The Backside of Leadership: And Maybe A Story About Poo

 

 

The Backside of Leadership: and Maybe a Story About Poo!

The Bible is an amazing book filled with truths that we need everyday. Lessons in the bible were written from the culture and perspective of that specific time. When I read the Bible, I often times need to mentally remember what was happening in the time frame of each story. For instance, life lessons are often taught through stories of fishing and farming. I have zero experience in either of those areas so I have to adjust my mind to relate to what that looks like in that context.

Currently, God speaks to me through my completely normal, everyday life. As referenced in the title, my everyday may sometimes include poo of some sort. I can explain that, I live with all boys and a dog. Poo is just part of my life. While this article may be what some say is TMI (or too much information), I promise that the mental picture will perfectly depict what God was teaching me and may want to teach you.

A few years back we adopted a sweet little Shi Tzu (and yes that name allows you to curse!), from some very dear friends. Her name is Pebbles. Growing up, the only breed of dogs I ever owned were Pomeranians. Pomeranians are these cute little fur balls that have faces that look like a lion. Their fur sheds quite a bit, depending on the time of year. Because they shed, their hair is always approximately the same length without ever requiring a cut. Besides a little bathing and brushing, they do not require much grooming.

If you are wondering why I am detailing the grooming requirements for dogs and how it pertains to the leadership topic referenced in the title, don’t worry, I am getting there. When we adopted Pebbles, I learned something new about dogs. They are not all the same in terms of their grooming needs. Pebbles is not a dog that sheds. Her hair will grow until she becomes the dog version of Rapunzel. If the name Rapunzel does not ring a bell, think of the movie Tangled. If Pebbles’ hair is NOT cut, she would be able to rescue herself from tall buildings by simply utilizing her tail.

After having Pebbles for a few months we were going about our normal day and realized we smelled something not so fresh. We searched high and low to figure out if she had possibly had an accident in the house or if one of our shoes had tracked in some of the love she would leave in the back yard. We could NOT find the source of the smell.

Oh my, the surprise we had when we did figure it out. Brace yourself if you have a weak stomach. Pebbles’ hair had grown so long and gotten so matted on her back side that she had gone to the bathroom and it was stuck to her bum (that is the mom word for butt.) Poor girl!! I had to find some gloves and take her to the bath tub to work on her back side. Pebbles and I definitely became closer that day!

In that moment, I was completely grossed out and am sure that even if God was speaking I was literally not in a place to hear him. After I had her all cleaned up and she was prancing around like she was just set free (oh wait, she was!), God spoke to my heart about that very gross experience.

Leadership is a place where a person says yes to lead. Okay, follow me on this! In order to lead, you must turn your back to those that are following. How possible is it to lead in a circle holding hands singing Kumbayah with those following you? Is it possible to lead in a forward motion while facing backwards?? To lead, you must turn to see where you are going, leaving your backside vulnerable. It is so true!!

While I haven’t totally understood this concept in such a visual way in the past, I can promise you that I have shied away from taking leadership roles because I was very aware that others would see my back side, so to speak. They would see my weaknesses, my missteps and even my hesitations to take a step.

It is easy to sit back and allow someone else to lead and then point out the ‘poo’ stuck to their back side. While followers are trusting a leader to truly lead them well, a leader is trusting the followers to cover them.

Both sides of these roles truly speak to my heart! As a follower, I want to follow well. I want to cover those leading with grace and I want to be bold enough to speak up when they can’t see what is happening behind them.

If you watch sports, you often hear the term “Monday morning quarterbacking.” That is a person criticizing what the player did after the fact. The commentator is inferring they knew what to do at the time it was occurring. But would they have known in real time? The passenger seat is a great place to judge others’ decisions with no true accountability for those judging words.

As a leader, I want to allow others to be able to approach me to point out those things I can’t see. I know sometimes the position of leader brings with it a weird dynamic where you are looked to as the expert and can not be constructively criticized by your followers or the so called novices. But what if you aren’t the expert? What if you were just the only one willing to go first? Hmmmm!!

I remember when I started leading an aerobics (and prayer) group about a decade ago at my church. Was I the best certified instructor available? Heck no!! Was I the best prayer leader? Even more so NO!! I was just willing to go first.

This principle is beyond applicable in marriage. As a wife, I want to cover Kam in every way possible. I want to be honest in areas that I see as I am following, but I want to honor the inside look that I get from his leading. You see, as a follower in a small setting, you are awarded a privilege that holds a higher responsibility. As the leader, Kam wants to know that he can trust me. Neither role is more important! Both roles are crucial to the success of our Hunt family. Both roles are important in any organization whether it be a church, a small group, a family, etc.

And there you have it! Leadership and Poo!!!!!

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