The Message of LeadershipSample

GREAT ESCAPE

"I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen."
-Ernest Hemingway

Leaders know that being a good listener can lead to the opportunity to say something that may powerfully affect another life.

One memory that continually blesses me is that of Steve McQueen sitting in the balcony of a California church drinking up every word of the Gospel as he carefully followed along in his Bible.

Steve had a love for vintage aircraft. His gifted flight instructor was a quiet Christian man of few words. Over the weeks Steve and his instructor spent a lot of time together in the cockpit of his plane. During that time Steve noticed there was something unusual about his instructor, so he asked him what it was. Up to now the old saint had mostly listened to Steve and only dropped in an occasional word of wisdom. He took Steve to see his pastor, who told him what it meant to know Christ personally. That day Steve McQueen invited Jesus into his heart.

At one point in his life Steve had all the answers and was not asking anyone for guidance. But because of a Christian who was a good listener, his heart changed and he became like a sponge ready to soak up any advice that might bring more meaning to his life.

Steve McQueen’s final days were spent battling cancer. At the end, he was found dead in his bed with a Bible opened on his chest. Steve had become a good listener to the life-giving words of God.

Essential Insight 18: Learn to listen and discover life.