Week Three, Leadership: Immune Systems and Leaders

"Leaders function as the immune system for their institution."

                                                              -Friedman

       Sickness comes into our body. Invasive germs, bacteria, disease step into a healthy system to bring their chaos and sickness. The body has a built-in response to this invasion and when it's working well the invasive disease is put in it's place and taken care of. In an unhealthy system these invaders are able to run rampant and cause all kinds of trouble. What does any of this have to do with leadership? It's a great picture for the nature of the job of leadership.

       Ever had a boss like Michael Scott? Ever worked with someone who spread all kinds of chaos in the workplace? Ever had your child push a boundary or boldly walk right over it and ask what you're going to do about it? Ever had a player on your team cause division and strife for their own agenda? Ever have a leader claim they were exclusively right and everyone else is suspect?

       Boundaries are a big problem with diseases. They long for everyone else to be as sick as they are. They will stop at nothing but conversion. Leadership is the task of the immune system. To define and maintain health in the midst of all the germs around. As a parent, business leader, team leader...the ability to know who you are(being well-defined, well-differentiated) is the key to spotting the germs that come your way. The strength required to say no to sickness is a priority in leadership.

       Most leadership training puts great emphasis on motivating people rather than helping a leader understand the effect of their presence in the midst of a system. What happens to you in chaos? What happens when the rumors fly? What happens when the child screams and demands their way? How do we respond to the sabotage(rumors of adults, eye-rolling of our teens, screams of our two year olds)?

       In the Old Testament their is a fine example of leaders not being the immune system they needed to be.  Germs and sickness were coming in and instead of fighting off the problem like an immune system should, here's their response...JEREMIAH 6:14 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace. Like having cancer in your body and having a Dr say, no need to do anything about it, it'll be okay.

       Can you think of a time when you've had to step into some situation and act like an immune system, fighting back something that shouldn't be happening?

       Is there something going on right now where you should be stepping in and offering leadership to make something go a different way?