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7 Lessons On Leadership

By Pastor Wilbur Purvis

Published: July 18, 2010

President Barack Obama recently took a definitive stance against General Stanley McChrystal, a highly decorated military commander in Afghanistan, by relinquishing him of his command after he made derogatory comments to Rolling Stone Magazine. Both pundits and supporters alike have lined up to make their voices heard after this landmark decision. The point of this article is not to choose Republican or Democratic sides of the isle. While I do not desire to argue politics or military strategy, I do believe there are some important leadership lessons that people from all walks of life can learn from this unfortunate scenario.

1) Loyalty! Don’t leave home without it. Although a person can be doing an extraordinary job, meeting quotas, and even have the unwavering support of subordinates, a lack of loyalty by those who serve in any capacity to those in authority has the damaging potential to undermine one’s sincere effort, malign their name and possibly ruin their future. An entire career has now been destroyed because of an unguarded moment of disloyalty.

2) Silence can never be misquoted. If one does not agree with his or her leader’s policy, vision or direction, it is best to keep your disagreement to yourself until you have the proper audience to discuss your concerns. A good leader is not intimidated by opposing opinions, but there is a proper way to deal with differences. We used to say, “Loose lips sink ships.” In this case sometimes the ship can be your very own.

3) One bad apple can spoil the whole barrel. People--regardless of their titles, contribution, and significance--who undermine the overall mission or unity of an organization, whether it is intentional or not, should be dealt with immediately and potentially ousted before innocent people are infected.

4) When people show their true colors such as intentions, thoughts or beliefs, believe them and act accordingly. Time has a way of exposing people for who they really are. Refuse to ignore what may be obvious signs God may be showing you.

5) Great leaders never allow themselves to lower their personal convictions or morals to the level or degree of those who oppose or no longer support them. The President chose not to publically swap critical words or deal in negativity. Although the General made his comments public, the President dealt with the issue in the confines and privacy of the Oval Office. Leaders must choose to take the high road…

6) Always develop a succession plan for continuous movement and momentum. One of the responsibilities of a great leader is to identify effective leaders who can continue to carry the baton of leadership. President Obama immediately picked General David Petraeus and the mission continued. This is a reminder that our assignment is always larger than any one person.

7) Develop the gift of goodbye. This scenario reminds us that people’s involvement and contribution in our lives are sometimes seasonal. Wise is the person who does not try to hinder people from exiting our lives when all the signs point to the fact that the season is over. While saying goodbye can sometimes be a challenging event it is undeniably the key that opens the door to the next season.

I hope these 7 Lessons on Leadership will assist pastors, leaders, business executives, government officials and all who are tasked with leadership to continue with courage and determination. Leadership can sometimes be a challenging and difficult assignment but leaders continue to fight the good fight of faith. Remember the words of Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

© Pastor Wilbur Purvis. All rights reserved.

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