Napoleon Bonaparte once said:

The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies’. 

Hard to argue with that isn’t it? I can still see images of movies of soldiers paralyzed by the battle. I remember watching Saving Private Ryan and the opening scene had grown men wetting their pants. Fear is palpable and is not out of line in a scene of chaos. Efforts by people (so-called leaders) to control the chaos by fear or manipulation or harsh language is, in my mind, counterproductive. I also recently read this quote:

If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. (Abraham Maslow, American psychologist quoted in Following Jesus in an LGBTQ+ World by Guy Hammond)

Oh… relax this is not going to be a rant on that subject. Coming from the church world when I have spent 52 of my 72 years on earth, I have seen all kinds of leaders. And yes, I have seen those whose method of cooperation was not that at all. It could be rightly called intimidation or, to borrow from Mr. Maslow, using a hammer to get an agenda across. I’m not even talking about sexual manipulation, although that certainly enters into some discussions. I’m talking instead about the “leader” who yields a hammer or a sword to get his agenda across. 

The mission of the church is then compromised and the atmosphere surrounding the church and office staff is one of a battlefield. It sadly becomes us vs. them, or worse, me vs. you. I remember the late pastor, Charles Stanley, once preaching and saying,

Shepherds don’t beat sheep; they feed sheep.

I have NEVER been able to forget that statement. Any leader worth his salt will remember that. Pastor. CEO. Trainer. Business owner. Foreman. Whatever the leadership role, more is accomplished by the right approach-and it’s not using a hammer! My secretary loves birds. She has a bird feeder stuck to the outside of her office window. Each morning she comes in and puts some bird feed in the feeder. It is a gathering place for all kind of birds, until a bully comes along and either scares them all away or just bullies. I watched just yesterday morning when a bird (she could tell you what it was but I can’t) landed and then pushed another bird off the feeder. There are so-called leaders who lead that same way. 

Let’s stop, whether we are a leader or not, trying to bully our way to OUR conclusion. Instead, let’s be humble like Jesus and love our fellow workers, whether they are our equals or subordinates. More is won with honey than acid. 

{This may be my last post for this week. Jo and I will be heading to Ohio to celebrate Janna’s birthday with her. Can she really be mid-40s?} 🙂