If you are a leader, you are ALWAYS leading. Always.
We don’t put on our leadership hats only when casting vision or strategic planning. The reality is, leadership is not a role we can slip in and out of. Being a leader flows out of who we are; we carry it 24/7.
Therefore, as the saying goes, “don’t be that guy”, or that woman.
You know what I’m talking about.
Don’t be “that guy” who:
- Nudges your car forward because you don’t want the car merging onto the highway to get in front of you.
- Hogs all the overhead storage space on the plane, just because you boarded first.
- Snaps at clerks behind the counter working a bit slower than you’d like.
- Thinks the “12 Items Or Less” sign at the express check-out line really doesn’t apply to you because you’re in a hurry).
- Treats your hotel room like a teenager treats his bedroom. (The hotel staff are housekeepers, not your mother).
This is fresh in my mind, because yesterday I almost became “that guy”. Standing in line to pick up my rental car at the airport I found myself growing irritated because, despite my preferred-customer status with the rental company, I wasn’t able to pick up my car as quickly as usual. I could have become the one who demands to see the manager, flails his arms around in exaggerated contempt, says things like, “I’ve been a preferred customer with this company for 84 years” etc. Yes, I could have become “that guy”.
Fortunately, I remembered that even standing in this line-up (especially standing in this line-up), I’m still a leader who carries the name of Christ with me where ever I go.
And so are you. So let’s commit to always remembering that we lead where ever we are.
And therefore we’ll never be “that guy”, or that woman.
What would you add to my “that guy” list?
