I can write about criticism today, because today, no one is criticizing me. Okay – they probably are, but I don’t know it right now. So it seems like a good day to do it so no one thinks this blog is directed at them.
I’m reading Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey (and so are a lot of other people). It’s a good book with a lot of basic stuff in it that we really need to be reminded of. Which is pretty much vintage Ramsey, right?
Like “don’t spend more than you make” and all the other deeply brilliant stuff he’s made a career out of helping people figure out.
But the last place I left off was about criticism. He quoted Aristotle (which I’m guessing is a quote he read on a bubble gum wrapper somewhere:) ) who said “Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”
I guess it stinks that I don’t know of anyone criticizing me today, because I must not be saying, doing, or being enough.
I’ve never been the guy who gave a rip about what other people thought – which is what makes me an effective leader. Parkview wouldn’t be here if I did.
I’m getting ready to lead this church into a new chapter and new initiatives in two weeks. I can’t wait! I’m so excited about the future of this place. And I can’t wait to hear people criticize it. Partially because it will help us figure out where we are wrong, and partially because it means we’re actually saying, doing, and being something.
I spent a few days this week in a convention planning meeting for a convention I’m president of in 2014. I will be criticized for the way I handle it. It’s very delicate. Some will think I’m going to leading from youth and some will think I’m leading from old age. Some will think I changed too much, and some will think I didn’t change enough.
It’s okay – I’m going to lead. And when criticism comes, I’ll listen, learn, and continue to “be.”
“To be or not to be,” is not the question. I will be. And I will be criticized. Because I’m Weird.
