March 19

Written by Bill Grandi on March 19th, 2021

I read a funny illustration the other day. This Huey Cobra helicopter, practicing auto rotations during a military night-training exercise, landed on its tail rotor, separating the tail boom from the rest of the aircraft. Fortunately, the aircraft wound up on it skids, sliding down the runway doing 360s in a shower of sparks. As the Cobra passed the tower, the following exchange occurred:

  • Tower: “Sir, do you need assistance?”
  • Cobra: “I don’t know, tower. I ain’t done crashin’ yet!”

I chuckled.

We would say that training flight was a failure. But was it really? The pilot would probably not make the same mistake again. The testers would know what went wrong and would do all they could to fix it, especially if it was mechanical.

We often have this crazy idea that people-leaders especially-need to be near perfection. We know that can’t be because no one fits that bill. Mistakes and failures are part and parcel of life.

But imagine if you will an application for a job. Skills: offending people. Philosophy of life: the way up is the way down. Life goal: give my life away. Would you hire that person? Probably not. We want confident go-getters as our leaders.

And, of course, I don’t need to tell you that you turned down Jesus to be your leader for the job.

Jesus doesn’t equate leadership with lordship. Always being right. Getting to the head of the class. Doing the better job. Knowing exactly what step to take next. Jesus equates leadership with servanthood.

Some leaders need to fall off their pedestal: self-made or others-made. Jesus had trouble with the Pharisees not the outcasts.  Maybe it’s time for us to look down for leaders instead of craning our necks to look up.

“Father, help me to see people as you see them. Help me to be a leader who chooses to be a servant not a ‘lord.’  And oh yeah…help me to learn from my mistakes.”

 

4 Comments so far ↓

  1. Ryan S says:

    I have generally felt that good leadership involves those willing to get in and get messy… No that is not where they will spend most of their time, but they should be comfortable (or at least tolerant) with doing so.
    If you are not willing to lead by example… If you are not willing to pick up the plunger when needed… If you are not willing to sit and chat among the “common folk”… you are not really equipped to lead! You may be equipped to dictate, that only takes fear. Eventually people will overcome fear.

  2. Wow, Bill! You’ve really made me take a step back and think with this post. May we all be servants first and foremost, and look for leaders with a servant’s heart, just like Jesus’.
    Blessings!