Often in leadership we believe we are the exception to a principle that God himself put into motion...You can only produce what you truly are. 

We believe that if we get up earlier, try harder, read more, and plan differently that we can produce a different fruit than what we truly are.  Where does this type of thinking come from?  Why would we think this way?

If you have 24 hours in a day, is there anything you can do to change the fact that you only have 24 hours in a day?  No, not really.  However, we live as if we are not constrained by this reality and we have way more than 24 hours.   In our minds, we are the exception.   This type of thinking spills over into our personal life.

If a leader who has been ‘redlining’ (you know, that sound when the engine is about to blow) for several weeks or months, but thinks that they are producing good fruit, are they correct?  

The definition of the word redline is to:

1. To drive with (a car engine) at or above it’s rated maximum rpm.  

2. The fastest, farthest, or highest point or degree considered safe.” Does this describe where you are at today?

What are the signs of a person who thinks they are healthy, but are not? 

Luke 6:45-45 says, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

I love that phrase, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart.”  I know deep down inside, good leaders really want to be an agent of life transformation in others.  

To determine what kind of fruit we are producing as leaders, you and I can do a leadership health check-up on a regular basis.  We need something to help us measure how we are doing.  I think starting with our personal lives is a great place to start.  Specifically, where do we spend our personal time?  Where is your stress level?  Are you refreshed or feeling burned out?

If you often feel tired, fatigued, run down, have a lack of energy, and need a break, these are all symptoms of a deeper issue.

Ask yourself:

•       Do I over schedule my work week on an ongoing basis?
•       Do I constantly overbook my free time in order not to disappoint others?
•       Do I sacrifice ‘family’ time in order to catch up on unfinished work from the day?
•       Do I feel guilty for disappointing other people?