Lincoln didn’t have much political experience and it was a surprise he was nominated by his party. Identifying leadership in someone, whether it’s a new executive hire or a presidential candidate, isn’t always easy. How do you see what may not be obvious?
The résumé tells you one thing, but it doesn’t tell you everything. If you look beneath the résumé, you would have seen even during those years [before Lincoln was elected] he had an enormous array of emotional strength that was more important than his résumé. He had the ability to acknowledge his errors, learn from mistakes and shoulder the responsibility for the failure of others. If you’re looking to evaluate talent as a leader some of those emotional strengths are equally important to actual success.
Today’s leaders and politicians don’t say they model themselves after Lincoln’s leadership style. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Wilson Truman are often mentioned, but not Lincoln. Why is that?
Leaders of the 21st century are more familiar with the challenges of Truman, Roosevelt and Kennedy. The Civil War and Lincoln seem so distant. As I’ve read about various presidents, they read about Lincoln more than anyone else. When Roosevelt was in the middle of the coal strike–he got some books about Lincoln and how he was able to negotiate. When Truman was about to fire MacArthur, he went to the Library of Congress to see how Lincoln had handled such difficult times.
Some start further along than many. Jim Collins, who wrote "Good to Great" seemed to start somewhere between good and very good. But most of us start somewhere around mess and then struggle up from that point. In reading about this woman Hannah, in the Old Testament book 1 Samuel, there is a lot of ironic wisdom that emerges from the emotional quagmire of her story.
3. Each year Elkanah and his family would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli-Hophni and Phinehas. 4 On the day Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the sacrifice to Peninnah and each of her children. 5 But he gave Hannah a special portion because he loved her very much, even though the Lord had given her no children. 6 But Peninnah made fun of Hannah because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 Year after year it was the same-Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle.
What I find totally ironic in this passage are these elements:
1. The Elkanah's are faithfully going up to do the right thing according to God, but not everyone in the family is seeing the benefits of this excercise.
2. The head rector or pastor's sons are as corrupt at they come. This points to the fact that a good God can work even in bad churches.
3. Hannah's doing all the right things, and it says in verse 5 that the Lord closed up Hannah's womb. Sometimes the fight of faith feels like God's not listening, or worse yet, He's against us.
4. On top of the religious hypocracy, and the depression that comes from not having children, Hannah is taunted by her husband's other wife - on the way to worship, nonetheless. This points to the truth that we don't always get to chose the one's on the bus. (Sorry Jim Collins).
If Jim Collins were to write this one, he might title it "From Worst to Worstest."
There are some interesting truths that would emerge from this horrific scenerio.
1. Hannah would give birth, and to a son.
2. Her son would become a great prophet and judge, ultimately anointing Israel's greatest king, David.
3. Eli and his son's would ultimately die in a most uncelebrated manner.
4. The Lord would use Hannah's life to encourage millions of women and men for the next millenia.
5. What originally was living hell, turned around, and Hannah's Mess became a Message.
Usually the Lord delights in taking our messes, and turning them into messages. He is the author of them, not us. He does the writing with our lives, our needs and our frailties, and as we are poured out on the pages of today, he scribes words that will encourage and guide others into tomorrow.
John Maxwell refers to the internal lids that existed inside of Saul which ultimately limited him or derailed him from his destiny.
Fear
Impatience
Denial
Impulsivenesss
Deceit
Jealousy
Anger
Alice Smith wrote in her email today, that, "The Lord doesn't have favorites, but he does have intimates."
I never thought of it that way, but it puts anyone's relationship with God in an intelligent light, especially since scripture states that God is not a respecter of persons. Yet there were those that somehow seemed to have the inside track with Him like Enoch (walked with God), Abraham (friend of God), Moses (prophet of God), David (a man after God's own heart).
So what makes someone intimate? Intimates:
Speak the same language
Walk in the same direction
Hear what is said, and what is meant
Enjoy sharing
Take the time to be together
Eat together
Ask for forgiveness and are willing to be wrong
Are willing to change
Are willing to risk
Are willing to be vulnerable
Leadership is the art and science of getting things done through people... I’ve always been struck by the paradox that we want leaders to be authentic at the same time that we expect them to be good performers. Conversely, we admire actors whose performance convinces us that they’re not acting. For a time, when my older brother and I were children, he had thumbtacked to his bulletin board a postcard that struck him as funny (and me, too, or I wouldn’t have remembered it). It read, “Always be sincere, whether you mean it or not.” Thomas Stewart, Editor, Harvard Business Review.
