The Pathway To Freedom: Resilience And Responsibility

by John C. Maxwell | Uncategorized

georgewashingtonThis week we celebrate the Fourth of July and I am proud to be an American, grateful for the liberties of my country, and thankful for the beauty of the land in which I live. In wondering about the future of this great nation, I am comforted by its historical resilience. I also am inspired by the courageous leaders who, time and again, have shouldered the responsibility of keeping America prosperous and free.

George Washington embodied the two leadership qualities, resilience and responsibility, which I see as indispensable to America’s continuance as a leader of the free world. Both traits are well-documented in George Washington’s Leadership Lessons by James C. Rees. I have drawn upon his work in creating this article, and I highly recommend the book.

Resilience
Great leaders are not immune to failure, but they refuse to let their mistakes sink them. As a general, George Washington lost more battles than he won during the American Revolution. Being outnumbered was not always to blame. Sometimes, Washington simply exercised poor judgment as a commander.

How did Washington bounce back from defeat? First, he managed his losses so that the British Army could never strike a decisive blow. Washington did not abandon hope, and he thus prevented isolated setbacks from sending him into the sort of downward emotional spiral that often accompanies a losing streak. Second, he learned from his losses so that he was better prepared for future battles. We remember George Washington as a commanding presence—the one man all of the Founding Fathers would look to when facing a difficult decision. In reality, Washington initially was plagued by hesitancy on the battlefield, waiting too long to determine a course of action. However, to his credit Washington recognized his flaws, and with time he consciously became more decisive when leading military engagements.

Questions for Leaders

  1. As a leader, how do you determine whether to redouble your efforts to turn around a losing strategy or whether to cut your losses and come up with a new plan?
  2. How have past mistakes or failures propelled you forward?



Responsibilty
Whether male or female, black or white, Republican or Democrat, throughout history American leaders have exhorted the nation to take on the responsibilities that come with freedom. Consider the following quotations.

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
~ Thomas Paine (American revolutionary)

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt (First Lady of the United States)

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr. (Leader in American Civil Rights Movement)

“In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.”
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic President of the United States)

“Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.”
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican President of the United States)

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
~ Ronald Reagan (Republican President of the United States)

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
~ John F. Kennedy (Democratic President of the United States)

In stepping forward as commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Army, George Washington willingly accepted the most difficult leadership assignment in American history. Up against the most powerful and professionally trained military on earth, the British Army, Washington commanded a chronically ill-equipped, ragtag band of volunteer enlistees. He repeatedly suffered defeat on the battlefield and constantly had to guard against the despair and hopelessness of his beleaguered troops.

Even with the odds stacked against him, Washington bravely shouldered his responsibility as general of the Revolutionary Army. Eventually he led the way to victory by demonstrating dogged persistence and by showing courage in the face of adversity.

Once the war had ended, Washington became the first President of the United States. Realizing his actions would set precedents for decades to come, Washington responsibly exercised his influence and restrained the power of his position. Most notably, he voluntarily resigned after two terms in office. By declining a third term, Washington modeled the peaceful transfer of power to subsequent generations of leaders.

Questions for Leaders:

  1. What arduous or unpleasant responsibilities will you have to accept in order to move your team/organization forward?
  2. As a leader, you’re constantly under a microscope. People are paying close attention to how you use the power and authority at your disposal. Who’s watching you? What do they see?


Conclusion

What I find heartening about George Washington’s example is that the leadership lessons he etched in history are so accessible. He wasn’t overly talented, nor was he blessed with an easy road to the top. Rather, he was remarkably resilient and responsible—two traits anyone can develop. In the words of historian David McCullough,

He [Washington] was not a brilliant strategist or tactician, not a gifted orator, not an intellectual. At several crucial moments he had shown marked indecisiveness. He had made serious mistakes in judgment. But experience had been his great teacher from boyhood, and in this his greatest test [the American Revolution], he learned steadily from experience. Above all, Washington never forgot what was at stake and he never gave up.

As we celebrate Independence Day, I certainly don’t have the recipe for getting America back on track. However, I do know that the resilience and responsibility displayed by George Washington are two of the essential ingredients.

The John Maxwell Company
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

John Maxwell grew up in the 1950s in the small Midwestern city of Circleville, Ohio. John's earliest childhood memory is of knowing that he would someday be a pastor. He professed faith in Christ at the age of three, and reaffirmed that commitment when he was 13. At age 17, John began preparing for the ministry. He attended Circleville Bible College, earning his bachelor's degree in 1969. In June of that same year, he married his sweetheart, Margaret, and moved to tiny Hillham, Indiana, where he began his first pastorate.

While serving in his second church, Maxwell began to study the correlation between leadership effectiveness and ministry effectiveness. On July 4, 1976, while preaching at a service commemorating America's bicentennial, John sensed that God was calling him into a ministry to pastors. Within days after that event, pastors began to contact him, asking for his assistance in nurturing their churches. Over the next four years, on an informal basis, John helped scores of fellow pastors. Then, in 1980, he was asked to become Executive Director of Evangelism for the Wesleyan denomination.

Though his time at Wesleyan headquarters was productive, John soon realized that his deeper desire was to help pastors from numerous denominations. He knew that desire would be unfulfilled if he were to stay at denominational headquarters. As a result, in 1981 John accepted the call to return to the pastorate, this time at Skyline Wesleyan Church in the San Diego, California area. But he did so with the church's blessing to pursue his vision. The Skyline congregation allowed him to continue mentoring and assisting pastors even as he led them to new levels.

In 1985, as he continued to equip and encourage other pastors, John took the next crucial step in leadership development. He founded a new company called INJOY and created the INJOY Life Club, featuring a monthly tape for leaders. The fledging operation, established in the corner of a garage, was soon bursting at the seams. The INJOY Life Club tapes were received with great enthusiasm, and the number of subscriptions quickly increased from hundreds to thousands. Simultaneously, the demand for other resources and seminars exploded. Pastors from coast to coast were responding, and their desire for help was even greater than John had anticipated.

As the years passed, INJOY began demanding more and more of John's time. In 1995, he resigned from his position as senior pastor at Skyline following a very fruitful 14-year tenure. The church had tripled in size and its lay ministry involvement had increased ten-fold. Dr. Maxwell is in great demand today as a speaker. Through his bestselling books, audio and video resources, and major conferences, he communicates directly with more than one million people every year. He is frequently asked to speak for organizations such as Promise Keepers and Focus on the Family, but his greatest joy and desire is to help pastors become better leaders.

Because the need for leadership development knows no borders, John established EQUIP, a non-profit organization which trains leaders in urban communities, academic institutions, and within international organizations. EQUIP is also spearheading a movement which has enlisted more than one million pastoral prayer partners who covenant to pray specifically for those who shepherd God's flock.

John continues to seek new opportunities to help churches and church leaders. He knows that one thing is constant: the only hope for the world is salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, who gives life abundantly.

Related Resources

No Results Found

The posts you requested could not be found. Try changing your module settings or create some new posts.