Respect & Leadership

I look at what is happening in the world. I look at what is happening in our cities and I look at what our youth are experiencing. A lot of the things occurring in the world have to do with leadership and respect. Many people aspire to leadership. I saw a news report once that said the most sought after Master's degree for teachers is in administration. That's not threatening. Many people give up to easily when they feel like it will be a battle to become a leader. What they fail to realize is that the enemy and I am talking about a spiritual enemy is not too quick to give up any ground. For whatever reason, he likes to get in and around our kids. So, we have to have the best working in this industry. This is true in education. It is true in entertainment and I am sure that it is true in other areas. Years ago before I fully realized the call to education, I applied to law school. People talked about how there were too many attorneys. I submit to you today that there are not too many attorneys. Too many times people become corrupted along the way and their mission is not what it should be. That can happen in any industry. You have that happen in medicine. No one wants a negative doctor. You want someone telling you, you shall live and not die even though their faith is wavering inside but they are trying to have faith for you. Let me justify myself with leadership experience by saying that before I was in front of the camera, I was behind the camera. I desperately wanted to be on air. Most of the leaders wanted me to take the management track and become a news director. I had been an assignments manager for a few years. Perhaps, it was that I knew how to treat people because of my humble beginnings and had been through some things. It could have been that I had been a past supervisor at MCI Telecommunications. I won two Leader's Rings, a few President Club Awards and one nomination to the Circle of Excellence. I have an ED.S. in Educational Leadership and I have been an Assistant Principal. I also helped to start a non-profit and ran it for several years as Director. I know a little about leadership and who I like to follow and what I look for. Anyway, people give up too easily because they encounter others who may be insecure or those may intimidate them. So for this reason, some folks give up on their dreams. I only switch when I feel like God is switching on me. I am very dogged and determined to have the things that I feel that I should have. One of my fellow colleagues in education told me I was going places in television. I had it planned that way. I had secured a job out of college. I had the best mentors. I networked and attended convention and I thought that I was good. I spent time and money working on my voice, but 13 years into it God switched on me. When I left Channel 5, I had a few decisions to make. Was I going to pursue the will of God for my life or was I going to use my connections and get another TV job? Understand, people were telling me what positions they had available that I could accept. However, I did not want to go through the embarrassment of God breaking me down to the lowest common denominator because I wasn't listening. I took the easy route. I just did His will. That made life so much easier. No longer did I have to worry about getting in a chopper and perhaps getting motion sickness. I didn't have to worry about doing a live shot from the studio and not being able to smile even if my life depended on it because I couldn't. I had spiritual pressure on me. When I finally left television, someone asked how was I able to do it with the pressure that was on me. I guess they saw it too. You will bow now or you will bow later, but you will bow. We just want to bow before we leave this earth. Let me get back to leadership. I don't really know how I got to all of the above. Our young people seek out gang leadership because some fathers are too busy working, chasing women or caught up in their own addictions to stand up and be present. Don't get me wrong. My father did not raise me, but I have the utmost respect for him because my grandmother respected him and she knew what went down with him and my mom. My father was always welcome to our house. I went to his parents house and stayed frequently. I love my dad very much because he's real and that's that. He has never tried to hinder me. He has always tried to encourage me. Today, he is a gospel singer and pastor. I have a step mom and several step siblings and other half siblings. He and my step mom have a daughter together. Anyway, we are in need of good leadership at all levels in all areas. We need leadership among NBA owners. We need leadership in the pulpit. We need leadership in the school house. We need leadership on the outfield. We need leadership everywhere. In order to get people to respect leadership, you have to respect them. Bishop T.D. Jakes talked once about whenever he travels to other churches he has to ask some members just not to go. So many people are going and he probably doesn't want to toot his own horn, but he is an excellent leader. I am sure it took some time to get there. There is nothing wrong with going to seminars and conferences to learn how to best do your job. I have always done this and it has been of great benefit. However, we shouldn't beat up, pimp or disrespect people because of a lack of training.