Tough realities of leadership
So one morning, still on the Isle of Skye and hostelling just beneath Storr Rock in the Totternish Ridge, I ran out early for provisions before the rest of the gang awoke.  I discovered Columba 1400, a Community and International Leadership Center.

Located in the tiny village of Staffin ( I mean tiny…1 public phone in a red English phone booth beside the one public roadside toilet), the center overlooks the sea in one direction and the ridge in the other.  Surrounded by sheep farms and white cottages, the center lives out its mission to be a residential social enterprise devoted to leadership development, realizing the potential in young people from “tough realities”. It is sort of an “inward bound” type of program.

All of the programs of the center give each and every participant a clean slate from which to begin, from which to work (sounds a lot like what Jesus did!). Combined with the inspiration of a clean internal environment, they get an awe inspiring external environment!

As they go through their program, they focus on six key components that need to be part of the core reality of every leader. We incorporated those key components into our work during our Holy Adventure and I believe they are well worth the sharing.

Leaders who want to glimpse a different way of being, who want to see what they, their business or their community are capable of, who want to grasp the possibility of the greatness that lies out there in the world need to invest in these key components. They need:

1. Awareness – knowing and understanding yourself, other people and your environment

2. Focus – recognizing and concentrating on critical and essential information

3. Creativity – seeing and implementing solutions, ideas and initiatives

4. Integrity – being reliable and trustworthy, remaining whole and true to your potential

5. Perseverance – enduring and remaining strong when faced with complications, tragedy and resistance

6. Service – sharing resources selflessly and effectively, using your strengths and experience to take meaningful action and contribute to the greater good

The young leaders that journeyed with me broke down themselves and their actions as an individual and as a group every night. After studying a question God asked us, we then asked ourselves and each other how well we had lived out any one of these key components of leadership. The answers were sometimes a little brutal and sometimes uplifting, but they were honest, just as they should be if they were going to help us grow.

One thing I learned from the sharing was found in the difference of our “tough realities” from the ones the center assumed dealing with a lot of “street kids” and how that could shape our personal responses. I discovered that in Brentwood, our “tough realities” may have more to do with having too much rather than too little, being too sheltered rather than too exposed and too sure rather than too defeated. It is amazing how awareness, just the first of those key components can shape a life.

What would happen if you spent some time at the end of each day in your own personal break down and reflected on these components of your leadership?

Just another thought from the shallows….