HEAD IF STATE: Man of GOD

http://www.thefamilyleader.com/man-of-god-the-king-whose-humility-saved-a-nation/

Man of God: The king whose humility saved a nation

by Greg Baker

When we think of World War II leaders, we think of men like FDR, Charles de Gaulle, Dwight Eisenhower, and Joseph Stalin. World War II Britain, specifically, brings to mind the strong, bold leadership of Winston Churchill.

Too often overlooked, however, is King George VI, Britain’s head of state. As the symbol of the nation, the head of state is a very different responsibility than the chief executive. Heads of state set the standard on what it means to be a citizen of that nation. They provide an example of who we should be, rather than who we are. The culture of a nation rises and falls with the standards put forward by its head of state.

The British people most certainly rose to the standards of King George VI. In fact, it is hard to see how Britain would have been victorious in World War II without the humble, servant example set by King George VI.

The British people learned what truly mattered in a head of state: that charisma isn’t nearly as valuable as character.

King George VI came into power in an improbable way. He was not the direct heir to the throne of King George V. His older brother, King Edward VIII, was. Yet King Edward VIII did not hold the throne for even a full year before he abdicated it. For Edward wanted to marry an American woman who already had a husband. As king and the head of the Church of England, to marry an already married woman compromised his role. Rather than sacrifice his lustful desires, Edward abdicated the throne and married the woman. His brother, Prince Albert, took the throne in his place and was crowned King George VI.

King George VI did not have a smooth start. His brother was very much beloved by the British people and many wanted his return. George VI also suffered from a severe speech impediment that limited his public communication, a major problem when you serve as the head of state.

Yet the people of Britain drastically changed their feelings toward King George VI after war broke out in Europe and the Nazis threatened to invade Britain. For the British people learned what truly mattered in a head of state: that charisma isn’t nearly as valuable as character.

King George VI was a man that led by his faith in Jesus Christ and Christ’s example of being a humble servant: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8)

King George VI was keenly aware of who he was and who God is, and that knowledge led him to unprecedented – and absolutely essential – humility. For King George VI was the first British king to visit the United States of America since the War for Independence in 1776. He knew that an alliance with America was important to ensure that freedom would survive the fascist expansion in central Europe. George VI would not let pride get in the way, but rather he and his wife humbly came and visited with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt at his residence in New York. They shared a humble meal of hot dogs and discussed the dire international situation.

During the bombing of London, King George VI was encouraged to stay in Canada for his own safety. Yet the king refused to leave Buckingham Palace. He did not believe it was right to leave his people. Even though the palace was bombed nine times, the king never left. He knew that if he left, it would send a message that there was no hope, that the war was lost. Rather the king and his wife decided to set an example that declared London was worth fighting for, and he joined his people in the streets, helping them after the bombings. Even when the Allies had major military setbacks in 1942, the king called for multiple national days of prayer.

During this dark, difficult hour, a well known phrase was born, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” The phrase encapsulated the spirit of the British king, and the people followed. In Britain’s darkest hour, the people joined their king in keeping calm and carrying on.

The recently popularized signs carrying the “Keep Calm and Carry On” slogan were originally printed with the purpose of being posted if the Nazis did in fact invade Britain. King George VI wanted it to be his last message to the people, a message that in essence said, “In this dark hour, do not conform to the ways of the darkness. Rather persevere. Persevere in the most difficult of times. My people, keep calm and carry on.”

Thankfully those signs never had to be used. One of the primary reasons was the British people never gave up. Unlike some of their European counterparts, the British were willing to sacrifice anything, even their lives. King George VI led by example, risking his own life every day as he stayed with this people.

Leadership is not found in fame, power, glory, charisma, glamor, or wealth. Rather a good leader is a person of high character.

Furthermore, King George VI wanted to make sure he communicated that he valued the service and sacrifice of the men a and women in uniform. He frequently visited the troops, even in some hostile areas, to show his appreciation. He founded a new award called the George Cross to clearly communicate how much in debt the nation was to the men and women’s bravery during the war.

But perhaps the greatest thing the king did for the British people was show that he valued them. Motivated by his Savior, the king did not use his authority to lord over his people. Rather the king was humble and he served, his example sparking a spirit of service throughout the British Empire. This spirit made it possible to survive one of the darkest hours the nation ever encountered. The people kept strong and followed their head of state, their king.

When remembering King George VI, we must remember that leadership is not found in fame, power, glory, charisma, glamor, or wealth. Rather a good leader is a person of high character. King George VI is an excellent example of how God often uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Great Britain owes much of their nation’s survival to this humble, ordinary servant of the Lord’s. King George VI showed what it truly means to be a head of state, and the example he gave should be the expectation all nations have for their heads of state. After all, it is God’s expectation.

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Lead with Purpose and Vision

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Lead with Purpose and Vision – A Summary

Do you want transformation to occur in your organization or just change?  Transformation occurs only when your people actually live and behave differently than they had before.  Otherwise, change only occurs temporarily, and then your people revert back to how they were doing it before.

 

I saw in my own company the occurrence of transformation.  Once our people clearly understood our values (Who are we), our purpose (Why we exist), our vision (Where do we want to be) plus our super-objectives (What do we want to accomplish), my company transformed.  It was never the same again.  And we achieved extraordinary profits as a result of the transformation.

“Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.” 

– George Bernard Shaw

How did we experience such transformation?  We utilized a participative management style where employees were involved in the decision-making process – that was our secret sauce.

And our leadership team adopted an attitude of serving the people that reported to them (instead of being served by them).  As each level of our organization took on this servant leadership approach, we literally turned the traditional pyramid-shaped  organization structure upside down.  This started with me at the bottom of the inverted pyramid, serving my direct leadership team. This proceeded, level by level and going all the way to the top of the pyramid, where our customer contact people were able to respond to and serve our customers.

