Building a Better... Motivation (Part 1)

As I embark on this journey towards being a better leader, I need to start at the base. Gordon MacDonald in his book "Building Below the Waterline" shares the story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge, from the perspective of the onlooker, looked like it went up over night. In fact, the majority of the building took place long before that, under the surface of the water. MacDonald likens this to leadership. The most important part of a leader's life according to MacDonald is that which is 'below the surface'; namely, the soul.

So, I am going to start to examine my foundations.The first foundation to be examined is motivation. Why do I want to be a leader? Then, why should I be a leader? For this post, I'll examine my personal motivation, and next time I'll look what my motivations should be. This is for me, and I presume others, a painful subject. When I look into my past, I see three principal reasons that I would lead things. The first is often because of obligation. Too often I find myself leading things because no one else is. I have been taught many if you see a need, do what you can to help. Because of this, I have taken over classes, led public worship, and then run myself ragged.

The second reason I have led things in the past is out of pride or self-esteem issue. It's sad to admit, but I have taken on some responsibilities because I felt I deserved to be in charge. One such time happened when on a mission trip to Baja, Mexico. We had a free day to go into the nearby town and shop in the market. We were broken up into small groups to tackle the market place. While there was no 'formal' leader, one of the women in the group took charge and directed us. After two hours of endless shopping, (which I disliked), large crowds, (which I also disliked), and having no say in where we went (Really disliked that); I had enough of it. I felt that I deserved to take charge, and that everyone should just do my will. I haven't examined what a leader's motivations ought to be, but I can venture a guess that pride is not an adequate foundation for leadership.

Finally, the third reason that I've led in the past was out of a sense of calling. I went on my first missions trip when I was only 15, and when I came back, I was so excited about who God was, and how much He wanted people to know Him. A few months later I convinced my youth pastor to let me lead a small guy's bible study. I led, not out of obligation, or pride, but rather, love. Love for God, and the people God loves. Is that the right motivation for leadership? The question will be answered next time. 

MacDonald, Gordon. Building Below The Waterline. Peabody, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, 2011. Print.

Building a Better... Introduction

"You keep that attitude up, you'll be a leader here next semester!" This was said to me only a few weeks ago at a small class I attend outside of NOVA. As odd as it sounds, this is not a rare occurrence in my life. Shakespeare once said that some are born in greatness, others achieve greatness, while others have greatness thrust upon them. I believe it is the same of leadership. Some people are born leaders, some try to be leaders, and other just end up leading. I am not too sure which I am. My name is Colin Watson. I'm a student at NOVA Woodbridge. I'm also a leader. From leading an acting troupe in high school, leading a bible study on monday nights, and whenever there is a need for one. I started 'leading' when I was only six or seven years old. I lead my siblings in the backyard where we played games. When I was eleven, I directed a small play for my church. I spend much of my time leading, and thinking about leadership.

Being given leadership does not mean that I know what I'm doing. More often than not, I learn by trial and error, and more error. I am by no means an expert on leadership. This is painfully obvious in retrospect. The bible study I lead meets from house to house, sharing the load of having a bunch of loud and crazy teens at their house. For a long time, I took no measure to solidify where we were meeting. This lead to panicked phone calls an hour or two before the meeting, asking where we were meeting. Now I know better and I have a planned schedule of the house we're meeting at. Despite leading often, I am still a novice in understanding what it entails. This blog is an experiment; looking at leadership as a whole, analyze it bit by bit, and then putting it all together again.

I am interested to learn about what leadership means in the bigger picture, and then apply it to the short term. Why should one become a leader? What are the qualities of a good leader? When is it time to let go of leadership? What is the goal of leadership? I don't intend to have an answer for all these questions. I want myself and others to think about what it means to lead. Beyond that, I want to take it a step further. Talking about leadership is not as useful unless I apply to my own life. So, as part of this experiment, I will find personal application and goals for myself, and attempt to become a better leader. Will it work? Stay tuned to find out.