Youth Leadership Resume: Integrity

Over the next week, I want to talk about three elements of character that are most important to a leader. As Christians, we find ourselves in a world that wouldn’t agree with most of our character traits. We seem weak to the world; we seem different. I think different is good, but all too often Christians, in an effort to fit in with the world and not be seen as an outsider, will adopt the world’s standards.


If young Christian leaders are going to have an impact in the world at large then they must remain different. We must be set apart. The three elements of character that I have picked to write about this week represent what I believe are the core aspects of leadership that set us apart.

The first character trait is Integrity. My dad was big on integrity, and I grew up hearing that word every day. Unfortunately, many people didn’t grow up with my dad.

Integrity, at its heart, means doing the right thing all the time, even when people aren’t looking. I think that last part is the most important, because it talks about more than behavior; it talks about attitude. I can follow the rules to a person’s face, and as soon as they turn around, dump all the rules out the window. That is a sure sign that I don’t have integrity. I’m following the rules because it gets me ahead. Integrity is when we do what’s right because it’s right.

In a world of situational ethics, instilling integrity in our kids isn’t easy. In fact, it’s an uphill battle. But it’s a battle worth having. In fact, it’s a must. People follow a person with integrity. They look up to them. They’ll follow them because people with integrity are so different.

We need different. I don’t want the status quo in charge anymore. If we’re going to raise up the next generation of leaders, let’s give them some tools to be different. Let’s show and teach them integrity.

Question: how are you teaching integrity to your students?

Training Tomorrow’s Leaders Today,

Matt

Leadership Lessons from Tiger Woods

When “Saturday Night Live” does a Parody of your misdeeds, you know you’re newsworthy. Unfortunately for Tiger Woods, it’s no laughing matter, and it shouldn’t be a laughing matter to any leader who pays attention to the missteps of those in the public eye.
Tiger Wood’s fall from grace carries with it a poignant message to all of us who are leaders. Mr. Woods may be the best golfer who has lived, and he has definitely done a lot for the sport in the way of racial reconciliation, but all this means squat in the face of the news last week that his family life isn’t what everyone thought it was.
I have heard many people (especially in the talk radio industry) asking why Tiger’s indiscretions should matter in the face of his talents. This is a good question, and one that needs to be asked by all leaders. We have seen what happens to Christian leaders when they make mistakes: generally speaking, they lose their ministries. Now, I’m not comparing the work of ministry leaders and Tiger Woods, but what I am saying is that the same principal that has the nation giving a collective sigh of betrayal over Tiger is the one that will sink any leader that betrays the trust of their followers.
Mr. Woods may have never claimed to be a paragon of virtue, but people have invested in him emotionally. They don’t just see him as a golfer. Golfing is just what brought him into the limelight. Now, he’s a role model, a guy you see on the television selling you goods. He’s become a household name, and a certain amount of trust and emotional investment go into that. Unfortunately, it’s that very trust that people feel has now been violated. Even though they didn’t know Tiger Woods apart from his public persona, the masses thought they did. Thus his fall has been great.
If Tiger Woods, who plays golf and appears in a few commercials, takes this kind of fall when he screws up; how much greater will the fall of a Christian leader be? People don’t just emotionally invest in us, they invest their lives and the lives of their families. We are with them in their greatest moments of joy, and in their moments of greatest sorrow. We share life with them. Further, as leaders we guide them, give them advice, and do so in the name of God.
If a fan of Tiger Woods involves themselves emotionally, those who follow us intertwine their lives with us. To these people, a moral failing like Mr. Woods’ isn’t just a news headline, it’s a horrible violation of trust and family that tears them apart.
Now, obviously we fail and fail badly, but I think the difference between Mr. Woods and us is what we do with that sin. He obviously tried to hide it. And it came out in the worst way. This says something about the merits of transparency, but that is another post for another day.
In the meantime, let’s remember that those people we serve wrap their lives up in ours, and it is our God-given responsibility to shepherd them well. We owe them more than to play with their trust or hide our failings from them; and if we do, we shouldn’t be surprised when we end up the butt of a joke on “Saturday Night Live,” or worse.
In the Trenches,
Matt