After its founding, the Roman Catholic Church began to do what many long-standing influential and powerful organizations do; a slow digression into a leadership model of just-do-what-we-say-and-don’t-ask-questions.  Stand up, kneel down, sin, confess, pay, rinse, and repeat.

While there was certainly massive value that the early Catholic Church brought the global community from the sixth century up through the Renaissance (and still continues), there were also some clear abuses of power.

As renaissance art, mass publishing, and the globalization of empire building were merging, it provided the fertile soil of louder and more informed and thoughtful voices to emerge and begin asking questions.

In 1507, Martin Luther became a Catholic Priest.  Over the next 13 years, Luther would wrestle with the internal realities of conviction, theology, and the written word to come to different conclusions than what was publicly being professed.

Sending his list of 95 propositions to the Archbishop of Mainz on October 31, 1517, Luther decided to lead.  

Over 500 years later, an American man, holding Luther’s namesake, decided to share his dream and thus offer his commitment to lead.

Before the reformation of Luther, and after civil rights of Luther King Jr., women and men around the world have been offered to plant themselves in the fertile and charged soil of a louder, more informed, and thoughtful voice of leadership. 

Before Luther, Luther King Jr., Anne Frank, Sojourner Truth, Churchill, or Marcus Aurelius; before any of the influential, culture turning, reforming leaders… there was a person or a group of people in need that they translated into an invitation to lead.

There is an invitation to lead standing right in front of you.

Standing in front of you is an ideology that requires 95 counter propositions in a thoughtful way.

Standing in front of you is a child who needs a dream because their surroundings provide no outlet or opportunity for that which seems trivial.

Standing in front of you is a group of people marginalized, put down, underappreciated, taken advantage of, misunderstood, and tired.

Standing in front of you is a job that can either be a lifeless means to a paycheck, or a platform for life-giving transformation through every transaction, production, bookkeeping entry, strategy meeting, and employee onboarding.  

Standing in front of you is an opportunity to lead.

Nobody made Luther think, act, or respond.

Nobody made Luther King Jr.  organize, speak, or walk.

Nobody made Anne Frank coordinate a hiding place against the devil in her father’s house.

Nobody is going to make you lead, but that doesn’t stop you from having the opportunity right in front of you.  

Rob and Jessie Shrieve own Coastal Shores Landscaping.  It is understood in the industry that any leadership effort should be focused on the non-field staff while the field team is tolerated and left to float.  

The Shrieve’s made a choice that the newest, most unskilled team member would receive the same effort, encouragement, training, accountability, expectations, discipline, swag, perks, and opportunities as the most skilled, knowledgeable team member in the business.

Last week they devoted an entire workday to leadership, technical, and soft skills training for their team.

Every Thursday they provided technical and “Life 101” training to the entire team of over 25 employees.

Nobody made them lead, they accepted and implemented.

To lead is your decision… and we sure hope you will.