YOU MIGHT NOT BE A LEADER IF…

When was the last time you found yourself in a serious leadership void?

Maybe it was in your family.  Maybe in your workplace.  Maybe it was on sports teams or in a government program or in a church… or….  Truth is, it can and does happen all the time and in all kinds of spaces.

And when it does, the signs are always the same, regardless of the context.   The system is clearly broken.  The organization is out of whack.  The mission has been lost in the fog of confusion.  The leadership void is massive and the result is a stagnant group.

This week in my Bible Reading plan I ran across these two verses describing a leadership void Jacob finds himself in in regards to his sons.

(Genesis 42:1–2)  “When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”  He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.””

So, in response… I offer these observations about leadership voids:

• You might not be a leader if… you’re standing around staring at your peers waiting for someone else to act.
• You might not be a leader if… there are problems all around you and you’re paralyzed by them.
• You might not be a leader if… you’re still waiting for Dad or your Boss or your Pastor to tell you what to do.
• You might not be a leader if… apathy has become the norm among you and your peers.
• You might not be a leader if… you need the obvious restated to you before action can occur.
• You might not be a leader if… you know the solution, but are still waiting for someone else to initiate it.
• You might not be a leader if… you’ve stopped learning and begun simply observing. 
• You might not be a leader if…