One Saturday afternoon my wife and I were headed to check out the newly opened Barnes and Nobles Bookstore in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The bookstore had just opened and we were both eager to get inside and dig into some great books and magazines. As we hopped out of the car and were walking inside, I noticed these three cars and it immediately caught my eye and at that moment, I was taught a lifelong lesson.
Here it is: There are three cars parked here that stand out. Each of the three cars captured are over the boundaries of their specific parking spot. Then it HIT me! The white car and the silver car could not park correctly because the truck was over his line, hence forcing them to park over their lines.
If the truck had parked in his parking spot correctly, then the white car could have parked in his line correctly, and the silver car could have parked in his line correctly. The trending issue of poor parking originated when the truck driver parked poorly and others followed. Similarly, a lot of things in life seem to get off track when the leader is not operating at a high level and effectively. This photo convicted me at that very moment, and is currently my desktop photo. It reminds me daily that if I'm over my lines and not operating as a leader, everything around me is effected: family, business, ministry, and my self will suffer if I am "outside of my parking lines" on a daily basis.
According to John Maxwell, The average person influences at least 4 people each day. Are you positively influencing people or are you forcing them to park over their "lines"? Would love to hear how you hold yourself accountable as a leader.
Share your thoughts with me below.
