AVOID THIS ONE MISTAKE & IT CAN DRAMATICALLY BOOST YOUR LEADERSHIP RESPONSE & RESULTSYears ago, I was recruited to work on behalf of the government in Washington, D.C. SOME INCREDIBLE young men in D.C., the finest I have ever met other than my own sons, opened the opportunity for me to work there. It was an honor to serve on a GSA team with State Department, White House and the Executive Office of the President, EOP, portfolio. The D.C. assignment provided an amazing opportunity to observe what leaders get right, and the BIGGEST mistake leaders make at all levels. It is also the same at all denominational headquarters including the one I served with faithfully for years. This is not a finger-pointing situation about others. Until learning better, I also made this same leadership mistake. It can negatively impact marriage, family relationships, business and church leadership. There is a solution and if taken to heart, it will ENHANCE all the above and elevate effectiveness.IT DOES NOT come naturally. It must be learned. We who are blessed with a hard-head, sometimes end up learning things the hard way. In years past, that was called, The School of HARD KNOCKS. It seems I have been a star student at that crowded school. Possibly you are also an Alumnus.Not long after Linda and I moved to D.C., Lamar Vest, the Presiding Bishop of an International denomination with churches in over a hundred countries, called and asked if we could meet. Over the years, he and I had served together in various situations here in the U.S. and overseas including Russia.WE MEET FOR SUPPER on the Upper Level of Union Station. It is the massive and historical train station, now elegant Visitors Center, from which President Lincoln’s body was sent on an East Coast train tour after his assassination. If you are ever in D.C., Union Station, a block from the U.S Capitol, is a must-see. PARK SERVICE: It is also a meeting place for National Park Service tours and tickets. The prices are fair and the tours take you to all the Monuments. Ample time is given at each Monument to visit and take photos. AS WE & OUR WIVES ate and fellowshipped (a church term of endearment), we could see the Capitol Dome through the window. It glowed brilliant white in the dark night. Though he and I had some gentlemanly policy differences over the years, I considered Lamar Vest to be a man of integrity and substance. He would later become the leader of the American Bible Society. Lamar was planning to seek another term as General Overseer of our denomination. He had come seeking advice on Public Relations and several other matters. One of his questions was, What do you think is the biggest mistake I make, we leaders make?ASSUME ENDS WITH U and METhe biggest mistake we all make, I replied, Is when we ASSUME that those we lead, grasp what we are doing and why we are ASKING THEM to invest time and money in it. We are completely immersed; we live it, breath it, lose sleep over it, can’t get our mind off it. So, since it is such an important part of all we are about, how is it that THEY don’t grasp its importance?
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