How To Lead When You're Not In Chargeনমুনা

When I was 15 years old, our local mall got a Lids. And I flipped my lid because I couldn't have been more excited. I felt like we had arrived as a smallish-sized city in Alabama. Walking right up to the store index of the mall, I vividly remember the experience standing at that map. I scrolled my finger down the list of stores and found “Lids.” A-7. Cool. Now let me find A-7. Got it. Do you remember the feeling that came next? Well, how do I get to A-7? What else do you have to find in order to determine how to find A-7? That star with the words, “You are here.”

You can’t get to where you want to be without knowing exactly where you are right now. Why? Because leading yourself well requires and begins with being as self-aware as possible about where you are. This is so extremely important to do, but it is not easy to do alone. 

Over and over again in the Psalms, David models what it looks like to be ruthlessly curious about what is going on in his heart. “Search me, God. Test me. See if there is any offensive way in me.” That’s heartfelt. That’s honest. And that can be brutal. 

Remember the phrase: what you don’t know won’t hurt you? That’s ridiculous. What you don't know has hurt you and will hurt you in the future. And it’s your responsibility to lead yourself well by knowing exactly what you’re good at, what bothers others about you, and what your blindspots are. 

So ask someone today: 

1) What am I good at? 

2) What is holding me back? 

3) What are the blind spots in my life?