Inauguration Take Away
My wife and I were invited to attend the 2017 Presidential Inauguration. Before you stop reading, this is not a commentary on one political party or the other. However, I must warn you that what I am about to say may not fit into the politically correct box that we often find ourselves squeezed into. My biggest take away from the event has nothing do with Liberals versus Conservatives, left versus right, or Republicans versus Democrats. It has nothing to do with the highly charged issues that will face our leaders on both sides of the aisle. It was not the size of the crowd, the numbers of protestors or what was worn to the balls. All of these issues have been discussed at length by the media.
My biggest takeaway was our need as a nation for wisdom. Wisdom is needed to know when to speak and when to listen. Wisdom is needed to know when to seek wise counsel and when to make the hard call. Wisdom to know who to trust and who to keep at arm's length. Wisdom to not allow selfish agendas to drive behavior and, ultimately, decisions.
It's no different in our personal leadership development. Our success as leaders depends on our ability to seek and act with wisdom. Knowledge alone does not make successful leaders. Leadership is the ability to navigate knowledge in order to influence others. Wise leaders are those who achieve this with pure and humble motives.
My hope and prayer is that wise leaders will rise up regardless of the issues at hand. While there are strong opinions about the direction of our nation, there is one thing on which we all should be able to agree. Those who choose to lead with authentic and intentional wisdom are those who will make a difference!
Dr. Larry Little, CEO
