Buoyant leaders investigate matters.
It would be so nice if everyone that brought you a report told you the truth. It would be so nice to think that no one would ever lie to you. It makes for a nice dream to think that things could be this way. However, the reality is that some people just do not operate that way. In some cases, people will flat out lie to you about those who work under your leadership. However, buoyant leaders understand that they must investigate reports before coming to a conclusion.
If a ruler pays attention to lies,
all his servants become wicked.
Proverbs 29:12
Buoyant leaders read into the reports that reach their ears. When we lead people, we must do more than just listen to what they are saying. We must listen to what they are not saying. We must consider the fact that some people are going to lie to us. Some people have an agenda to get themselves to the top by pulling everyone else down. They lie to the leader above them. If the leader above them believes this kind of person, they will see everyone else as evil. As a result, they will not trust people and the organization will suffer. We must not be the kind of leaders who believe every report.
A ruler must not regard rumors as full reports. A ruler must research reports for the purpose of developing a culture of respect:
Ruler (A Leader)
You might only be a ruler over a small group of people, but the passage above still applies to your life. You might be the leader over a large organization and you have come to realize how much this passage of scripture above applies to your life. The fact is that as a leader, you are responsible for finding out the truth. When you are in charge and someone lies to you, you will still have to pay the price.
Leadership and responsibility hold a tight grip on each other as they move higher and higher. The two must coexist. If one separates from the other, your life will begin to sink. Losing responsibility is synonymous with losing your buoyancy. If someone lies to you, and you believe them, you might as well embrace the consequences. When you are the leader, you are responsible.
Regard (Attention)
When information comes to your ears, you have a choice to make. You could simply believe it and act on doing something about it with no investigation. You may just take people at their word. If you find out that they lied, you can always point the finger at them. This is not the way a buoyant leader looks at life. You might not fall right away, but look out, the fall is coming. You could choose to investigate by listening closely to what the report being given includes and does not include. If the person delivering the report takes no responsibility what so ever, it should send up a red flag. You could go to the main ones involved and make sure you get the right details. This does not have to take long. It’s a matter of a few phone calls. The time taken could save you a great deal of stress. Once you realize that someone is has lied to you just deal with. Then you can go on having a trusting relationship with those you lead.
Rumors (Gossip…lies)
If gossip and lies are given a listening ear, it will destroy your trust in the ones you lead. Gossip is like a virus that arrives in a day care. It just spreads and spreads. The best thing you can do is separate the children who are caring the virus. Simply put, do not let lies live. Find their source quickly and put a stop to them.
The goal is to know the difference between a rumor and a report. Look at the way you feel about the people you lead. Look at the way they feel about each other. If you do not trust them and they do not trust each other, it is a great possibility that you are letting rumors surface above reports. When true reports are given, an organization is buoyant. As a result you will be a buoyant leader. You will rise to the top.
It would be so nice if everyone that brought you a report told you the truth. It would be so nice to think that no one would ever lie to you. It makes for a nice dream to think that things could be this way. However, the reality is that some people just do not operate that way. In some cases, people will flat out lie to you about those who work under your leadership. However, buoyant leaders understand that they must investigate reports before coming to a conclusion.
If a ruler pays attention to lies,
all his servants become wicked.
Proverbs 29:12
Buoyant leaders read into the reports that reach their ears. When we lead people, we must do more than just listen to what they are saying. We must listen to what they are not saying. We must consider the fact that some people are going to lie to us. Some people have an agenda to get themselves to the top by pulling everyone else down. They lie to the leader above them. If the leader above them believes this kind of person, they will see everyone else as evil. As a result, they will not trust people and the organization will suffer. We must not be the kind of leaders who believe every report.
A ruler must not regard rumors as full reports. A ruler must research reports for the purpose of developing a culture of respect:
Ruler (A Leader)
You might only be a ruler over a small group of people, but the passage above still applies to your life. You might be the leader over a large organization and you have come to realize how much this passage of scripture above applies to your life. The fact is that as a leader, you are responsible for finding out the truth. When you are in charge and someone lies to you, you will still have to pay the price.
Leadership and responsibility hold a tight grip on each other as they move higher and higher. The two must coexist. If one separates from the other, your life will begin to sink. Losing responsibility is synonymous with losing your buoyancy. If someone lies to you, and you believe them, you might as well embrace the consequences. When you are the leader, you are responsible.
Regard (Attention)
When information comes to your ears, you have a choice to make. You could simply believe it and act on doing something about it with no investigation. You may just take people at their word. If you find out that they lied, you can always point the finger at them. This is not the way a buoyant leader looks at life. You might not fall right away, but look out, the fall is coming. You could choose to investigate by listening closely to what the report being given includes and does not include. If the person delivering the report takes no responsibility what so ever, it should send up a red flag. You could go to the main ones involved and make sure you get the right details. This does not have to take long. It’s a matter of a few phone calls. The time taken could save you a great deal of stress. Once you realize that someone is has lied to you just deal with. Then you can go on having a trusting relationship with those you lead.
Rumors (Gossip…lies)
If gossip and lies are given a listening ear, it will destroy your trust in the ones you lead. Gossip is like a virus that arrives in a day care. It just spreads and spreads. The best thing you can do is separate the children who are caring the virus. Simply put, do not let lies live. Find their source quickly and put a stop to them.
The goal is to know the difference between a rumor and a report. Look at the way you feel about the people you lead. Look at the way they feel about each other. If you do not trust them and they do not trust each other, it is a great possibility that you are letting rumors surface above reports. When true reports are given, an organization is buoyant. As a result you will be a buoyant leader. You will rise to the top.
