Wishing you lots of battles this week! – SCN Encourager 2/24/2014
This is the best encouragement I can give you.
Until this weekend I didn’t believe this.
But during a drive across the state for a meeting on Saturday, I listened to several pointed podcasts – all on the theme of leadership.
Now my thinking is all mixed up. (more jumbled than usual)
Previously, in striving to somehow encourage you in your work at school, I thought that consistently jamming a “Have a nice day!” message into your inbox pretty much covered it.
A pleasant phrase. A dreamy platitude. What more could you possibly need?
Oops.
The leadership gurus say you need something else.
I should be wishing you and other leaders times of tension, strife, and confrontation.
Uh,oh. This is just swell, I thought.
Trying this tact is bound to drive my popularity numbers down to zero.
Dang.
But then I took the time to double-check my Klout score and other image rankings and saw that my popularity numbers were already down to zero.
So I’m actually the ideal messenger to wish you tension, strife, and tension!
Good leaders should never expect smooth sailing.
And perhaps you’ve seen this quote.
“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.”
— African proverb
Got some big scary waves rolling in your direction today? Wonderful!
Michael Hyatt’ believes that effective leaders will frequently be targets for criticism and gripes.
In fact, the measure of conflict in your organization (hopefully, on the low side) may be the barometer for the actual level of change, challenge, and service you are seeking to impact.
I’ve written about Ray Edwards before.
He’s one of the best copywriter’s out there.
He believes leaders should use clear and powerful words and phrases.
But leaders brave enough to do this must be prepared.
Clear and powerful words and phrases will often evoke strong and negative reactions, especially in the beginning.
You’ve probably encountered this reality in your career… more than once.
So I wish you many more times of stress and strain today.
Keep on growing as a great leader and communicator.
This is the absolute best encouragement I can give you today.
And what can you wish me in return?
Well, I hate to admit it.
“Have a nice day!” still works.
Tom Page, SCN
