Consider the leader who possesses controlled discipline. He or she never flies off the handle, yells, or shouts. This leader always remains in control of his or her faculties, holds to, and never compromises, those values in order to get the next promotion or to get the client's next big order.People see this leader as a rock of strength and controlled energy, unflappable in the midst of confusion and frustration.
The meek leader is someone in whom employees can confide because he or she never strikes back even when others are critical. Imagine working for a leader like this. Would you give your all for this leader? Would you go the extra mile without being asked? Most employees would.
Blessed are the meek leaders, for their controlled discipline will result in inheriting the earth.
Take a few minutes to think about a time when a leader for whom you worked, demonstrated controlled discipline. What was your reaction to the leader before and after the situation?
Has there been a time when you reacted and disciplined in an uncontrolled manner? In youropinion, what was the result? If you have followers who are willing to openly talk to you, ask them to point out past instances of uncontrolled and controlled discipline and have them explain to you how your behavior affected all the followers. Be brave. It won't be the easiest thing that you have ever done, but it will be one of the best things that you've ever done as a leader!
This Beatitude speaks to the need of the leader to be in a right relationship with: (a) God, (b) with the people around him, and (c) even with himself. It is important to see the intensity with which this Beatitude calls us. The words hunger and thirst in the Greek are peinao and dipsao meaning, respectively, "famished or crave for," and "to thirst." These words infer an ongoing condition similar to the condition described in Psalm 42:1, 2a: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (NIV). This root word dikaios and its derivative dikaisoune translate into "holy, just, right(eous), and equity" (of character or act). Thus, we begin to see the unfolding of an ethical leader fromthis Beatitude. Eric Baker described the person in this way: "the man who is blessed in this respect is the man who above all desires to fulfill the intention of his being and become what he ought to be" (Baker, 1963, p. 55).
