The Nagging Tension Influential People Opt to Live With (Instead of Do Away With)
You feel the tension, don’t you?
- Leaders: Wherever you sit on the organizational ladder, people have access to you.
- Parents: Children can, children deserve, and children need access to you.
- Engage social media? People can get access to you (no matter how many privacy settings you lock down).
Here’s the reality: you’re an Accessible.
Being an Accessible is exactly what it sounds like: people can get to you.
The danger of this reality? When people can get to you, they can start getting to you. It’s a very subtle progression. And it’s not a matter of if the progression comes, but when.
You’ll recognize its arrival when you face a temptation universal to each of us.
You’ll attempt to resolve the tension by becoming less accessible.
We’re creative in how we go about this.
Some people set up structures to limit access. Some eliminate the option of it by severing the relationship. Some allow the access, but remain coldly detached inside (we all remember the teacher we had that should’ve retired 10 years prior).
The problem is three-fold:
- It’s an outside-in approach.
- It sacrifices the opportunity to influence.
- It simply isn’t sustainable (or enjoyable).
May I propose a different way?
Rather than resolve the tension, choose to remain in it.
To remain in this tension, I’ve found I need something beyond me.
I’m a pastor, so you’ll get my pastor-bias here when I point at the answer I’ve come to. Jesus gave it to his disciples just prior to his death.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
(John 15:4, NIV Bible)
The secret to keeping accessible sustainable is found in who you’re regularly accessing.
It not only makes being an Accessible sustainable…it makes it enjoyable.
I’d even say incredible.
More soon.
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