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The Walk You Set: Leadership That Lasts a Lifetime

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Have you ever wondered whom your walk each day impacts? Are you a leader in your community or your church? How about in your family?
Do you set the pace that everyone else follows?
What does it mean to be a leader?
As I look back at those in my life who inspired me to follow them, only a handful have made a lasting difference.
Throughout my education, certain teachers, by talent and care, urged me forward in my studies. I cannot point to one who became a leader to me, though I am sure many were leaders in their own right—among their peers, their groups, and their families.

Among my childhood peers, some drew others to march to the beat of their drum. I never really found their beat. I walked my own path.
As I grew, I watched national and international leaders muster people to inspiring speeches, lofty goals, and hopeful aspirations. At times my heart beat with the excitement of their visions of what lay ahead.
Even as I found my footing as a Christian and dedicated my childhood efforts to following Christ, there were Sunday School teachers, pastors, and youth leaders who made the effort. Still, it was hard to find a worldly leader I could look to who furthered my faith.I have always heard that hindsight is 20/20. When I look back at my life, the greatest leaders in it were my father and my mother.
Through their example I learned to care for others, to show compassion for those less fortunate, to follow a path that cannot be questioned, and to live a life that puts others’ needs above my own.
Problem after problem, trial after trial, their steady and true approach to living provided a pattern upon which leadership flourishes.
Others stepped forward as well. My scoutmaster was a tremendous example. My first employer taught me how to encourage loyalty in those you hope to inspire. I saw fine leadership, too, in musical and entertainment mentors who fostered my talents.
No matter whom you have looked to in learning how to lead your family, your church, or your community, are your choices reflecting the best that leadership can offer?
Jesus provided a wonderful template for servant leadership and for passing that legacy from generation to generation.
What are you passing on to your children—and to the children of your community?
Will they look back and remember you as a leader, or as an example of what not to be?
Read more of Randall’s writings in his books in our store.

Frozen Eggs and Hard Lessons on the Trail

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We crawled out of the tent and started a fire. The goals were simple: warm up and cook some breakfast. The chattering of our teeth, despite the long johns and layers of clothes on top of them, wasn’t helping as we tried to endure the freezing cold of the mountains around us.

We broke the ice in the bucket and poured enough water to fill a pan for grits. When the frying pan was hot, we added frozen bacon. We had planned on scrambled eggs, but when we cracked the shells, all we found inside were egg ice cubes. So we simply dropped those into the skillet.

When a bunch of Boy Scouts hit the trail, it’s amazing what the food sometimes looks like after we cook it. Most of the time it’s edible, but the appearance could sometimes sway one’s appetite. That morning we started out feeling as if we were already in a freezer. I can only remember one other time being quite so cold—on a camping trip in the northern part of the U.S.

After breakfast we cleaned up, broke camp, and moved on. Two adult leaders and about a dozen scouts with backpacks headed toward our rendezvous point.

Those monthly camping trips were about far more than getting from one campsite to the next. Their real purpose was to strengthen our survival skills and put into practice what we were learning as we worked through various merit badges. Our leaders were good fathers and great teachers who invested in us. Our lack of skills felt like a constant uphill battle, yet as we climbed the ranks we grew more proficient and eventually could advise and coach those coming up behind us. My late father was one of those adult leaders. He always made the best effort to pass on his skills.

Of course, we still dealt with the same dynamics we faced in everyday life. There were the cool guys and the not-so-cool ones, and we sometimes found our share of hazing among the ranks. I was never one of the cool guys, but I excelled at earning merit badges and rose quickly through the ranks. I learned fast, and after the initial hazing the incidents became fewer and further between.

One year at summer camp, however, the bullying grew heavy. It was one of the few times in my life that I truly lost my cool. Pushed so far that all I could do was lash out, I picked up a three-inch-thick wooden tent pole about six feet long and started swinging it at the boys who were harassing me. In retrospect it was stupid and could have ended very badly. Thankfully I don’t remember landing any blows. Had I connected, I could have killed someone or broken a bone. The one thing it accomplished was that they saw I was no longer going to take it, and they left me alone after that.

I learned a valuable lesson that day about dealing with anger in the face of bullying—a lesson that has stayed with me the rest of my life. I am a much better person for the experience. The cold mornings, the hard climbs, and even the painful moments all taught the same truth: when life sends you an opportunity, seize the lessons it offers and build skills that will help you again and again.

Read more of Randall’s writings in his books in our Store.

Leaders, are you one ?

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Have you ever wondered who your walk each day impacts. Are you a leader in your community or your church? How about in your family?

Do you set the pace that everyone else follows?

Read more