Welcome to "Tuesday Mornings"—excellent news in a week where the news is anything but excellent.

 

I know you have heard this before, but it deserves to be said again: "When Jesus was present, no one was ever lost in the crowd." Think about the times he singled out people intentionally, whether they wanted to be singled out or not. There was Zacchaeus. Do you remember him? He was the short guy that climbed up into a tree to see Jesus. He wasn't trying to sneak an invitation to Jesus to enjoy dinner at his house. He just wanted to see the Lord. He ended up being the host. Then there was that physically challenged guy at the Pool at Bethesda. He had all the excuses in the world to miss being first into the pool when the waters were "troubled." Jesus asked, "Do you want to be well?" The man answered, "I have no one to help me...." Jesus took care of that, healing him instantly. How about the woman who had been caught in adultery? Right there, in the heart of the religious establishment in Jerusalem Jesus said to her, "I don't condemn you. Go and sin no more." Then, there was the woman with a chronic blood disease who was lost in the crowd until she reached her hand through the mass of flesh between her and Jesus and touched his garment. With all of that pushing and shoving going on, Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" When she raised her hand, Jesus said, "Your faith has made you whole."

 

Jesus was sensitive to things invisible and inaudible. He reached out to the needs of people, whether or not their needs were visible to the eye. His heart listened to their hearts. What an example for us to follow. It's so easy for leaders to rely on their sense of sight, ignoring their sense of touch or of hearing. I believe Jesus would say to us today, "Listen up." The topic of this week's epistle is, "Lead by Listening." Continue reading  whenever you are ready to listen to someone's needs other than your own. Then be ready to act when the Lord sends someone along who needs your help. Today could be the day.

 

Tom Barnard

A Senior Encourager

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Lead by Listening

Tom Barnard

 

here are four strings on a violin. Can you name the notes to which they are tuned? If you said E-A-D-G, you are right! Do you know the one string that any experienced violinist tunes first when tuning the instrument? If you said the note is “A,” you are right again. Technically it is known as 440Hz, or international “concert pitch.” After that one string is tuned, a violinist can tune the other strings by ear. With practice, of course.

 

The ability to hear is not only important to musicians; it is equally important to those who lead in the corporate world. Leonard Sweet believes that leaders don’t “see a vision; they hear one.” He goes on to say, “Sound becomes sight.” To illustrate his point, Sweet refers to the submarine—one of the underwater weapons used by the United States (and Germany as well) so effectively during both World Wars. Subs have periscopes, but they are usable only near the surface of the water. Submarines have no windows, so those on board can’t “see” out. Instead, they “hear” their way underwater. Acoustic sensors (both passive and active sonar systems) are used to tell those on board where they are and where the enemy is.

 

Sweet concludes, “The key to leadership is making the inaudible become audible and the invisible become visible.” In other words, the gateway to leadership is the eargate, not just the eyegate. I confess I have never thought about leadership in those terms. I had always thought that if you want to command something or someone, you must be able to see things with your eyes. Effective leaders both see and hear.

 

My first car was a 1939 Chevy coupe. It didn’t run well, and I didn’t keep it very long. My investment of $25 got me the title and a trip to our home. It had a three-speed transmission that I had to shift manually. How did I know when to shift from one gear to the next? Not by sight, but by sound. And vibrations. And this was before the Beach Boys recorded their classic song, “Good Vibrations.” When they sang, “I’m pickin’ up good vibrations,” they were referring to the feminine gender, not a Chevy transmission. In either case, I suppose, vibrations are helpful in determining speed and direction. Likewise, in leadership roles an effective leader learns to lead by sensing invisible vibrations.

 

All of creation hums. Sweet calls these the “hymns of life.” Whale watching is a fun experience, but there is an entire science built around “whale listening.” Did you know that some species of whales can detect the bleeps of other whales thousands of miles away? Don’t ask me how scientists know this. They just do.

 

What does listening have to do with leading? Everything. Ask Moses. He began the book of Genesis with a song—a creation hymn. What legacy did King David leave to the world? It can be found in the hymns (psalms) he wrote. Can music affect behavior? Absolutely. Methodism was born with two books: the Bible and the hymns of Charles Wesley. People “listened” their way into the Kingdom. The Apostle Paul understood this principle: “Consequently faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 NIV). Faith comes by what? Listening.

 

True leaders are people whose hearts and ears are tuned to God and to others—and to the conditions surrounding them. It is not a stretch to say with Sweet, “Leaders hear life.” Ernest Shackleton was one of the greatest leaders of men in the 20^th Century. An Antarctic explorer for most of his adult life (he died of a heart condition at age 47 in 1922), Shackleton recruited some men to accompany him based not only on their ability as sailors but also for their musical ability. On October 25, 1915, when free-floating ice floes threatened to destroy his ship, Endurance, Shackleton ordered his men to abandon the disabled ship. They evacuated to three lifeboats, taking with them only bare necessities. Among the “necessities” was the banjo owned by the ship’s meteorologist. Shackleton said, “It’s vital medicine, and we shall need it.” And they did. Subsequently, after months of frigid cold and long nights, all of his sailors were rescued—safe.

 

So, when things turn frigid where you are, and the ship is listing 30 degrees to the port side, remember the banjo. You might need it to survive the winter. And get out some of Wesley’s hymns. Even if you can’t sing very well, you can listen. All great leaders do.

 

(Quotes by Leonard Sweet may be found in his book, Summoned to Lead, Zondervan, 2004, Chapter 2)