Role Models

I was watching this video by Brendon Burchard. Brendon says something in the video that is important for everyone to realize. Well, he says more than one thing, but there is one thing that I felt compelled to post about. That is the subject of role models.

When you are a kid you need good role models in your life. When you are an adult, you need to BE a good role model to others. Whether you are a parent, a boss, co-worker, husband, wife, famous actor/actress, sports figure, etc. You are a role model whether you want to be or not.

My former employer (the company that let me go) has the management style of 'do what you're told and don't complain about it'. They make decisions (which I understand, they have the right to make whatever decisions they want) and the attitude is 'deal with it'. They will ask employees if they have an issue and act as if they care about the opinions of their employees, but in the end, they will tell you to "get over it". It truly was shocking to me and made my blood boil. I am someone who does not  "tolerate" injustice so I'm sure my vocalness is what led them to let me go. I was never insubordinate or disrespectful to my managers, but I would give my opinion in a respectful way. I would do it again as well. If anything, I am sorry I did not speak up more.

I know I sound bitter. I truly don't mean to. It's how passionate I am about this topic. If you are promoted to manager,  you should strive to be a leader, not a control freak. I can tell you from experience how bad morale is at my former employer because of the management issues there. When morale is low, productivity is low. Not to mention that the company is suffering financially for it as well. The company has lost more than 75% of their sales force this year due to the company's poor management practices.

As a parent, I understand the responsibility I have as a role model to my children. By no means am I perfect. I do know that if I want my kids to follow Jesus, I have to model that for them. If I don't want them to use foul language, then I have to not use foul language. If I want them to be readers, then I have to read. You get the idea.

It also is about treating others the way you want to be treated. Also known as the "Golden Rule".

Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

We all are in a position to lead someone. You may be a boss, a friend, an older sibling, parent, etc. You may be in a leadership position at a church or at a Fortune 500 company. The word to focus on is "lead". Be more of a leader than a manager. This is something I am learning as my children get older. Yes, they still need to have respect for me as their parent and I still need to have the final say in most situations, but I have to let them make their own choices and not try and control them or the situation they are in. I need to lead my children in the right direction when they need to make a decision about something in their lives.

We need to encourage others to pursue what they are passionate about. That is what great leaders do. Great leaders encourage you. Great leaders help you come to the best decision instead of making the decision for you.

Would you want to be "managed" or "led"? This is a question you must ask yourself if you are in a position of authority over anyone.