is that they are growing and developing leaders around them.
So, what is the point and the leadership principle here? It is the following.
One of the most important tasks that we have as fathers and grandfathers is to develop our sons, our sons-in-law and our grandsons into the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow. I am truly blessed with the son and the son-in-law that God gave me. And the grandson, well, have I shown you his picture?
Maybe the better question should be this: “Where is the next group of leaders going to come from?”
How about you, dads? Are you developing any leaders around you? You can do it. It just takes some time, patience and dedication to the task.
Photo credit: alejandro-fi / Foter.com / CC BY-NC
Leaders are no longer valued and we have lost the ability to cultivate new ones. Thus, as leaders arise out of the miasma of modern life, we must relish them and be prepared to follow .
“Miasma”. That is a word that you don’t see utilized very often. And I agree. When a leader arises, we must be prepared to acknowledge and follow.
We had a “Courageous” event at our church last night. Leadership was of course not the theme so to speak…but Fathering was. And I agree with Kevin…there is an incredible amount of good that a dad can do…there is even more bad that he can do by not doing. Leading by example is one of the most important things we can do a dads. However, are you willing to go the little extra distance (notice I didn’t say mile…that may be too long for some), but take the extra moment and explain why you are doing something or why you are not doing something. Don’t leave it up to your son or daughter to figure it out by themselves. The world has changed and the children/kids/teens are pulled in so many directions and there are so many “shinny objects” competing for their attention that they are not necessarily taking the time to figure out WHY you did or did not do something. They just “know” that it either made them feel good or made them feel not so good. Stop. Take the time to discuss those split second decisions that you – by the grace of God do not need to mull over for hours or even minutes..because you have “been there-done that”. We have an obligation to instill in the children whether our own or those we come in contact with through our kids, grandkids, church, neighborhood, etc.. the need for leaders and that the fact is sometimes that means standing all alone and holding fast and true to the morals, ethics, and integrity that define who a person is. If you are reading this…God has blessed you with yet another day…what are you going to do with it?