It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
The "Lead With Russ" post each week is simply my journey of leadership. It will always be in constant flux as I continue on this amazing adventure of figuring out who I am and what my greatest contribution is all about.
Someone commented last week and suggested that I do a series called "Why I Lead" and continue with the theme of "Why I....".
I began that a number of weeks ago when I put up these posts:
This is just a look into my life, and I want to challenge you to figure out why you do the things that you do. It's also caused me to begin thinking about things in my life that contribute to my leadership and that spur me forward in this leadership journey.
Today I'm prompted to answer this question:
"Why I'm Not Alone"
Years ago, when I was a fairly new and young leader, I began to understand how lonely leadership is. I realized that even though I was surrounded by people, by activity and by purpose, there were times when leadership called on me to act, and many times that act was alone. I had to make a tough decision, I had another sleepless night, I was in the midst of conflict, I was facing deadlines... this list goes on.
Here's the deal: When you're a leader, you always carry that leadership with you, and there are times that it's very lonely.
I began to remind other leaders that they didn't have to struggle through leadership alone.
We began to build communities of leaders where we were reminded that there were other people just like us going through things.
I learned that even though I "felt" alone, I wasn't. There was a larger community of people that cared, that prayed and that were deeply connected to me, even though they were spread out across the globe.
Here's a couple of reasons why KNOWING that I'm not alone makes a difference:
- I know that there are ALWAYS people I can call on for help, and they will answer.
- I know that MANY OTHERS have faced similar situations to what I'm experiencing, and I can draw from their experience, their knowledge and their compassion.
- I know that feelings of loneliness PASS. Often it's temporary and simply knowing there are people out there helps me.
- I am CHALLENGED to connect deeper with people that are close to me. I don't have to do it alone. I can build a team, I can invite others in, I can get help carrying the burden. Often I feel alone because I've isolated myself from others.
- I know that even though the world is huge, I can CONNECT to others virtually. I've been reminded of this walking through this pandemic, and I have so many tools to connect and build relationships with others, even when we're physically separated.
Leadership is lonely at times, but I'm encouraged because even when I feel lonely, I know that I'M NOT ALONE.
Take some time this week to reconnect with some people that are walking with you. Be there for each other. We're going through a crazy time all over the world and it would be easy to simply want to curl up in a ball and isolate. Don't do it. We need each other. Find your community. Find your people.
I was reminded this past week of the passage of scripture found in 1 Peter 5:9...
"Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith." (The Message)
And in Deuteronomy 6 we're reminded
"He won't let you down; He won't ever leave you" (The Message)
Be encouraged today. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!