I never should have said anything! You weren't supposed to know about this right now; Mar 4:1-20, Truth and Timing
The military decision making process, intel preparation of the battlefield, war gaming; human intelligence, signal intelligence and decision points. These are just some of the tools we use to issue guidance and critical information in the Army. Many times during this process a number of different people and sections are brought in at different times to either provide information or to receive it, but not many are all present at the same time. Yes their are those that are there for most of it and a few that are there for all of it but by and large each member contributes its part at the appropriate time. The one thing that all these people get out of each of these stages is the appropriate message and information during the appropriate time.
I know some of you are scratching your head trying to figure out what all of these things are and how they relate to both leadership and more importantly, to Jesus. But as I've been going along on my journey, I've discovered that Jesus, too, had a plan in which he brought certain people in and informed people at the appropriate time and place. Now, I can say that I'm one of those people who likes to be informed (really what I mean is that I like knowing things before anyone else). Everyone's heard that knowledge is power but how and for what purpose that knowledge used is just as powerful as the knowledge itself. Knowing where and when the appropriate time, and how much to give out, for leaders can be somewhat more difficult to understand.
The first thing I need to look at here is truth. More often than not, what I say isn't nearly as important as how I say it. If I'm going to be a leader that people can trust, regardless of how much I share with those who follow, it always has to be truthful. Many times when leaders only give out bits and pieces of information, no matter how truthful, followers have a tendancy to fill in the blanks. If too much information is missing, those gaps can be disasterous for any plan as too much speculation about a leaders plan or vision is left to question. But the opposite is also true, if too much information is given at an inappropriate time, vision can be lost, but more importantly not everything you've said will be heard. As a leader I need to strike a balance with those who follow and how much truth I let them in on.
Another issue related to the truth of the message is context and timing. Truth is about establishing a bond of trust with those who follow but what type of bond is needed is something else entirely. I have to decide how much I tell those individuals in my core group compared to how much I tell those who are just followers. I need to learn how to tailor my message to those I lead at the different levels that I lead them. I also need to stand firm on the fact that not everyone has a need to know regardless of how much I may want to tell them or how important they feel they are.
This leads to the next piece of the puzzle in truth and timing and how much and when to give it out. In case you haven't already figured it out, not everyone will hear and understand everything that you say. Jesus often taught the masses by the uses of parable (a fancy word for stories with meaning). He knew that the actual message He was trying to convey to the people would get lost in translation no matter how much He emphasized and reiforced His point. What He did understand about people though, was that if He could tell them a story, they were more likely to hear it and would remember that more easily than the actual message itself. When asked by His disciples why he talked in parable and what the meanings were, Jesus imparted this knowledge to them. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear. Those who have eyes to see, let them see. It was obvious that by their follow on questions that, that message only seemed to confuse them more so He clarified. Those who have a true desire to understand will understand. He also said to them that He would teach them the meanings behind these lessons so they would know the truth behind the message and would be able to spread their meanings across the land (referrance the sower and the seeds to understand this further).
So, as I look at the parables that Jesus taught to the crowds and the meanings behind the lessons He taught to His disciples, I can understand the lesson here of truth and timing. His message remained the same from the parables to their meanings but the distinction is made on how that message was given. This is truly one of the greatest lessons on ensuring that any leaders' vision remains constant as it's carried out, even if that vision is carried out after that leaders time has past. Jesus was intentional on how much and what He told to the various people around Him. He understood the different layers of people and what affect they had on His father's vision. To the many people He addressed whether walking along the roadside, or speaking from a shore, those people recieved the parts that they needed to hear to get them to follow Him. To the twelve and eventually the seventy-two, He gave them the meaning of those lessons so they could teach as they were taught. To the three, He showed them all so they could understand the importance of each of these lessons and carry one the vision long after He was called back to His father.
As I look at this, knowing that I am someone who likes to know all that I can as soon as its available, I have to have patience if I am one of those people sitting on that hillside. If I am lucky enough to be one of the leaders in the inner core, I have to know the intent of the information I hold and know how much of it I am able to share. But if I'm one of those fortunate few that get a glimpse of the entire plan, I need to gain the understanding of the mission so I can keep the vision alive and see the mission thru to its completion.
This entry was posted
on 15 July 2009
at 08:18
and is filed under
Leadership,
message,
parable,
timing,
truth,
vision
. You can follow any responses to this entry through the
comments feed
.
