Have you ever been lured by a lie disguised as truth?
Have you ever been sold on a bill of goods too good to be true, but you did not have strong enough internal compass to detect it?
The real question here is not if, but why?
Why are we so easily swayed by persuasive voices and eloquent arguments that are so contrary to the truth? Why do we fail to recognize those moments and nip them in the proverbial bud?
Proverbs 16:25 tells us, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” You see, falling for a lie can have a disastrous impact on us as leaders. It can lead to the breakdown of our families, to broken relationships, business failure and loss of personal reputation.
In an article for Financialpost.com, Ray Williams writes:
“According to the Center for Creative Leadership, 38 percent of new chief executives fail in their first 18 months on the job. It appears the major reasons for this have nothing to do with competence, knowledge, or experience” but with “hubris, ego and a lack of emotional intelligence.”
How do you, as a leader, protect yourself from becoming a victim of your own ego, pride, and lack of emotional intelligence? How do you build in an internal “bank of truth” so you can detect and resist even the most alluring lies?
Storing up the Word of God, His truth in us, is the best way to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. The discipline of reading, meditating on and memorizing Scripture will pay off big dividends when you meet a challenge or a temptation you don’t know how to handle. As one wise person once said, “Life is like a tube of toothpaste; you never know what’s inside until you’re squeezed.”
Bob Buford, current board member for Lead Like Jesus, knows the truth of this all to well. You see, Bob’s son, Ross, drowned trying to swim across the Rio Grande river.
When Bob first got the call that Ross was missing, he said that he secured every resource that money could buy. He deployed helicopters, trackers, dogs….Everything.
That afternoon, he was walking on a rock overlooking the Rio Grande, when he found himself in a conversation with a man who had been tracking illegal aliens for over forty years. Bob asked him, “What are the chances of me seeing my son again?” The heart-wrenching reply: “Fifty-fifty, at best.”
Bob suddenly realized that he had come in front of something that he couldn’t buy, plan or think his way out of. What really saved HIS life was Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Because the truth of the matter is that sometimes things that happen don’t make sense. These are the moments where our need to lean on God is most clear.
So what are some of the lies are being fed as a leader on a daily basis?
How about:
- To get ahead, I have to compromise once in a while.
- My most important job as a parent is to financially provide for my family. So sacrificing time to earn more money is perfectly okay.
- What I do privately does not mater, as long as I deliver results. The ends justify the means.
We could go on and on, but you get the point.
Maybe it is time for us to crawl out from under the covers of complacency and replenish our internal “truth bank.” Otherwise we risk being caught unprepared when the next challenge or temptation comes our way.
Start simple. How about altering your morning habits, perhaps waking up 30 minutes earlier and dedicating that time to truth? Yes, it really is that simple.
In Matthew 7, Jesus tells us to ask and seek. Are we? You see, something is shaping every decision we make as leaders. The question is, what is shaping yours?
