I have an addiction. Actually, I have several addictions. I am addicted to my kids and my wife...which is a good thing. I realized that recently when they were gone for a day. You think as a married guy with four kids that living the life of a bachelor for a few days sound great, but after a few hours, I want them back. I'm addicted.
I am also addicted to Chick-fil-A. I do a lot of work with these guys, and I have been around them since I was 7 years old. And I swear that they put something in that season coater that is addicting. When I worked in a store as a teenager I ate my weight in nuggets during break and actually started to get tired of chicken, but I think that was really the beginning of the addiction. I'm not even going to start in on sweet tea.
And as a leader, I am also addicted to progress. I cannot help myself. Of course, this is a great addiction for leaders, but like all addictions, I am learning there is a clear downside. Being addicted to progress cause me to:
- Be impatient. When I see something that needs to be fixed or tweaked or completely overhauled, I am ready to do it YESTERDAY. And that is not always the best option. Change takes time, and people take time. Patience is really a virtue as a leader. Indecisiveness is not good, but patiences is absoultely necessary.
- Ignor people. Not like I don't see them and I run them over, but I guess I do have a tendancy to figuratively run them over. People love leaders that take the time to care and invest in them. I know I do. But being addicted to progress can cause you to ignor the people implications of change. Of course, what't the point of progress if there aren't any people around to celebrate success?
- Get frustrated. Progress takes time (see impatient). And inevitablly, with positive steps come some backward steps. Rarely does progress occur in a vaccuum without obsticals and issues that cause backwards steps. And for those addicted to progress, anything that looks backwards is really frustrating.
- Get too far ahead of staff. My addiction to progress causes me to move too fast and expect too much. Our followers want to see where we are going, but I thnk they want to walk with us, not watch us crest the horizon without them.
- Not celebrate success. Wow, this is a big one for me. I love progress, but when we win and succeed in something, my addiction causes me to put it behind me and start looking to what is next. We need to remember to stop and enjoy success...and maybe smell some roses or something.
Loving progress has the potential to make great leaders, but it also has the potential to run over all of our followers. Tomorrow, I am going to just relax and enjoy what God has done...and do so while eating a Chick-fil-A sandwich with buffalo and ranch sause, large tea half sweet/half unsweet with light ice. One addiction to moderate at a time.
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