As we conclude our week of focusing on leadership lessons from the Apostle Paul, today’s post is titled “Save Yourself First!” Paul wrote these words to the Ephesian leaders he was addressing for the last time, 28“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders. Acts 20:28 (NLT) Note the order–guard yourselves and God’s people. We must guard ourselves before we can guard others. That is an essential leadership principle. If we have not guarded, protected, watched over, even saved ourselves first, we will be of no help to those we lead.
I learned that principle first as a fourteen-year-old boy taking the lifesaving merit badge at Boy Scout camp. The instructor told us, “The first rule of lifesaving is: Save yourself first! The principle is obvious when it comes to lifesaving. After all, if you drown you aren’t of much value to the person you’re attempting to save. The principle as it related to lifesaving meant an order of priority was attached to the methods of rescuing a drowning victim. At that time it was reach, throw, row, go. In other words, you would attempt to reach the victim with a rod or a pole or something that would allow you to remain on solid ground while reaching into the water. Next, you would throw a rope or a lifesaving buoy to the drowning person. The third option would be to row a boat to the person.
The last, and least likely option to use would be to go to the person, to swim out and bring the person to the pool deck or shore. It is the last option, because it’s the most likely one to lead to your own growing. I remember the instructor telling us if the drowning victim were more than half our size, it would be likely the adrenalin of their own circumstance would give the person the strength to grab you and hold you under until both of you drowned. I have always remembered that image. The instructor said, “If that’s your only option wait until the person goes under and is unconscious. Then bring him to shore.”
What does all of that have to do with leadership? Everything. If we don’t take care of ourselves first, guard our own lives personally and professionally, we will be in no condition to lead others. One of the most important aspects of our leadership is self-leadership. We’ve talked about that before, and we’ll talk about it again, because it is that important. While leading a business, a church or some other organization may not seem like rescuing a drowning victim, at times it seems exactly like that. When we have a worker who personal habits, or lack of skills is dragging her team down, or when he has a family situation that is dragging him down, we may well find ourselves in the position of the rescuer.
How we approach those situations will be determined largely by our own personal preparation, and whether we have thought through the implications of guarding ourselves first, and then reaching out to them. More than one leader has found herself in over her head, because she failed to follow the principle of saving herself first. One of the most important aspects of saving ourselves first is simply to prepare before the crisis comes. While we can’t anticipate every eventuality in the lives of our workers or volunteers, many of them are so common we can prepare for them. Anticipating what may happen, gives us the ability to reflect on what we will do when it does happen. Those moments of anticipation allow us to prepare without the panic that can ensue in the midst of a crisis.
So what do you do as a leader to guard yourself, to save yourself first? Do you have a daily regimen of study, prayer or meditation and physical care? Effective life management practices are the front life of guarding our lives. Since August, I have renewed my own daily practices of rest, prayer, physical care, building relationships, study, prioritizing my work habits and practices, and finances (The seven aspects of life management I addressed back in July). The results have been a far greater preparation for the crises of life that do come regularly. Take a moment to reflect on your own life management system. Are you guarding yourself by caring for each of these areas? Which one or ones do you need to address more effectively.
Remember, as leaders guarding our own lives first is not an option. It’s an essential part of being ready to lead effectively in the good times, and particularly in the challenging ones.
Here’s to leading better by guarding ourselves, by saving ourselves first–today!