THE  9-1-1  LEADERSHIP CALLS

Yesterday was an interesting day at the Scofield home.  There were a couple of firsts.  Here is #1 – Bogey (our dog) was locked in our bedroom.  This has never happened before, and no one was able to get the door open.  (I was not home . . . yet.)  Marni was on the phone, Hudson was just home from an appointment and in his room, and Charlie was left to figure this out.  He did the most logical thing a 5 year-old would do; Charlie called 9-1-1!

As I came home, I pulled in to a police car at my house, and an officer at the door taking in the entire situation.  (Bogey was still in the room barking furiously!)  Fortunately, the policeman believed us, and Charlie then disappeared when we asked to take his picture with the policeman.  We thought he was embarrassed.  He wasn’t, he just wanted to get his Policeman uniform on for the picture – of course!  (See below)

In leadership, all of us have to make very important calls.  Sometimes these calls impact peoples lives, a territory, a salary, or even a working relationship.  I can tell you that I have made a lot of these calls in my tenure as a leader, and sometimes I have made them well, and sometimes I have not.  So here is my shot at some 9-1-1  LEADERSHIP CALLS and 5 Principles to guide you:

• “Wait for Nuetral”  This was a great piece of advice a super leader gave to me.  What it means is as long as we are emotionally engaged, then hold off on making the leadership call.  Have the patience to wait for neutral!  It will serve you well in the long run.

• “H.A.L.T.” before making big decisions.  This is the infamous, H = Hungry, A = Angry, L = Lonely, and T = Tired.  We are not to make the 9-1-1 call on anything when we are any of the H.A.L.T. positions.  A great decision is made when we are fed, at peace, in community, and energized.

• Solitude, prayer, and time alone help immensely.  If you get a chance to read the entire Mark 1:35-39 you should do it.  Shortened version is this:  Jesus got up early, went off by himself, and made a big decision to go a new direction.  If you have some leadership decisions coming your way, make sure you get time to process it, pray about it, and journal as well.

• Gut Knows Best!  I have had situations that my gut gave me a heads up on right away, and then I hemmed and hawed around until I had the courage to follow my gut.  TRUST YOUR GUT.  I could give you some great gut stories, but we don’t have the time.  What does your gut say about your leadership call?  Follow it!  Trust it!

• Community Consensus.  After you have run through the above principles, it’s good to share your thoughts with a safe, close, community.  I remember coming out of college deciding about my first job, my community was my family.  In later years, I had some adults or committee members who would guide me, and finally today, I have both a sweet wife as well as some covenant relationships that I would bounce decisions off of.  Certainly, I would not make a 9-1-1 leadership call if my wife or my covenant group did not agree with me.  But, that’s me.

What about you?

What big decisions are out there for you?  Could be as simple as when to refinance, or do a large house project.  It could be about going back to school, or whether or not to get married.  It could be about someone who works for you, and an issue you have or even, a termination.  It could be what to be involved with this year, knowing that we all have limited time.  There are so many 9-1-1 Leadership Calls – I can only tell you that Bogey in the bedroom is NOT one of them!

Have a great Thursday!

Eric Scofield