Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by John Townsend from his book, Leading From Your Gut (p. 83). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We do too many times see them as negative, don’t we? John says, “Sometimes leaders describe a thought as a feeling (a typically male phenomenon). For example, the leader will say, ‘I feel that we need to allocate more resources to marketing.’ But that is not an accurate expression of emotion. Emotions aren’t ideas; they are internal responses.” He goes on, “There are, of course, good reasons for hesitation when it comes to incorporating emotions in leadership. We have all seen situations in which a leader gave vent to some emotion and made a huge error in judgment. Or we’ve been in other situations in which fear and anxiety caused a leader to shrink back rather than boldly move forward, and bad outcomes followed. Or we’ve witnessed how intense feelings alienated a leader from those close to him. T

A thought by John Townsend from his book, Leading From Your Gut (p. 62). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I know, I know that looking at a new idea is difficult for some.   It really is, but it could make a difference. John says, “Related to holding opposing thoughts in tension is the ability to change and adapt when the facts dictate it. The best leaders know that reality is larger than they are, so they don’t mind taking a different course when there is new information. Clear thinking means submitting your mind to any new reality.” He goes on, “I was working in my office and needed to use a piece of computer equipment I’d left at home. I called one of my teenage sons and, knowing he was busy with school activities, offered him ten dollars to stop what he was doing and bring me the equipment. Since it was a thirty-minute round-trip drive, it sounded reasonable to me. He said, ‘I’ll do it for fifteen dollars.’ I