What I’m Learning Through Weakness

2022: COVID, Mom’s Fall, and Poor Leadership.

I contracted COVID AGAIN while in Florida on business. I don’t know what your experience has been but I have known folks in my circles who died from it in one way or another. The first time I got it, I swore I would never get it again. I was determined to set my mind against this virus just to get nailed. The second time was not nearly as terrible as the first but still no fun.

My Mom, 79 at the time and a very active person, experienced a fall in the garage and fractured her hip. She was operated on that same day. It was a disaster. After weeks of ridiculous pain, she endured another surgery – hip replacement. That was successful and she has begun the road to recovery. I still cannot get the image out of my mind –  her laying flat on her back on the cold cement floor.

I’ve witnessed two forms of poor leadership that hurt others. Poor leadership is a weakness. Leadership is about solving problems, not creating them. Leadership is about providing hope, vision, direction, and opportunity. To be more specific, in both cases, the leader lost sight of the idea of being a servant. 

POOR LEADERSHIP

In one case, a leader was playing with personal options instead of serving one mission. He was playing both sides of a self-serving fence. In doing so, he no longer had the capacity for excellence and lost out on both opportunities. 

In the second case, the leader made a variety of mistakes he could have owned and worked out for the good of all; instead, he found a scapegoat. It came as a shock to the victim and his family. It will be difficult to trust this leader again.

So what have all these examples of weakness taught me?

  1. First, it’s important to live each moment with gratitude. Gratefulness is a form of humility. It is a focus on what I have versus what I don’t have. It is not entitlement; it’s thankfulness.
  2. Second, though it is much like the first, our mind must not be allowed to roam about. It must be examined. It must be trained. We can be kind to ourselves while at the same time hold ourselves accountable. To do otherwise devalues our personhood and potential for good.
  3. Third, it is so important to live justly. To do what is right just because it is right. Doing the right thing can come with a price tag. Even so, we do what is right.
  4. Finally, let’s practice thoughtful leadership. One that embraces both the big picture and how it might affect that one family, that one person. Practicing good leadership is difficult and often contextual but if we focus on serving a clear mission alongside our fellow human beings, we will do better.

If you’re interested to learn more about personal reflection and how to use it to learn from weaknesses, you can listen to this episode of The Today Counts Show, Episode 48: Learning From Weakness.

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