Leaders Must Put in the Effort Even When No One Is Paying Attention
Having the choice to set the alarm for 5 a.m. to get a head start on the day or go to bed in silky pajamas and sleep in, most people would choose the latter. However, J Loren Norris, international leadership speaker and trainer, begs to differ.
On an episode of the Leading Leaders Podcast, Norris explains why “effort done in the dark when no one is paying attention” is the key to setting excellent leaders apart from the rest.
Whether it’s preparing for a speech, working up the corporate ladder, fine-tuning a recipe, studying for a test, playing a sport, pastoring a church, or getting kids up and out the door every day, attitude and attributes of leaders are borne out of putting in the hard labor and “getting in the reps,” Norris said.
Like “the speech that has been poured over again and again,” Norris said, ditching convenience, the silky pajamas, and popping up before dawn to do the hard roadwork produces the character of a true leader in any vocation.
While it’s important to seek advice and wisdom from other trusted leaders, peers, and friends, “sometimes the most critical evaluation is your own,” Norris said.
Because there is always room for improvement in any area of life, it is vital for leaders to periodically tweak their performance. When something is practiced well and long enough, it eventually looks like second nature, confirming Norris’ statement that “practice makes permanent.”
This type of discipline is not only beneficial, but it is biblical. In Galatians, Paul talks to the weary worker who needs an extra boost of motivation:
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up,” Galatians 6:9, ESV.
Leadership is not about the leaders themselves, but about performing the task before them with diligence to honor the Lord. Norris’ concept of putting in the work behind the scenes translates to the life of every Christian seeking to lead others to restoration in Christ.
The more time believers practice loving their neighbors, the more plentiful the harvest will be for the Kingdom because God will bless the training they do on their own time.
Tune in to this podcast episode to learn how to practically be the leader God intends for all His people to be in the World.
