290 – Learn Your Limits Young

When young, early, poor, and small, life doesn’t offer us the powers and opportunities to smack around those who do injustice to us. Tyrants are made by holding grudges, then beheading their enemies the moment they get the chance. In some cases, your rise to power may require you to send many people to prison or fire them from the company the next day, but be selective. As a general rule, if justice demands that you fire your bad coworkers once you become their supervisor, firing even half of those you could is excessive.

People change with time. Exacting justice against the single worst aggressor may be just what is necessary to bring the rest of the mob in line. Fire only one person on your new day in office, then watch the email meta to see who gets it in gear and who prepares to bail. If you can afford, it’s best to fire no one at all. You would be surprised how loyal your old enemies become once you wield the power of their purse. That could be all the justice needed. This is how God likes to work.

You may be one of the lucky few who gets promoted and are thus celebrated by all your peers. Keep your conscience, keep learning, stay humble, and make sure that you never lose the respect of the friends who helped get you where you are, all while at the same time making the hard choices of a leader.

God allows us to receive injustice in our younger years, but not so to tell us who to hang once we get our turn to keep the throne warm for the day. God shows us these things so we can learn to respond within limits, so that our tenderness can continue once He gives us more responsibility. Look at the limits life gives you and remain within those limits after you receive the power to crush your enemies. Use your past experience to help you remain sensitive to the needs of others beneath you in the future.

Self-control and restraint are necessary for any leader. Learn those things early, then God will entrust you with authority.