Leaders. Learners. Listeners.

I'm having to think more about leadership than I ever have before. I have to lead myself, I have to lead my family (which tends to be my greatest leadership challenge) and I'm leading in a new church. Everyday I'm being tested, stretched and challenged. It's good, but it is not always pleasant. 

One of the biggest misconceptions I have to combat in my own heart is that being the leader means having all the answers. The truth is, leaders need not be the smartest people in the room. They should, however, be the best learners. 

The problem is, we often spend so much time talking and trying to push our own opinions we can't actually learn anything. Proverbs 18:15 says, "the ear of the wise seeks understanding." Notice the connection between the ear and understanding.

You can't learn if you don't listen.

Good leaders speak less than they listen. I want to be a good leader. I want to be a good learner. Today that means I need to tune my ears to do more than merely "hear." I need to listen so I can learn.