Constant Force - The Big 8

“The lead dog is only the lead dog as long as he is harnessed in front of the others because he is obedient to lead the others (constant force).”

The principles of consistency and constancy are key principles in living the Christian life. They are absolutely critical for the one who wishes to truly follow in the steps of God. Likewise, not only in Christian Leadership but in all leadership these two forces are critical. However, many people get confused and have trouble understanding or verbalizing the difference between consistent force and constant force.

Perhaps two examples of “bad” leadership (I put it in quotes because if it is bad leadership it really wasn’t leadership at all) can best draw the line of difference between these two forces. Let’s take first the leader previously discussed that starts out doing something great, asks everyone to follow, stops doing it himself, expects everyone to follow, and ends up doing the exact opposite of what he teaches. Aha! Everyone knows this hypocrite and most people probably think he is in a “top dog” office or pulpit. This is the leader whose life is not consistent with his message. He is not living the message and doing the message consistently. Even if half of the time he is doing it, he is not doing it the other half of the time.

The failure to execute constant force in leadership is easiest seen in the extreme example of abandonment. Over the years in business and in Church, I have lived through many cases of abandonment. I have learned that they are never the one who abandons fault and they never turn out well. A leader does something critically wrong, immoral, unthinkable, gets bored, gets drawn away from the task they are to consistently lead or gets their feelings hurt and they simply leave their post. They may leave for a day, a week or never come back but they simply leave. This leader is not constant because he is not leading constantly. Elvis has left the building.

Leaders must know that they are constantly on duty and will never be off duty. Dads and moms are to be constant leaders to their children. Pastors are to be constant leaders to the Church overall and local. Ministry leaders are to be constant leaders to their workers. Bosses are to be constant leaders to their employees. When a leader becomes a leader, he or she needs to know that their life is over, and they now exist in their leadership function for their employer in leadership and those that they lead. If you have children and care about them, you understand this loss of life. Leaders are constantly leaders or else they are not leaders.

There is no moral time off because the followers are not around. Someone once said, “A man’s integrity is seen best in what he does when no one is looking.” There is not time off from helping train, care for and carry the woes of those who follow you. Foolish sounding is the leader who constantly complains about his followers because either he should not be a leader or he is not leading them well. Leadership is on duty all day long. Leaders cannot flip out this hour and then think the followers will forgive and not remember the inconsistency (or mimic it) in the next hour. Leaders cannot be absent from the office or the place where their followers exist and think that they can lead. No one leads from afar. These are examples that are not so clear as abandonment but are, in shades of grey, just as inconstant as leaving the job entirely.

Leaders must accept and be constantly leaders or else they are not leaders at all. This is the price of being chosen. This is the path of success to those that follow you.