I was at a retreat this past weekend. It was great. The teacher/workshop leader was fabulous. One thing that hit me deeply was when a couple of table-mates told me, rather prophetically, that my vision would lead to further influenicng of the world I run in. It was good to hear that.
This post is not about me, except when I misbehave. And misbehavior is the point. This post is about the self-centered influencers out there. You know who I'm talking about. But if you don't, the following is a short list of descriptions:
- Evasive in conversation
- No eye contact
- Clique prone
- Two or three faces
- Deeply insecure
The self-centered influencer has influence beyond position and they tend to be very needy. These folks really should be in a cube far away from any being who needs connection.
So what happened? How'd they get to be this way? I don't have all the answers, but here are my thoughts:
- The influencer never grew up. Those who should have held them accountable early on abdicated the responsibility or found no time to make the tough decisions.
- The pursuit to grow skills outpaced the pursuit to grow character.
- The organizations (workplace, church, association, home) to which the influencer called home, enabled in the name of fear, money and/or productivity.
- The influencer ignored the path of legacy. In other words, if we knew what we were leaving behind we'd be in awe with humility added.
- The influencer believed the lies told by their own inner-voice.