Do Little, Achieve Much

Jason Woolever led me to Andy Stanley's sermon on "competent leadership." Here are a handful of key principles:

1. Only do the things that only you can do. It's in line with Discover Your Strengths: A baseball pitcher who obsesses about becoming a great hitter, likely suffers disproportionately as a pitcher. Is it a myth that an organization needs well-rounded individuals? Is it a truth that the true goal is a well-rounded organization?

2. The less you do, the more you accomplish. Only do the things that only you can do. The world's plentifully supplied with people who can (and want to) do the things that you can't. Find them and empower them! Why distract yourself from maximizing the gifts that you have? Why try to change yourself from a round peg into a square one?

3. Leaders attract like kind. If you burden yourself with well-roundedness and drag yourself down in the process, then you'll attract people who are similarly burdened.

Andy didn't say this, but I suspect that there's a difference between weakness and vice. It's good to admit that debate is my weakness and I need help. It's bad to admit that I'm inflexible and to impose upon others to deal with it. We win when we apply our strengths, delegate our weaknesses, and curtail our vices.