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Wow! It has been awhile since I have blogged....I am truly sorry to my 4 faithful blog followers.
I am currently studying the book of John and thought now would be as good a time as any to re-open my blog.
In Chapter 7 in John, Jesus talks about judgement. I think that there is a good examle of a trap that many of us fall into when we are in a leadership postition.
At the begining of the chapter Jesus tells the story of the Pharasees bringing a prostitute to him and asking him what they should do to her. In that time, the Law of Moses dictated that the lady should be stoned to death for her actions. Jesus is careful not to say that the lady had not broken the law, or that stoning her would be inappropriate. However, Jesus did point out that only those who had not sinned should feel able to throw the first stone.
This is the first place in this chapter that I can see a direct coorelation to the story and how we can become better leaders. As leaders we are called to make tough decisions. It is also brought to our attention when someone has acted inappropriately. In a case where there are explicit rules in place that dictate the action we must take, our course is pre-set. Often times, however, we have an opportunity to take the course that Jesus did in the above example.....
There is a difference between aknowledging when someone did something wrong, and judging them. When we aknowledge wrongdoing, we hold people accountable for not reaching an agreed upon standard of performance or conduct. When we judge someone, we are making a statement about who they are as a person, and what their motivation to take that action was. There is a line of demarcation between the two. Judgement is final and often times personal. The lable that is often attached will follow the judged for a long time.
We see Jesus making a statement about the judgement of the prostitute, and not about her actions. In his eyes, all wrongdoing in equal, and just because you haven't been caught, or have a different area in which someone can find fault, does not give you the right to condem others. Once that point is made, he still addresses the prostitute and tells her to "go, and sin no more". Notice, he corrects her actions after everyone else leaves. Unless it is absolutely necessary, do your correction in private.
So I would challange you, the next time that you are faced with a situation where somone is caught doing something that they shouldn't and others expect you to take extreme action, to take a moment to focus on the actions of the accusers. Knowing that everyone will eventually fall short in their performance or behavior, set the expectation that the action is what needs to be addressed and not the person. Point out what the expected behavior/performance needs to be and communicate where the gap lies, and then help the person understand that current behavior can not be continued.
The tone that you set will be one of inclusion and of learning. When people know that you are displeased with actions (activities that can be looked upon objectively) vs. People (personalities that will be reacted to emotionally) they will see you as a teacher, that is concerned about helping people develope and perform to the best of their abilities. They will realize that you understand that no one is perfect, that we all fall short of God, and that you just expect your people to stop acting in a manner that is unacceptable. Love the person, Hate the behavior.
There will always be issues that arise where people want judgement placed on those around them. Focus on rising above the emotion, focusing on the behavior, conduct the coaching in private, and setting the expectation that the behavior will not happen again, and you should see a culture that is built on trust, learning, and motivation.
Thanks for hanging in there with me....I will try to post again on a bi-weekly basis....I would still love any feedback that anyone has....
