Sharpening the Axe

One of Aesop's fables speaks of a race between a tortoise and a hare. As the starting signal was given, the hare sped off into the distance while the tortoise edged himself forward slowly. After a while the hare looked backed and saw that the tortoise was just a tiny speck in the distance and decided to rest a little. He leaned back against a tree and fell asleep. Meanwhile the tortoise continued his slow, consistent walk and gradually began to gain on the hare. Some hours later the hare woke up and remembered that he was in the middle of a race. He jumped up and ran as fast as he could towards the finish line. His speed enabled him to gain enough ground to be able to see the tortoise cross the finish line ahead of him.

The moral of Aesop's fable is that 'slow but steady wins the race'. This is a valuable lesson for all leaders. To be effective we need to become all that God wants us to be and to do all that God wants us to do. If we are to have a lifetime of effectiveness, we need to be committed to investing steadily and consistently in our personal development. Too often leaders follow the hare's example by investing heavily in personal development for a period, and then neglecting this vital area when the demands and pressures of leadership increase. This kind of lifestyle can dull our effectiveness, causing us to rely on our own strength and wisdom rather than being guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Effective leadership results from consistent investment in private disciplines. A story is told of two woodcutters that were hired to chop down a forest. They both worked at the same rate throughout the day, apart from one difference. One of the woodcutters stopped on the hour, every hour, and rested for five minutes. At the end of the day, the first woodcutter looked at what he had achieved and was pleased with his day's work. When he turned to look at the area that his friend had worked on he noticed that his friend had cleared almost twice as many trees as himself. He asked his friend how he managed to cut down so much, although he had rested five minutes in each hour. His friend replied, "While I was sitting down to rest, I sharpened my axe."

If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success. (Ecclesiastes 10:10)

A blunt axe requires significantly more strength and effort to chop down a tree than a sharp axe. The same principle can be applied to our lifestyle as leaders: sharpening the axe is like investing in our personal development. If we neglect our personal development, we will need to work significantly harder in order to achieve the same results. If we are to be effective in our leadership, we need to actively invest in private disciplines that will sharpen our spiritual, mental, relational and physical lives. If we are to "reap" an effective life, we need to "sow" processes and strategies that will produce this effectiveness.