I have heard people say- "I am not a leader."
Maybe that is you who has said that statement.
Maybe you have a friend that has said that statement.
IT IS NOT TRUE.
We are all leaders.
How?
Because we all lead our lives. YES! We are leaders of our lives. If we do not see ourselves as leaders, then we are not in control of our life.
It does not matter if you are extroverted or introverted. Loud or quiet. Leaders make decisions. You make decisions for your life. Thus you are a leader.
How can we be a good leader?
There are thousands of proverbs, essays, and books about how to be a great leader. We cannot cover the whole topic, but I was intrigued by a short film I saw on Youtube.
The short film is called, "DICKS: Do you need to be one to be a successful leader?"
A film director, Max Joseph went to many thinkers and other directors to figure out if you have to be a jerk (another word for dick) to be a successful leader. It was fascinating to hear people's perspective on the topic and learn what Max Joseph learned via this journey of discovery.
Here is my take on it all.
You kind of have to be a jerk to be a successful leader.
MATT! HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH A THING. IF YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS, HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT? JESUS SAID TO LOVE EVERYONE!
Easy tiger.
You are right, Jesus said to love your neighbor and to love God.
When I mean by jerk- I mean, you have to be forceful. You cannot be a successful leader if you are a pushover. As a leader, you have to be decisive and firm.
Last week I talked about boundaries and the power of saying the word no. To be an active leader of your life, you need to be firm with your path. You have to make decisions for yourself. You cannot let people run your life- YOU RUN YOUR LIFE (RULE 121)!
Let's take Jesus as an example.
“12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]””
He OVERTURNED the tables. Jesus was not messing around- he was flipping tables. Jesus did love everyone, but he also was realistic and firm with those around him. Jesus was a great leader because he found a balance. Jesus ate with the sinners but was not willing to change his convictions for people to love him.
We do need to be the kind of jerk who is rude just to be rude. We need to be firm with our path of life. We make decisions. We are leaders. If we want to be great leaders of our lives, we need to be secure with what we want in our lives.
What do you want in your life?
Do your actions demand that very thing you want in life or do you allow other things or people to get in the way of the very thing you want in life?
It is okay to not know the answer right this second- but it is not okay to not be searching for that answer at all. Do not be afraid. Push yourself to find who you want to be in life.
What is your take on being a leader? If you watched the short film, what are your thoughts? I am always trying to learn. Let me know in the comments below!