My favorite band of all time is Delirious. They are (or were, as they are no longer together) a Christian worship band from the United Kingdom. One of my favorite songs they recorded was a tune called “History Maker”. The lyrics include:
“Well, it’s true today, that when people stand, with the fire of God, and the truth in hand;We’ll see miracles; We’ll see angels sing; We’ll see broken hearts making history. I’m gonna be a history maker in this land, I’m gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind.”
Leaders must strive to be history makers. Leaders of all flavors must, as Martin Smith and the D-boys sing, speak the truth to all mankind. Leaders who avoid truth and the speaking of it, place themselves in a position where they become ineffective. It matters not what position a leader is in…from the lowest level to the highest paid CEO, CFO, or whatever initials follow the name – the greatest leader speaks truth…and speaks it always.
What is crucially missing in the world today is an abundance of these kinds of leaders in all manners of work. I recently read a Forbes online article about Winston Churchill. After returning back from a visit to the United States, it seems Churchill found the British people in a state of depression following their poor performance in the war. After several days of discussion, Churchill rose in Parliament and spoke these words:
“I offer no apologies, I offer no excuses, I make no promises. In no way have I mitigated the sense of danger and impending misfortunes of a minor character and of a severe character which still hang over us, but at the same time I avow my confidence, never stronger than at this moment, that we shall bring this conflict to an end in a manner agreeable to the interests of our country, and in a manner agreeable to the future of the world. I have finished.” (forbes.com)
Churchill did not sugar-coat anything. It was bleak to be sure. He knew it…everyone knew it. But this was not a time for speaking words of no effect. He needed to kickstart the British into gear and out of their misery. And he used words of truth to do it. It wasn’t overconfidence. It was what the people needed to hear. Words of truth. And don’t you think that his words of truth spoke to broken hearts? Broken hearts that, in turn, made history.
Now, it is important to be reminded that the effective leader does not speak truth out of cruelty or abuse…but out of compassion and care. Churchill wasn’t berating the British people. He was encouraging them – by speaking truth. The Apostle Paul said it best, “…speak the truth in love.” (Ephesians 4:15). In context, Paul was saying that to speak the truth in love would essentially lead to others finding their purpose in Christ. I understand that not every leader makes decisions based on their faith or religious beliefs, but every leader should be overly concerned with helping his or her people find their purpose. EVERY leader. Every CEO, CFO, and COO. Every military officer. Every floor supervisor, shift supervisor, and manufacturing manager. EVERY leader. These are the ones who are going to be the real history makers. These are the ones who, in spite of being surrounded by cut-throat deception, will stand in truth and speak it. These are the ones who will see broken lives put back together.
If I am working in an organization, that is the kind of leader I would choose to follow, and my money is on the fact that you would too. One that speaks truth in love and compassion. One that is concerned with helping me determine my purpose. One that finds the broken hearted, and does everything in his or her power to put them back together.
That is the leader. That is the speaker of truth. That is the history maker.
Faith, Leadership, and History 