“I’ve long believed the hardest part of leadership is self-leadership. If you and I can’t figure out how to do this well, leading others will be difficult at best, if not impossible.” – Mark Miller

Do you know what comes out of an orange when squeezed? The same can be said of us when we are squeezed. What is truly inside of our heart will come out.

One thing I truly believe… The heart of a leader is where their core values are held.

But… how do you know what these values are?

Well, let’s put a leader in a position to be squeezed and see what comes out?

Here’s the thing though…what comes out is usually a determined by what is put in.

So here is the question that must be asked, “What do we put into our hearts as leaders?” Is it humility or pride? Is is servant-minded or step-on minded? Is it give or take? The list can go on and on… but be sure of this, something is going into your heart.

Here is a great analogy: Let’s say you have an orange and it represents your heart. Squeeze it, and orange juice is supposed to come out. Now, instead of putting that juice back in, you decide to put black ink back in. Guess what comes out the next time you are squeezed? Black ink. Even though the orange is still there on the outside does not mean that orange juice is still on the inside.

That’s the way it is, and the cycle continues. Good in, good out, bad in, bad out.

As leaders, it is not a matter of if but when we will be squeezed. So, what is going to come out?

Orange juice is so good. It has lots of vitamins. The black ink really does nothing more than stains. Let’s make sure our leadership does not stain.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP

© 2017  J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/thebookchamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page