The Dead Sea is a lake in the center of the Middle East. It is bordered by Jordan, Israel, and the West bank. This salt lake is bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west.
The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, but nothing flows from it. Two features stand out. First, it is the lowest land-based sea on earth.
The Dead Sea’s second characteristic is the trait from which it gets its name. Its water is ten times more salty than regular sea water. It is “dead” because its high salt content keeps most beings from living in it.
Unfortunately, the Dead Sea can easily become the perfect picture of some leaders. Flowing into it is life, healthy teeming life. But it can become stagnant. Without a specific plan for growth your leadership can easily become stale. You can get stuck. Strength-Builders will challenge you to stay away from the stale.
Many people are waiting to be the leader. Waiting for the right opportunity, waiting for someone to christen them the leader, waiting for something to happen. In truth leadership is something inside the leader more than a title. It is who you are not what you do.
Do not wait for it. Become it. John Wooden is famous for saying, “When opportunity comes it’s too late to prepare.” Get ready for what may come. Growing as a leader will demand four D’s.
- Desire. You will not grow unless you really want to. What is more tragic, someone who finally begins to grow, having wasted much time getting started, or someone who started but remains the same decade after decade.
- Design. What specific plan do you have in place to grow? In what area? We need intentional, planned specific growth.
- Determination: It will not happen in a day, a week, a month or even a year. Real leadership growth will be a lifetime of work. Failures and victories will abound.
- Development: Always be determined to be a leader and grow into a better leader you want to be.
Tag Short maintains, “The secret of our success is found in our daily agenda.” If you continually invest in your leadership development, letting your “assets” compound, the inevitable result is growth over time.” Life and leadership become more difficult for those who stop learning and growing. We are still on the way. What lesson are you learning today?
I’m not where I’m supposed to be,
I’m not what I want to be,
But I’m not what I used to be.
I haven’t learned how to arrive.
I’ve just learned how to keep going.
Before you can lead others, you must lead yourself. You need to know what you are made of. Character and conviction matter. You must also act the role of a leader by being present and available. Leaders set the right example. In truth, example is what counts most. It creates the foundation upon which trust can flourish. Your example is your character in action. Words matter; actions matter more.
Every leader has two characteristics: He is going somewhere, and he can persuade others to go with him. Where are you going as a leader? Where are you improving?
A popular T-shirt slogan is awesome. “Keep Moving Forward. Crawling is Acceptable, Falling is Acceptable, Puking is Acceptable, Crying is Acceptable, Pain is Acceptable. Quitting is not.”
