Being Effective or Being Right

I like to be right; most people do. But some have learned to live more cooperatively, putting the need to be known as the author and replacing it with something of greater lasting impact. Needing to be right will destroy relationships at home and the office.

It's hard being a recovering perfectionist. I want to make recovery perfect so that I can move beyond perfectionism. It's a dangerous and potentially destructive cyclone of thinking that can suck me right back in.

I'm so glad Jesus chose Peter to be one of His followers. I see myself over and over again. Peter was part of Jesus' inner circle of three friends, along with James and John. He was brash, proud, arrogant and a perfectionist who hated to fail and usually thought he was right.

One time Jesus was telling the 12 disciples about the next steps in His life - to Jerusalem where He would be arrested and killed but after three days be raised from the dead. Peter stands up and says: "No way, Lord. I'll never let that happen." Jesus looks at Peter and says: "Get behind me, Satan." OUCH! "You have the things of man in mind rather than the things of God." (Mark 8)

God's plan was for the salvation of all mankind. In Peter's world the steps being followed didn't fit his plans. Jesus wasn't thinking like Peter was and Peter was going to fix it. It's easy to see from reading about this encounter that Peter had his mind on personal desires and thoughts about what should happen. It's called ego and I'm more friendly with it than I'd like to think I am.

"That's not the way I would do it," I think to myself - or sometimes allowing my mouth to move before the brain has processed. This jumped out at me as I finished the last few pages of Scott Eblin's book The Next Level. He quotes Mark Effron of Hewitt Associates:

The right solution is the one that actually solves the problem with all members of the group being relatively happy that they are moving int hat direction. Part of the right solution is recognizing that consensus in most organizations will be more important than individual brilliance. (p. 183)

Keeping my eye on outcomes is a growing edge for me. I like to be right. God is pounding home that right is not the biggest issue. His Kingdom is the only end that matters. 

"It's amazing what you can accomplish when 

you do not care who gets the credit." 

Harry S. Truman

(I found a good blog entry about this at Philosiblog.com)

Peter had to go through a process whereby this selfish, self-centered, myopic thinking could be transformed to see the bigger picture. This wasn't the way Peter would have done it. Peter was ready to fight, as would be seen later as he cut off the ear of one of the guards who came to arrest Jesus. Jesus' way was different. 

Everyone needs a period of sifting (see Luke 22:31-34) to get beyond the myopic tendencies of our human nature. It's not fun. It's painful. But it's God's way of showing us how much our lives are built on sand instead of Him, a Rock foundation. Everything is about us until we realize it's not. Eblin encourages a different approach: "Spend your energy on bringing the group together to come up with smart outcomes." (p. 184)

I need to be better at this as a leader. Where do you find yourself? Does it matter who gets the credit? To achieve great things will take a team where ego's are checked at the door.