Leadership Lesson #2–We are the Toughest Person to Lead

     Like most of us living in Blogsville, I was riveted to the tube yesterday afternoon for the final round of the Masters Tournament.  I love a great story, and yesterday promised to deliver.  Would it be Tiger Woods on his first try at redemption?  Would Tom Watson or Fred Couples win one for the geezers?  Or would it be Phil Michelson trying on his third green jacket and stepping into the role model void so ceremoniously vacated last November?  Phil was the right story for the right time.  The embrace with wife Amy, battling breast cancer, provided a refreshing contrast to the ever-multiplying embraces of another married “player” who once had it all.  As much as it makes for good theater, Tiger embracing victory this time would have simply been the wrong story. 

     Much has been made of Tiger’s meltdown on Saturday.  Maybe too much.  Which one of us would want a camera and microphone glued to us every workday, especially during the most vulnerable time of our life?  Did the “Tiger-tirade” lack character?  Of course.  Was it out of character for Tiger?  Of course not.  His sponsors and his adoring public tolerated that behavior long before we knew about what was happening when the cameras weren’t rolling.  The Tiger Woods story is an indictment on our culture of celebrity worship.  But enough has been said of that already.

     In a strange way, Tiger Woods is still a role model.  He is teaching us that we are always the hardest person we will ever lead.  How many times have we vowed not to eat so much? Or be nicer to the spouse and kids? Or be more tolerant of others opinions? Or not gossip? Or leave the door open when we are on the internet? Or exercise more? Or not go to the wrong kinds of places?  Or, or, or ….. Only to realize in an unguarded moment that we are just as incapable of taming our own tigers without self-discipline, transparency, accountable relationships and a Power beyond ourselves at work within us?  Maybe one of the reasons we work so hard at controling the behavior of others (and too often call it “leading”) is because we refuse to do the hard work of controling ourselves.  It’s easy to criticize Tiger and neglect our own tigers. 

     I pray that Tiger Woods finds redemption.  He has had his share of humiliation.  Now he must find the humility to work as hard on the game of life as he does on the game of golf.  So  must we.  If we don’t tame our tigers of temper, tongue, appetite, greed, lust, laziness, etc., there is more than humiliation to be had.  There are eternal consequences for ourselves and others.  Life is not a game.  And there aren’t mulligans once it’s done.  I am thankful that the tournament of life is not won or lost in a single shot, or round or even season.  And the ultimate scorecard used to measure us is not our own.   

     But the lesson is simple. Whether we lead a family, a company, an organization or a congregation, self-leadership is our most important job.  If we fail at that, nothing else in this life really matters.

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