Fog

It's like being in another dimension. Little makes sense. I am not joking. The grandmothers at the river this morning were taking off their tops and riding their bicycles in their bras, and one was even pulling their granddaughter (I assume) behind the bike on her rollerblades! Grandpas had taken off their pants and were walking along the river in their tidy whitys and boxers. I asked one of the other standard earlier-morning bikers what was going on? She had no idea, but she did say that grandparents walk around in their underwear to get a tan prior to going to the beach. I just think the whole world has gone mad. It was like being in a fog of surrealism. Nothing fit together correctly in my understanding of the world today.

This nothing-fits-together-correctly-fog is the kind of fog that disables leaders when they lack clarity about what they are to be doing and why. Flirtations (see previous post) and fog together make for a powerful synergy that cripples leaders. This fog is the type that prevents accurate assessments of people and situations. Have you had a leader over you so totally misunderstand you that you were left breathless by their assessment of you personally or your work? When this happens to me, I have to evaluate who is in a fog, me or him. As often as not, it's me.

Fog in life is when you cannot correctly assess the world around you. It's like going out for your usual morning exercise ride and suddenly seeing retirees walking and riding in their underwear like they were this morning in Skopje; the world is out of kilter, the axis are not set properly, the data you are receiving does not compute.

This happens to all leaders at one time or another. Unfortunately Fog makes Flirtations even more attractive. These two F's in a persons life will erode their leadership influence and power. I read this morning 1 Timothy 4:16, "Keep a firm grip on both your character and your teaching. Don't be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation." Amen.