I try to mix it up between updating you and sharing deeper with you – You know “hey here is what is going on and what I am doing” and “hey, let me challenge you or give you something to think about”…most of the feedback that I have gotten has been divided so I continue to try to do both. Today, is going to be a little be longer and I just want to share what God is dealing with me about…you will probably hear this in a series at some point in the future…I am still praying and processing through this.
Someone recently ask me, “what is your greatest challenge as a leader”? Without hesitating or having to think about it, I said “leading through distractions”. After I said that, I began to process what I had just said. Distraction is defined as “drawing apart” “diverting attention” “detachment” “an obstacle to attention”. There is a built in assumption that before you can be distracted, you first have to have a direction or a destination. Without a direction or destination, your life is so random that you would not even know if you were distracted because there is no focus. So if you don’t experience distractions, you actually have a bigger problem – you need clarity about direction and focus. For me, I have not struggled with direction or clarity about my calling but rather things, people or circumstances that come into my life to “draw me apart” – “divert attention” “distract” me from who God has called me to be and what He has called me to do. Some people are more easily distracted than others. I know some people who struggle with Attention Deficit Disorder…at least that is what they blame it on when they zone out in a meeting or conversation…maybe they are just not interested…anyway, the point is that their condition is reflective of what happens to most of us in life. We know who we are supposed to be or what we are supposed to do but “stuff” happens that cause us to operate with “sideways energy”…this is energy that should be spent on the direction or destination but is having to be spent on this distraction. I don’t have it all figured out yet but it seems that the first step is to recognize and identify the distraction. Evaluate what can be done to remove it. Strategize specific steps to stay focused even if the distraction is not going to go away immediately. What I do know is that leading through distraction is a discipline…refusing to get side-tracked or stuck is a decision that you must recommit to on a daily basis.
In the future, I will talk about Detours and Disruptions which are a little different than Distractions…For now – Keep your eyes of the author and finisher of your faith and refuse to be “drawn apart” “detached” or “distracted”.
