BOOKER THINKING on LEADERSHIP and LIFE

…When they saw Jesus having dinners with tax collectors and ‘sinners’, they asked his disciples “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors & ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go & learn what this means….For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners and the sinners.." MATTHEW 9:11-13

There are so many messages within these scriptures for leaders, but allow me to focus on one I relate to and use in discussions with leaders. An assumption from my first book:
[ Both leaders and followers in the workplace and society have become accepting and numb to ineffective leadership. Most of us have accepted how non-productive, unenthusiastic, and ineffective we and those around us really are! We accept this insanity as just the way it is and has to be (poor relationships between individuals and departments, conflicts and bottlenecks, poor attitudes, bad apples and bad management). ]

The point I make here is regarding this ‘bad apples’ thought. There is this conscious or subconscious thinking on the part of many in leadership roles, that there just will always be those bad apples on any team. These bad apples might be viewed as the two or three folks on every team that have issues,… cause trouble,… they challenge YOU,,… don’t seem to be team-players,… the ones always in conflict,… or some other shortage of abilities and/or skills.

In looking back at the scripture, Jesus speaks of His role to teach or serve those who need leadership, healing or teaching! The righteous and/or healthy ones, those other members of your team are not who need your leadership - it’s the bad apples. Leaders tend to take credit for the ones who are healthy/play well on the team and use the ‘bad apple’ language to avoid their (the leader’s) job, their LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE!?!

As leaders, we likely have a high percentage of folks who are just fine with or without your leadership. Your responsibility and role on the team (if you are to be an effective leader vs just another manager maintaining status quo) is to teach, lead, grow, mentor and develop those sick ones…the bad apples. Managers & organizations often just view ‘bad apples’ as if they are unsalvageable and the only solution is to just get rid of them. While there is undoubtedly a small % that deserve this and need to be tossed out; the vast majority of those bad apples (in my humble opinion) can be led to become healthy productive team players.

Are you up for your LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE? Are you willing to have ‘dinners’ with the sick (the bad apples); teach and make them well? Jesus knew his purpose,…… do you, do we, and does organizational leadership?

God’s best to you and yours this day, BOOKER