I Will Go First
It is easy to see what everyone else needs to change.
A leader notices the missed deadline, the bad attitude, the lack of discipline, the excuses, and the inconsistency. But before we correct the people around us, there is a harder question to ask: am I holding myself to the same standard?
Your family watches what you practice more than what you preach. Your team notices whether your expectations apply to you too. Your brothers can tell when your advice comes from experience or just opinion.
Leadership loses credibility when we demand discipline from others while giving ourselves exceptions.
That does not mean you have to be perfect. It means you have to be honest. Own your mistakes. Correct your own habits. Apologize when you need to. Keep working on the man in the mirror before spending all your energy fixing everyone else.
The strongest leadership often begins with a quiet decision no one sees.
I will go first.
Where am I expecting something from others that I have not been consistently practicing myself?
God, help me lead myself before I try to lead others. Show me where I have made excuses for things I would challenge in someone else. Give me humility to own my failures, discipline to correct them, and integrity to live what I ask others to live. Amen.
Before correcting anyone today, examine yourself first. Pick one standard you regularly expect from others and make sure you live it intentionally today.
Keep walking through the fire
Forged by Fire is a book about the cost of isolation and the power of brotherhood. If this hit something, the book goes further.