Idiosyncrasies, Blind Spots and Flaws

Dear Pastors

Idiosyncrasies, Blind Spots and Flaws

One of the aspects of leadership that I love is the range of people you meet and the huge variety of people that you end up interacting with and working with. Ladies and Gentlemen this is fascinating stuff, right? Add into that some serious reflection about one’s own life especially when you have lived a few years and you just have to have a private (and sometimes public) giggle.

It reminds me of one of Mark Twain’s signature quotes. “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt”. And then I bumped into this brilliant one liner a while back by Leigh Steinberg “Never underestimate the capacity of another human being to have exactly the same shortcomings you have”.

Whaaat? Shortcomings? Yes Sir! Let me put a finer point on it. Idiosyncrasies, blind spots and flaws to be precise.

We all bring these to the table every single day. But here is the problem. Precisely because we all have ‘blind spots’ we are simply unaware…we are ‘blinded’ to our shortcomings. So let’s tease this out a bit today.

Idiosyncrasies are according to Webster, a peculiarity of constitution or temperament : an individualizing characteristic or quality. This speaks of the unique characteristics that help define you. Your idiosyncrasies are neither good or bad, they simply are you. It’s about the unique way you see the world, how you react, your mannerisms and personal style. Eccentricities is a word that fits here. People say that your idiosyncrasies and eccentricities get more pronounced as you get older. Looking in the mirror each day that just may be true. And here’s the thing I reckon is very important. You should laugh about your idiosyncrasies and let friends and colleagues have a laugh at your expense. Personally, I love it when staff meetings are animated by such moments. As my kids got older I heard many a quip and joke at my expense and even now at family get-togethers this makes for very funny banter. The older grand children seem to love a bit of smack.

Blind spots are….well ‘blind spots’. All vehicles for example have blind spots. These are “areas or zones on either side of a car that a driver cannot see when looking into the rear-view or side-view mirrors”. These blinking blind spots have given me a fair scare from time to time and cost me a few dollars over the years. When it comes to human performance we all have them apparently. But by the very definition of a ‘blind spot’ we are unaware and as I said earlier ‘blinded’ to our own blind spots. When it comes to your conduct as a leader and your decision making this has potentially far greater repercussions and knock on effects than an idiosyncrasy ever will. In this regard a blind spot is an area in which one fails to exercise sound judgment or discrimination. It can potentially hurt you and others. Now we need to pay much more attention. Remember, you are unaware so now it is incumbent on you to be much more reflective and to listen carefully. Listening to whom you may ask? Those nearest and dearest is a good place to start. Once you know there is a blind spot in your car you can do something that mitigates an accident. We need to do the same in life.

A flaw is something fundamentally more concerning especially in a leader. When we talk about a flaw we are usually talking about a ‘character flaw’. “A flaw in someone's character is an undesirable quality that they have”. Collins Dictionary.

Billy Graham once famously said “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." I am sure as pastors and Christian leaders we all agree with Rick Warren when he says over and over again that “God is far more interested in your character than He ever will in either your charisma or your competencies”. Again we all bring a character flaw or two into our adult lives. As followers of Christ we are called upon to ‘deal with these personal hazards’ and do what it takes to fix them….God being our helper. Lots more can be said here but suffice to say that I have come to believe that the process of sanctification that the Holy Spirit wants to do in all of us probably starts right here - addressing our flaws.

King David was so right when he said, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well”. Amen

Blessings
Alan