The First Step

   The clock's arms say: "it's quarter to 7:30." As its face tell me the time, my face shifts from confidence to disappointment.

   "When I wake up tomorrow, I'll be up so early, I can just casually walk from my house to school, and still don't end up getting late!"

   Wishful thinking at its finest.

   At times like these, when I'm running late for my early morning class, I run to the motorcycle driver and his trustworthy motorcycle.

   Everyday they wait for passengers on the crossroads of Salvador and Katipunan Streets. Though riding it isn't cheap, it saves me a lot of time. Especially when I'm getting late.

   The motorcycle's size allows the passengers to squeeze in through every space between vehicles. And since it's exclusive only to one passenger, the passenger has the luxury of asking the driver to break speed records, simply by adding more pesos to the agreed price.

   One time, I got into a conversation with a motorcycle driver (who is also a neighbor) while we were in the middle of the road. It wasn't easy. The winds create a noise that disrupts the sound waves coming out of our mouths, and the driver has to talk while facing the road, while I try to hold on at the backseat and lean forward so my ears can catch on what he was trying to say. Sometimes, I'll just have to say "aw" (affirmative tone) even if I didn't get what he said so we can move on with the conversation.

   Though we weren't at the best place and time to strike a conversation, I do remember some of them.

   One of them was that time when he asked me if I have plans to have my own motorcycle.

   "Ok ra man ta kuya, pero diba para makakat-on ka mag-motor, kailangan ka kahibalo mo-bisikleta? Di man ko kahibaw mo bisikleta gud..." (I would love to, but I heard that in order to know how to ride a motorcycle, you have to learn how to ride a bike first. Unfortunately, I don't know how to ride a bike yet.)

   I know it's quite embarrassing for me to admit, but here's a short explanation: as a child I grew up living by the hillside. Our house was not situated in a flat place, and my parents thought that it wasn't ideal to have a bicycle for me. So instead of learning how to ride bicycles, I learned how to climb trees and hike up mountain trails. It was only later when I moved to the city.

   My neighbor agreed. He told me that the reason why it is a given to learn how to ride a bicycle before learning how to ride a motorcycle is so that the driver knows how to balance.

   Balance. A word so easy to say and talk about, but so hard to apply. Especially in leadership.

   A conversation I had with one of my pastors a few days ago made me realize the importance and value of balance, in terms of your personal expectation as the leader towards your team and the team's attitude towards you.

   "It should be that the members of your team themselves come to the point of realization that you are the leader, instead of you imposing every time that you are the leader," he said.

   That struck me hard. The moment I heard those words, I felt my heart saying a loud "Amen" in agreement. But what about asserting authority?

   When I asked my pastor, he reminded me that the primary position must be that of fear and trembling. I have to recognize that the FINAL AUTHORITY is God and His Word, thus I must assert my authority in a level that does not cross that threshold. Therefore, I must assert my authority with the knowledge that I shouldn't use fear, manipulation or anything that will boost my self as the leader--therefore placing me on the pedestal and "displacing" the authority of God.

   So it's like saying lead with action, but with a mindset that you are not a leader, but rather as a steward, given authority to look after a team and make sure it is working, but at the same time not over-leading it that the real leader may not be forgotten

   That's tricky. It's tough! And it doesn't only apply to church ministry, this principle extends to every area God has placed you as a leader.

   I don't claim to have fully integrated this principle yet. In fact, as of this writing, I am only beginning to learn how it is to be a leader biblically. This just struck me as I pondered about the things I've been learning this week.

   But I've come to recognize that indeed balance is a necessary first step, not only in leadership, but in everything we deal with. We can't just trust ourselves too much that we end up looking things through our perspective, we have to learn to think of other perspectives as well. And that requires a lot of balance!