day 440: Shielding

When you sit in the CEO role or a senior executive position you get "shielded" from many things. I used to get upset with CEOS, Executives and Politicians who were caught unaware of things happening within their organizations and then when asked would say something to the effect of, "I am shielded from those kinds of things?" It's not until you sit in one of those chairs that you learn that there is so much that happens within a company that it is impossible for one person to know it all. That is why we surround ourselves with great people and ask them to take on important segments of the business so that if we are the leader, we sleep well at night knowing that we don't have to know it all. Inevitably, every leader gets bitten somewhere along the way by something that others would think, on the surface, was a detail that the leader should have understood, grasped and managed, but in this one instance someone dropped the ball and the outcome is embarrassing or worse yet looks like the leader wasn't properly informed and managing. Seldom does someone step forward in that situation and say, "we shielded all of this from the boss". Instead it is the boss left trying to explain to people why he/she wasn't all over the details and managing better. Any of us who have led at this level know what it is like. It is like drinking out of a water hydrant every day and trying to know when and where to go deep and where and when to stay above the details so that others can lead and manage without too much interference. What I can say is that if you have surrounded yourself with the right people who share your values and principles and continue to act in a way that is representative of those values and the highest integrity then things should be okay, even when there is a stumble. And, there should never be a reason that someone feels like they have to shield something away from the leader. Only God should shield any of us, but in the other definition of giving us a shield for our own safety and protection. In Proverbs 2:7 He makes a promise; "He is a shield to those who walk with integrity". If you are feeling today like you are caught in that awkward spot between being shielded away and having the real shield of God over you, then taking a look at how much integrity you have might be the answer to coming out of the catch. Walking with integrity is like having God walk in front of us carrying the shield that keeps the evils away. If we can learn to live and work with the highest of integrity then God will deliver on His promise and put His shield over us. That shield is the shield that keeps us protected and secure in Him. Ask God to shield you today, and then today try that shield on for size.

Reference: Proverbs 2:7 (New Living Testament)