10 Things

I was asked to list the ten things I want someone to know if they read a book that I write on the subject of leading like a sinner. So here goes:

1. I would want a person to understand what I mean by saying the word sin. That the definition of sin that I am using is simply missing the mark. Unintentional actions and intentional actions can be sin. Certainly knowing something is wrong and then doing that same thing is sin. But does not knowing that your being self centered take the damage or consequences out of being self centered?
If you are unloving to your child but you were unaware of it, does it make the action less unloving to the child that was looking for love? So I place all such actions into my definition of sin. When we miss the mark, knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally, I classify all such items as sin for the purpose of my book.

2. I want people to also recognize that we are all universally sinners, according to the definition above. We all miss the mark, both intentionally and unintentionally.

3. I want people to recognize that people have blind spots in their lives. First I would like them to see this by recalling different people that they know and recalling blind spots that they were aware that that person had. Secondly I would like for them then to consider that this principle is most likely true for all of us. To see something that by definition you cannot see will first require that you believe something is there.

4. I would like for people to see the benefit of learning about their blind spots and how knowing these things can help a person grow.

5. I would like people to recognize how we all naturally try to hid our brokenness and weakness. I would like help them to see that as one person in a group of people hides their weakness or brokenness, that it will cause the whole group to behave the same way. I think that this relates to legalism as well and we can all see its effects if we have ever known a group of people from a legalistic style of church. In Galatians, Paul called this legalism leaven and made the often misapplied statement a little leaven leaven's the whole loaf.

6. I would like to be able to show how incomplete each of us has been made. How no one has the whole deal, but rather we all have a mixture of strengths and weaknesses. A mix of things we like to do and don't like to do. Some like challenge and new stimulating things, others like routine. Some like relationships and the challenge of dealing with people while others like perfection and black and white.

7. I would like to make a case for teams and the great accomplishments that they have made. Teams that come to my mind are the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team, the people at the Tower of Babel, the early United States. These teams of people had characteristics that I believe were crucial to their respective successes. The Olympic team with the humility of its captain, the Tower of Babel with one mind and the infancy of the United States with its clear understanding of the depravity of man and the separation of power in its constitution that required men to work together if they were going to accomplish anything.

8. I would like people to see how leadership can affect a team of people. How a leader who leads by example will cause the team to follow that example. The example can be an example of competence, hard work, but it can also be an example demonstrating an understanding of brokenness and incompleteness.

9. Leading by demonstrating a knowledge of brokenness and weakness will bring humility which will allow the members of the team to come out into the light with their own brokenness and weakness. Coming into the light will allow the energy of the team to be focused on finding ways to help one another and the organization. It will eliminate energy being used up trying to cover up weakness by digging fox holes to hide in and trying to be right all the time. It will allow people to feel safe to take risk. It will allow an organization to reach for excellence rather than avoiding mistakes.

10. Lead like a sinner takes guts from the leader. It is the slow path to results, but the stronger path. It does not give immediate feedback that is working. In the end, leading like a sinner can bring results that are phenomenal. A team working together in this environment will have results that are tenfold more than results from those same individuals working in a different environment.