9.03.2009

Ruffled Feathers

Proverbs 27:6 TNIV

Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Something Donna Crouch from Hillsong says in many of her talks really stuck in my mind. She shares often about cultivating a team culture where people don’t need their “feathers stroked.” That got me thinkin'.

We all have our feathers ruffled from time to time. You know what I’m talking about, the kind of interaction that would put a cockatoo to shame. Perhaps your boss tells you to do something that you are already doing. Maybe your blood boils when you are overlooked and someone else gets recognized instead of you.

If you are on a team, department, family or just part of the human race conflict is inevitable. Striving to avoid correction or to attain such a high state of performance that you are above accountability is impossible. As a people, we all need to be shaped, challenge, and grown into the kinds of people that G-d dreamed for us to be. This process is painful and messy, but it is absolutely necessary for your growth as a leader.

Some of the most formative times in my life came in moments of correction from my parents, my little league coaches, my youth pastor, my first boss in high school, and now my wife! I just had to throw that one in there. Confrontation is the most loving thing a leader can do for you. Of course I’m not talking about micromanaging or an abuse of some authoritarian bully system. I am suggesting however that if your feathers are ruffled, then it’s an opportune time to stop, look around, and listen to see what Jesus can teach you from that experience.

So whether loving correction comes from your boss, a peer that you trust, the Bible, or any leader in your life, take a second before you go “all Tucan Sam” on someone.
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