Make a small cross with a black pen on a white A4 size sheet of paper. Now make a small circle about 4 cm to the right of the cross. Take the paper in your right hand and keep it at some distance in front of your face. Close and cover your left eye and with your right eye focus only on the cross that you have drawn. Slowly move the piece of paper closer to your face, until the black circle disappears. (That should be at about 10-15cm from your nose.) -If you have actually done this, you have just experienced what is called a blind spot! Just like this physical one, we all have some blind spots when it comes to our character and behaviour in general. Yes: There are things about ourselves that we don't know, we don't know!
Hopefully we will allow people who love us and care for us, to tell us about those things.......
Arrogance seems to fall into the blind spot area of some leaders. Everybody else knows and talks about it, but they keep on behaving with an ignorant overbearing sense of self importance! Feeling unduly confidant and superior to other people. You are arrogant when you have a high opinion of your own position, importance and abilities.
It is noteworthy that most great leaders of the past and present are everything but arrogant! They usually have one thing in common: They are servant leaders. People who are blessed with various abilities, that they apply for the greater good.
These men and women are normally conscious of the practical difference between function and position; between egoism and selflessness; between legacy and lunacy -and between (self) importance and making a real difference.
We do not have to remind others of our titles. -It is not so much about your title, but about who you are as a person and about what you do in practice! We should not carry on talking about the importance of our positions. -We should rather keep reminding ourselves about our responsibilities and function and keep on thinking about the legacy that we would like to leave behind. Someday that is what we all will certainly do: Leave everything behind. Then as surely as you read this, someone else will take your place -and all that will outlive you, is your legacy!
Ask some of your friends and colleagues if they think that you are arrogant. -If you flinch at the idea of doing that: You already know what the answer is!
Very well said. Arrogance and pride (hoogmoed) goes hand in hand. There are so many leaders looking down on those they perceive to be not as successful as themselves. In the end what counts is what the Lord Jesus think and say about our little kingdoms
ReplyDeleteThis comment was send to me via Face Book. I just had to repost it here: So nicely said and true: "Hi Henri, I enjoyed reading your article. I used to belong to the Arrogance Club - closely linked to the Self-righteousness Club. At 62, having seven bells knocked out of me, I find that membership is not reserved only for those in leadership. Do you think that God, tea cup in hand, looks down and patiently waits for us to realise that we don't have all the answers, and the art of listening is better than speaking. Someone said recently that 'we are all worms but I am a glow worm.' To know who and what we are in Christ is possibly the 'beginning of wisdom'. -Hélène Mauroux
ReplyDelete-Thanks Helen!
And all I can add is: Feel free to evaluate my arrogance .... and knock my seven bells out of me! Thanks again Henri - I am in deep thought!
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