LoveWorksStill

Being a leader has its highs and lows.  Do you currently serve in a leadership position?  A leader leads in a business, in a family, on a team, in the community, or even the carpool line.  I, too, serve in many different leadership roles.  But in my opinion, I have concluded that leadership stinks.  However, there are lessons that we learn from the smell that it brings.

Some of you are smiling, but I remember one particular day that it literally stinked.  After working a 9-10 hour shift as a customer service manager at a grocery store, I locked the doors and set the alarm to head home.  I managed to get there at about 11:30 or 11:45pm.  Sleep was calling my name because I would have to get right back up at 5am to get ready to open the store again at 6am.  In order to have an euphoric attitude, I turned on some heart pumping music and sang with a quavering voice while I was getting ready.  

I tucked my white collared shirt into my dark blue khaki, slacky pants and put on my black non-slip loafers.  The outfit was topped out with a black belt that helped my shirt stay in, my pants up, and my work keys on my hip. 

Around 5:30am, I realized that I needed to be heading out the door soon but I still needed to eat breakfast, fix my lunch, and make sure I had everything I needed to start my day.  As I walked into the kitchen of my one bedroom apartment where I lived alone, I realized that I needed to take out the trash!  Does touching the trashbag just make you think stinky thoughts?   Either way, I figured that I would take it out on my way to my car. 

I walked down the steps to the bottom floor to the community dumpster, slide the door open, and hurled the trash bag over into it.  As I was turning to walk away, I heard, “klink klink klink!”  

Wow!  Did I really just throw my keys into the trash can? It was like I came out of my body and slapped my nuque.  I had to get to work to let everyone in the store and now my personal keys are in the trash can.  Remember, I had on my white collared shirt, dark blue khaki, slacky pants and my non-slip loafers.  I looked around quickly to see if anyone was out there. No. Why?  Because it was 5:40 in the morning!  The smell of getting into the dumpster, not the thought, but the smell had me wanting to just leave those keys there.   

With less than 20 minutes to get to work, I knew that I just had to jump in the dumpster to get my keys.  I turned on my cell phone flashlight.  Much to my surprise, the garbage truck must have picked up the other trash earlier that morning.  My bag was the only one in there!    I quickly jumped in, grabbed them, and jumped back out hoping that no one saw me!  There was no time to go to make sure my clothes were still okay or even to wash my hands.  I had to get to work.

I sped down the road to try and make up some time.  I was less than 3 minutes away when blinding blue lights began flashing behind me.  My morning as a leader was off to a smelly start.  The police officer asked me where I was going and why I was speeding.  Dropping my head, I said, “I am going to work but I am speeding because I accidentally threw my keys in the trash can”.  I wanted to cry!  But no matter how I felt when the officer handed me my very first traffic ticket, I had to bottle up my emotions.  It was time to lead a group of people as we served the community of which we served.  

As a leader, we don’t always have time to soak in our problems.  People bring their problems to us.  I realized the day when I had to pay that $80- $120 traffic ticket that I had to take responsibility for my actions.  I threw my keys in the trash can.  I decided to speed to work after getting them out.  And now, I had to pay a traffic ticket.  I stood in front of the judge as he asked if I had anything to say.  In embarrassment and disappointment in myself, I shook my head and said “no your honor”.  The officer who told the judge that I had thrown my keys in the dumpster.  I was asked if I was prepared to pay the ticket that day and I was.  The gavel was smacked and out I went to deal with the financial consequences. 

One of the first lessons of a leader is to take responsibility for one’s own actions.  I probably could have asked the judge to pardon me or reduce the ticket. A phenomenal lesson that I learned was that mistakes happen, but there’s a right way to respond after it happens.  That’s just like playing basketball and the ball bounces off the rim instead of going in.  You get upset at yourself and then you turn around to play defense and commit a foul to try to regain possession of the ball again! It’s a reaction!

Yes, leadership is stinky.   Be willing to admit when you are wrong.  Take ownership of your mistake.  Wisdom and strength are developed when the lessons are taken as such.  I have yet to throw my keys in the dumpster again, and I have, thankfully, never received another speeding ticket since that day. I have, however, reacted to others mistakes I have made and reviewed these same lessons over and over.   No matter where you lead, there will be days when leading stinks!  Just don’t forget to learn from those smelly situations. 

Until next time, #loveworkswhenourwordsdont! 💚

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