John Stanko

"Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God" - Psalm 145:3-5.

Leaders are often charismatic people who gets things done by sheer force of energy and vision coupled with a dynamic personality. Yet all leaders have limitations and weaknesses, and their ultimate weakness is they are mortal. They age and eventually retire and pass from this life. While leaders and organizations need to set goals, they are working in a fallen world with people who have limitations, weaknesses, and physical frailties. Therefore, they must temper their aggressive goal setting with the realization that their best-laid plans will oft go astray and lead to less than they had hoped. They must accept that eventually their own influence and effectiveness will diminish and they will have to pass the baton on to someone else to continue the work.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Are you grounded in your own mortality and limitations? Do you accept the limitations of others? Today, start to give some thought to and then develop a succession plan for your position, realizing that you may move on to take a new one at some point. After that, examine where you put your hope and faith. Is it in your abilities and experience, or in the God of your abilities and experience? The psalmist of today's passage said you are blessed if you put your trust in God. Finally, evaluate how you react to other people's human weakness—with grace or impatience?