The State of Heart Leadership

Leaders who fail to monitor their hearts jeopardize their organizations. If we neglect the arduous work of monitoring what's going on inside of us, our organizations will suffer. In Matthew 15:19, Jesus warned that

"... out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander."

Can you think of anyone who derailed his or her organization or career because of anything on that list? I'll bet you can. In fact, I know far more stories of failure rooted in these issues than those resulting from a lack of competence or skill.

Look at Jesus' words again. Everything we say and do springs from our hearts. The implications of this verse are huge for those who manage people and organizations. What's in our hearts eventually affects our ability to lead effectively. Consequently, learning to guard or monitor our hearts is critical to our success as leaders. There are three things in particular that if ignored have the potential to create chaos in the heart of a leader and consequently in his or her sphere of organizational influence.

The first is guilt. Leaders who carry unresolved guilt are forced to hide a part of themselves from those to whom they are closest. They have a secret. They are forced to expend time and energy to ensure that no one finds them out. They know they are not completely trustworthy. Often they assume no one else is either. Guilty leaders have a difficult time trusting. Consequently, guilty leaders have a difficult time building teams.

The second enemy of the heart is anger. Angry people live as if the world owes them something that they can never quite put their finger on. Angry leaders are impossible to please. Angry leaders attract followers and employees that are more concerned with making their bosses happy than doing what's best for the organization. Employees' poor decisions eventually put them at odds with their angry bosses and the cycle of dysfunction continues.

The third heart issue leaders deal with is jealousy. Professional jealousy is understandable. It may be unavoidable to some extent. But when it is unrecognized and ignored, it has the potential to destroy the synergy of a team. Jealous leaders measure their success by the failure of others. It is difficult for a business or non-profit to sustain momentum when leadership is focused on how well others are not doing rather than looking for ways to move their own organizations forward. Maybe most crippling of all, leaders who carry jealousy in their hearts rarely surrounds themselves with competent and talented people. It's too threatening.

If you can identify with all three of the ailments cited above, welcome to the human race. We all wrestle with guilt, anger, and jealousy at some level. That's why we need a Savior. The good news is that through Christ we can bring these enemies of the heart under control. They may never be completely eliminated, but they certainly don't have to control our lives or contaminate the climate of our organizations.

If you have a secret, tell somebody. Confess. Confession eradicates guilt. Chances are you've confessed to God. Now go confess to the person you've wronged. Angry? Forgive. Forgiveness is simply a decision to cancel a debt. Take time to decipher what you think the people who've hurt you owe you and cancel that debt. Otherwise, you will make the people closest to you pay. Jealous? Look for ways to celebrate the successes of people who've pulled ahead of you. Write 'em a letter. Praise their accomplishments in public. Refuse to allow jealousy to take up residence in your heart.

The writer of Proverbs summarized it this way, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." You live from the heart. You love from the heart. And yes, you lead from your heart. So pay attention to your heart. It impacts everything you do.