Orphan Outreach

Recently, I re-read "Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix” by Edwin H. Friedman. The big idea is that with so much change, chaos, and anxiety happening in the world, what we really need in our leaders is a calming presence.

Friedman says that a leader’s most important attribute isn’t content, ability, or skill, it's his presence. He tells a story of a workshop as his example. At this workshop, there is a presenter who is giving a wonderful presentation. During his session, the fire alarm goes off and the speaker panics and runs from the room. At that moment, another person stands up and calmly has everyone line up and exit the building safely.

Freidman’s point is that the brilliant, authoritative speaker wasn’t the true leader. The true leader was the guide who was peaceful and present in the heat of the moment. As a leader, this makes me ask myself, “Am I sharing my anxiety with others or am I sharing my trust in God?” That’s something I've been thinking a lot about.

My prayer right now is that I would be a non-anxious presence in both my home and my workplace. I don’t want to allow the chronic anxiety of our day to infiltrate my heart and my mind. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind stays on you because he trusts in you.” Now throughout the day, I remind myself to keep my mind on Christ because He will keep my mind at peace.