A Temptation We Often Ignore - How Being Aware Of It Can Help You As A Leader

Every day I get a Bible verse on my phone that I will think about throughout the day.

This was today's verse:

"Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that He promised to those who love Him." - James 1:12 NABRE

When most people hear the word "Temptation", there is usually a list of things that they think of.

• Lust
• Food
• Narcotics

Though it is true that these are different types of Temptations, they are not the only ones that exist.

When it comes to a Leadership perspective, there are some that are more significant and more pressing to our everyday lives.

In fact, for myself, this has been one of the more challenging Temptations I have had in my life as of late.

It is a Temptation that has become more pressing in my life over the past few months.

It is the Temptation to allow our Emotions to dictate our actions.

• Allowing our Anger to pour out at others
• Allowing our Fears to choose lesser actions.
• Allowing our Sadness to prevent us from acting
• Allowing our Excitement to make poor decisions

There are many ways that our Emotions can act as Temptations, preventing us from living as Exemplars in our lives.

However, as Leaders, we do not have the luxury of allowing these to control our lives.

It may be Tempting to explode out in Anger when people do things wrong, or worse hurt other people.

But what will it accomplish?

Often it leads to more people feeling Anger and Resentment, and it creates Toxic environments.

It may be Tempting to shy away from something challenging and instead do meaningless work out of Fear.

But what will it accomplish?

Often it prevents us from making any ground, stagnation, and eventually, it leads to the destruction of our organizations.

It may be Tempting to allow our Sadness to fill us to the point that we want to stay in bed and not get out of it.

But what will it accomplish?

Often it will lead to people losing faith in our ability to move forward and can lead to depression and other deep emotions.

It may be Tempting to put all of our eggs into one basket because we think there is so much potential in an idea.

But what will it accomplish?

Often it will lead to us making decisions prematurely without being wary of potential negative consequences that blindside us.

I am not saying that we should avoid Emotions, not even in the slightest.

Emotions can be powerful tools when we utilize them correctly.

What I am saying is that we need to be mindful of what our Emotions are telling us.

We shouldn't allow them to run our lives, but we should listen to understand what they want us to know.

Anger can tell us that there is something wrong that we need to work toward making right in the world.

Fears can tell us that there is something we are missing, from resources to experience, which we can seek out.

Sadness can tell us that we have experienced pain and that we need to understand what that pain means going forward in our lives.

Excitement can tell us about opportunities that may exist and be an invitation to explore more deeply to understand better.

The problem isn't "feeling" the Emotions, it is giving in to the Temptation to allow Emotions to rule our lives.

As a Leader, you need to be wary of this Temptation, both for yourself, as well as for those who are members of your team(s).

Not being aware of this Temptation can quickly lead to horrible things, especially the larger an organization becomes.

There is a reason that there are such high levels of Burnout in today's world - so many people quickly, without thinking, give in to this Temptation.

As Leaders, we need to become more thoughtful about how our Emotions play out, and how they play out on our teams.

As you think about your life today, question which Emotions frequently Tempt you.

Think about which Emotions Tempt your team(s).

What can you do to see these Emotions more clearly, so that you do not fall into their Temptations?

How will you Persevere against the Temptations of these Emotions?