Get Up. Go Out and Encourage

The word flu is in the middle of the word influential because even as a leader sometimes you feel like crap. There are days you just don’t want to perform but you know you must. So you drag your sorry butt into work and act like you don’t want to be there and everyone else learns to adjust to your mood. That’s unfortunate and poor leadership.

I was awoken early Saturday morning by a phone call. The lieutenant on scene was getting ready to call an incident a SWAT mission and was notifying me. It’s that time of the year and I had a nasty head cold. The kind where it feels like Manny Pacquiao punched you in the forehead and nose.

Edward Scissor hands had tapped two large knives to his hands and went on a meth binge. He barricaded himself in a truck and held off cops who were trying to help him. He fended off two Taser strikes, pepper balls and hours of talk. I rushed to the scene to manage and coordinate with Emergency Negations and SWAT. I was acutely aware that people were looking to me for leadership and decision-making. They were not concerned if I had a cold. They wanted to execute the mission as safely as possible and go home. That meant someone making clear and decisive decision. Edward the Claw eventually came out of the truck without his scissors and was taken into custody. I went home and crawled into bed.

Saul was an erratic leader. How many times did he chuck a spear at David? Try to hunt him down and kill him? He murdered others who brought bad news. His advisors had people pay music to lighten his spirit. He was a self centered and erratic leader.

David lost his son Absalom in battle. (Minor point that Absalom was trying to mutiny against David’s kingdom.) David cried, hard in a room over the gate of the city. He was shaken to his soul, publically. So much so that the men (2 Sam 19) slid into the city as men who are ashamed when they flee from battle. In my minds eye I can see these battle hardened warriors proud of their accomplishments and valor only to see their leader, the one they respect, lamenting their victory. Confusion, anger, embarrassment, kind of like when our troops returned from Vietnam.

Joab went to the King and lit into him. This was not popular at the time. It might cost one his head. So why was Joab willing to risk life and limb to tell off the sobbing king? He had seen David in all of the seasons of life. He understood David and could judge him as just. Great leadership is open to correction and makes needed adjustments. David was not perfect, but just.

Joab told the king, “you have humiliated your men…you have made it clear that your men and commanders mean nothing to you.” I cannot think of a worse indictment as a leader. Your men mean nothing to you!

Joab continued, “Now get up, go out and encourage your men.”

Look what David did, He went to the gate (a highly visible place where the men were) and took his seat and the men flocked to him. Men respond to great leaders who are fierce in battle but humble in spirit.

These words struck me. Get up. Go out. Encourage your men. Too often leadership sees problems, policy and obstacles. Solid leadership is counter balanced by getting up, going out and meeting with the men to encourage them.

God new David’s pain. Losing a child can never be easy. 2 Sam 18:33, “If only I had died instead of you.” Compare that to the intentional pain God suffered in John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he “gave his one and only son” that who ever believes could have life everlasting. To encourage us God got up, went out and sacrificed for us. Be encouraged.