We as the leaders had the responsibility to serve the needs of the employees to help them to accomplish our company purpose and vision.

“Servant leadership starts with a vision and ends with a servant heart that helps people live according to that vision.” 

– Ken Blanchard

However if you don’t give clear direction with your purpose and vision, your leadership doesn’t matter.  Neither does it matter which way you go because you are lost.

Also, one of the reasons organization are bureaucratic is because no one knows what the organization is supposed to be doing.

Observation: When you, as the leader, let your people know what’s expected, they can excel.

Remember an organization’s purpose and vision can only be as big as the leader.

And that is why, as the leader, you must internally champion and consistently live out and constantly communicate in your organization your values, purpose, and vision before you will see outward success.

This is a complete list of the blog posts that I have written on WOW! – which stands for Why we exist and Where do we want to be. Each listing below has an active link to the associated blog post.

Purpose

Why Do We Stop Asking, Why?: Young children ask so many questions! Why, then do most people stop asking the important question, “Why?”. Everyone can learn more by adopting and encouraging the child-like practice of asking “Why?”.

Ask “Why?” Now – Reap 6 Benefits Later: Tony Robbins said, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” Discover six benefits to asking “Why?” and allow them to motivate and inspire change in your life!

Is Your WHY Big Enough to Succeed?: Only 12 percent of second generation family businesses survive. Read about the important question that all multi-generation business families must answer – if they want to even hope to survive!

Why Most People Don’t Discover Their Life Purpose: Marian Anderson stated, “If you have a purpose in which you can believe, there’s no end to the amount of things you can accomplish.”  Then why don’t we know our purpose?  Learn about one of the roadblocks to discovering your purpose and how to overcome it?

Discover The Compass For Your Life: Your life purpose is the reason why you were uniquely made and placed on this planet. When you discover it, it is like a beacon that shows the way in every area of your life. You can identify you life purpose by using two simple guidelines. Plus download my personal Life Purpose Discovery Worksheet!

Living Out Your Life Purpose: Once I discovered why I exist (my life purpose), the first question I asked myself was “Now what?”  That is when I realized I needed to start living out my life purpose! Learn three simple ways to live out your life purpose!

Meaningful Work:  I have observed that most employees are searching for meaningful work.  And I have found most leaders are searching for meaningful work as well. Great leaders know and communicate “why” their organization exists, which builds meaning into everything done in the organization!

What is a Purpose Statement?:  Every person can achieve meaningful work by understanding what an organizational purpose statement is and what it’s not.

The Power of Purpose: You organization’s purpose has two powerful benefits: intentionality and profits.  Read a convincing case study on the power of purpose!

How to Discover Your Organization’s Purpose: Every leader can discover their organization’s purpose by following six simple steps. Plus download my FREE Discovery Guide for Your Organization’s Purpose!

Vision

Do You Know Where You Are Going?: Where are you going in your personal life?  As the leader, where are you going in your business? The vision of where you are going must be clearly defined, understood, and accepted as reasonable to be fully beneficial.

Is Life Pulling You Under?: Does your life seem like the billowing, restless sea, moving back and forth with the endless tides, never able to settle? If so, I want to throw you a life buoy of hope! It’s available to you if you are willing and have the desire to change how you think about making choices that lead to more right decisions.

Why Some People Almost Never Know Where They Are Going: We make our choices and our choices make us.  Every person can get off the merry-go-round and know where they are going – their vision – by understanding the differences between emotional and character-driven thinking.

A Scarcity Mindset Today Limits Your Vision of Tomorrow: The more we understand the differences between an abundance mindset and a scarcity mindset, the more likely we’ll make principled decisions from a place of abundance! And the more likely we’ll see where we are going – our vision.

Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty?: How do you see your glass – half full or half empty? Your vision is influenced by your mindset.  Every person can know where they are going by adopting two aspects of an abundance mindset.

3 Traits That Reflect an Abundance Mindset: Learn how you can live a life of abundance by avoiding comparison, thinking win/win and embracing gratitude!

Are You Climbing the Wrong Ladder?: You may be busy being efficient, but without a vision, you will not be effective in reaching where you are going in life and in business. The effectiveness of our organizations – and our country-  is linked to the clear vision that results from principled leadership.

The Business 2-Step: Lead First and Manage Second: If we don’t want to step on our partner’s feet, we’ve got to get our dance steps down! And in business, we can minimize our missteps by doing two things, and doing them in order!

Is Your Leadership Drifting Like a Paper Airplane?: Without a vision (where you are going), we tend to drift (like a paper airplane) away from our dreams.  Discover how every leader can successfully achieve their dream/vision by living out four leadership qualities.

Have You Charted a Clear Course for Your Business?: Leaders are the ones to define the destination and chart the best course for their people to take. Vision statements help leaders communicate this important information. Discover three steps that every leader can take to prepare themselves to write their vision statement.

What is Your Destiny?: Where will you be in five years? Or 10, or even 30 years? Of course, no one can know for sure. But I am certain of this: The journey toward your destiny always begins with a vision. And vision is the roadmap to your destiny, the picture of your purpose. Are you unclear about your vision? – read about three simple steps that enable every leader to cast their vision.

WOW! QIC-Day

How to Project Your Purpose: Learn how to communicate your purpose to your entire organization through a carefully planned company-wide meeting. We walk through the three steps that every leader can take to powerfully project their purpose to their people!

Unveil Your Vision – Inspire Your Team: Discover unique and deeply effective ways to roll out your vision to your people. Once you define your vision and your team clearly understands it, your vision will inspire and motivate everyone in the organization!

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