4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
Leadership can be a lonely spot. Sometimes it can feel as if everyone is ganging up against you, when they are really ganging up against the Lord. When you are leading and people start to throw things, you can get hit, since you are at the head of the group. It would have been easy for Moses to take it personally, and in fact I think he did take it personally. Leadership can feel overwhelming. We as leaders can take on too much responsibility for the individual choices of those we lead. This often results in burnout. As leaders we are responsible for our actions, for the discharge of our duties in a manner worthy of our calling. We then hold responsible those under us who fail to pick up their own responsibility and act on it accordingly. When those we are leading fail, we can have the tendency to begin micromanaging in an attempt to not experience failure again. In large organizations where failure is not an option, this extension of responsibility can be crippling. Each level must be responsible for its own behavior, and hold those above and below responsible for their actions. In a family, parents are responsible for themselves. They are held responsible for the actions of their children, but if we don’t allow our children to receive the negative consequences of their actions, we rob them of the lessons pain and discomfort can teach. They are responsible, so let them get the consequences. Failing a grade is not the end of the world. Missing out on sports won’t kill them. Not having a cell phone will not deprive them of oxygen. Taking away the Xbox isn’t like starving them to death. We need to take responsibility for our actions and the consequences. Let others do the same.
The Arnold Journey 