Vision: The Enemy of Mediocrity

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

-Albert Einstein

Leaders are continuously pulled in different directions, some good and some not-so-good. For example, a leader and his team may set a course of action only to have another seemingly great opportunity derail the path already chosen. Another way leaders are pulled in different, often opposing directions relates to pressure from others. This happens all the time in the church. The pastor and lay leaders set a direction only to have pressure from either the inside or outside attempt to distract and derail the plan God has put in place.

Therefore a spiritual leader must constantly be on guard; the enemy is always out to stop the work of God. That leads me to one of the challenges a leader will face, the enemy of mediocrity. Before we get too far, let’s consider some synonyms of mediocrity. Other words for mediocrity are words like average, typical, adequate, and satisfactory. And for a leader, all of these mindsets must remain unacceptable.

When I was in high school some friends and I started playing golf. Now don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t mean playing competitively; we simply played recreationally. We played on weekends or sometimes after school. Then after college, I started taking the game more seriously. I bought a great set of clubs, and I took a lesson or two. But in the end, I was never more than a recreational golfer. And here is something I want you to know; every golf course I played was a public course. In fact, most of the courses I played were owned by a city or county. They were at best, mediocre golf courses. They were average and adequate, and nothing more.

Then one day, a friend and mentor of mine asked me to play at the TPC Southwind in Memphis, TN. This is the course where the FEDEX/St Jude professional tournament is played. It was an amazing experience. From the parking to the clubhouse, to the driving range, practice greens, and of course, the golf course itself, each experience was pristine! I learned that day that to really enjoy golf, you should play on a course like TPC Southwind!

What made it different? What made it pristine and what made it rare? My experience began with the staff. Everyone that worked there was over the top kind and gracious, especially to me, a non-member. Another thing that made it rare was the amenities, including the help they provided, the cleaning of my golf spikes, and the immaculate condition of the course. Someone has a vision for excellence and took the time to be sure that it was kept that way.

Every leader at some point has to come to terms with the reality that perfection is unattainable. Truthfully, we are not perfect and God doesn’t even expect perfection from us. That is why God sent His only Son, Jesus, who lived a perfect life and then took our sin and did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He paid the price for our sin and could do that because He alone lived the perfect life. We cannot attain perfection and God knows that. So as leaders, let’s do away with the perfection standard.

However, in doing away with the standard of perfection, let’s not forget to strive to be leaders who are excellent and rare. As I type this blog I am looking out of my office window at my neighbor’s yards and houses. The yards are beautiful, the bushes are manicured, and the trees are trimmed. The houses are freshly painted and in some cases, even the driveways have been pressure washed. My neighbors are not willing to settle for mediocrity; they want excellence and that challenges me. Leaders don’t settle for mediocrity, leaders are not content with average, and leaders are not looking to just get by. Leaders become great leaders when they challenge themselves and those around them to be better, to be excellent, and to be rare.

Spiritual leaders do the same thing.

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” What a great verse for us in our spiritual lives. I Corinthians 10:31

Spiritual leaders don’t want to steal, touch, or even distract from the glory of God. Spiritual leaders are striving in all they do, to give God complete glory. That is a principle you can practice as a student in school, as an employee in your company, as a volunteer in your church, and as a member of your family. Because of the abundance of God’s grace that He freely bestowed on us, we strive for excellence! Why? Not for the sake of perfection or accolades, but to bring glory to God from our lives.

Can I ask you to consider taking the next step? Take a few minutes and write down three areas in your life in which you have settled for average and mediocre. Then, make a few notes about how you can change that mediocrity to excellence. I warn you, it is not an easy job, but it is a rewarding one!

I will be praying for you as you strive for excellence, and I’d love to hear about your list and your journey toward leading with excellence! Reach out to me at david@davidsmithministry.com.

Now, I must get to the yard; it is looking a bit mediocre!!!