The call hit his cell phone around 7:47 am on Wednesday morning.  It was one of his most stable key employees calling and she sounded scattered.

Over the next few minutes, the key employee began explaining a situation happening at home that was agonizing.  An addiction with a member of their home had led to that family member stealing money from this employee to the point that insufficient funds were flagged at the employee’s bank.

She was wrecked, broken, hurt, and trying to run the household with an overdrawn bank account.

The business owner who had received the call was in a place to have this employee stop by his office so he and his wife could sit down to grieve, and gameplan next steps.  They were leading their employee through a remarkable and unprecedented situation.

Leadership matters because followers are often in a position where finding their own way is too taxing, or nearly impossible.

Leaders can only lead in an atmosphere where there are followers ready to follow.  

In any culture there will always be followers to follow; the greater challenge is finding leaders who are committed to lead.

Vision is said to be the beacon by which the attention of followers can be harnessed into a movement that transforms.

Where there is no vision, we are warned in the Jewish Proverbs, people will scatter.

So where does such unifying vision emerge?  From leaders; people who are willing to risk their reputation, their capabilities, and their relationships to craft a snapshot of some future, compelling destination.

And then, with great repetition and spirit, a leader invites followers along the highway of values to the destination of vision, all for a defined purpose or mission.

Leadership matters because without it, people scatter.

Leadership matters because without it, people take aim at nothing.

Leadership matters because when apathy sets in and fear slowly chips away, it is leadership that speaks up, calls out, and puts into motion the very vision-centered activity that will either have victory or defeat believing that either one is better than the apathy of nothing at all.

Leadership matters because lukewarmness is the default of a life without leaders.  

When a leader emerges, technologies shift and grow.

When a leader emerges, ideologies begin spreading.

When a leader emerges, movements begin their important work of transformation.

When a leader emerges, life gets pushed, moved, spun, lifted, and dropped.  

Theodore Roosevelt famously reminds us that it is the “cold and timid soul(s) who have never known neither victory nor defeat.”

Leadership matters because our own transformation and growth matters.  Without leadership, we are left to a life of timidity and fear.

With leadership, we embrace power, love, and a sound mind.

ACTION: write down one thing in your life that would not be true if a leader did not step in and encourage you into a specific direction.