MikeLeadership expert and best-selling author Patrick Lencioni frequently quotes Samuel Johnson, who observed, “People need to be reminded much more than they need to be instructed.” I believe there is a deep truth in this statement. In my work, and quite possibly in yours, we feel the temptation and even pressure to continually come up with innovative things to say and do. But as I think about the influences in my life, it’s usually the simple reminders that stuck with me, even if they didn’t seem particularly remarkable at the time. For example:
- In a recent sermon on prayer, one of the application points from our pastor was to “start with God.” His explanation is that we can’t have a relationship with God (or anyone else) if the flow of communication is a one-way list of wants and needs. This isn’t revolutionary, but “start with God” has helped to reshape my morning prayer time.
- When one speaker taught on patience (one of my struggles), he encouraged the audience to change how they waited in line and use it as a chance to thank God for the opportunity to practice this virtue. I found myself remembering this during a long delay at a pharmacy recently, and it changed the way that I waited.
- I once served in senior leadership for a company with over 1000 employees. One day, the CEO and I were discussing a rash of safety incidents among our front line staff. The CEO commented, “We need to figure out what we’re doing wrong.” My initial reaction was, “We? They are the ones making the mistakes.” In that moment, he taught me a simple but powerful lesson that leaders take responsibility for the systems that they’ve created and the results that those systems produce. It’s a lesson that I still remember after more than 20 years.
