Practices that help leaders see clearly

All of us want to see the issues of life clearly and this is nowhere more important than for leaders whose actions, perceptions and decisions impact teams and organizations. This does not happen automatically as the busyness of life, demands of leadership and lack of appropriate margin often cloud out clarity leaving us seeing through a clouded rather than a clear lens.

Seeing clearly starts with renewed hearts and minds that are regularly in the presence of God: Scripture, prayer, meditation, and living with an ever present awareness of our need for His wisdom and empowerment. Inherent in a renewed mind is a clear conscience where we are living in God's grace and forgiveness and not allowing known sin to cloud our lives. Sin has a way of skewing our perspective and is antithetical to personal clarity.

Seeing clearly also requires an open mind that listens to the input of others, is non-defensive in spirit and does not go it alone. None of us see clearly by ourselves. We need others and the gifts and thinking of others to see what we ourselves cannot see. Those leaders who see the best have surrounded themselves with wise individuals whom they listen to. Almost all leaders who get themselves into trouble allowed themselves to become isolated from good counsel.

Clear thinking requires time to consider, mull and consider. The out of control schedules of many leaders lives do not provide that time and decisions made on the fly are rarely great decisions. Thus our schedules have much to do with our ability to see clearly.

All of us have personal issues. Resolving those issues is a huge part of seeing clearly as our own stuff often clouds our perspective. Healthy leaders who are aware of their baggage and who seek to minimize that baggage see far better than those who carry it around unresolved. Distractions are fewer, and life less complicated when we have resolved our own stuff.

Much of this comes down to personal health: Emotional, spiritual and relational health and a life lived with intentionality. Healthy leaders see better and end up making healthier decisions. Their hearts and lives are less clouded than others.