The Real Thing

Episode 40:  Henry In Love

Henry:     [on the phone to his wife]  Lorraine, honey?   Send me the cheque stubs.  I’ll straighten it out.  Goodbye darling.

Henry:      What do you guys want?

Trapper:    We just wanted to say good night, Henry.

Henry:     Remember I said I found a girl who was the real thing?  Well, she’s $68 overdrawn… Radar?  My wife was very grateful that I called her…makes me wish I had.

Radar:    Well, I figured since you didn’t have time to answer her letters…

Henry:      Goodnight Radar.  See you at breakfast.

Henry falls ‘puppy dog’ in love with a young woman in Tokyo and invites her back to the 4077 to meet the gang.  He discovers that she not only has eyes for him, but for everyone else in camp and realises that his relationship with his wife is the real thing.

The relationships that matter most in my life and that have the most impact are those that are characterised by authenticity and vulnerability.  This is as true for my professional life as for my personal life.  It is only when relationships are real, reflecting who we really are in every arena of life, that they withstand the challenges of leadership and make any real impact on those we lead.  Leadership author Bill George of “True North” affirms the value of an integrated life in our relationships: “To lead an integrated life, you need to bring together the major elements of your personal life and professional life, including work, family, community, and friends, so that you can be the same person in each environment.”  People intuitively know when we are real with them and not just using relationships as a means to an ends.

Hypocrisy

Episode 11:  Germ Warfare

Frank:      Isn’t that the POW?

Hawkeye:    That’s right.  He’s in my c-o-t.

Frank:      I ordered him shipped out. What’s he doing here?

Hawkeye:   Easy Frank. Henry okayed it. He’s not taking up anybody’s space but mine. Why don’t you buzz off, Frank? Go review your hypocritical oath.

When a North Korean POW arrives wounded and in need of blood, Hawkeye discovers that Frank Burns is the only person in camp with the same blood type.  Frank expresses his disapproval of the 4077 caring for the enemy and tries to have him shipped out, while Hawkeye and Trapper arrange for a midnight caper to swipe a pint of blood from Frank.

Hypocrisy is the ugly side of humanity where stated values and beliefs are out of alignment with actual behaviour.  It is one of the biggest challenges of my leadership to discern what is real when the face of the people I lead hides a contradicting attitude of the heart.  It is also a big challenge for the Church, as hypocrisy is one of the biggest accusations that are levelled against the body of Christ.  Christian leaders have the enormous task of not only setting an example after Christ of authentic leadership, but to recreate a culture in the Church where what we believe consistently defines the way we behave.  While the Church may be the context for my leadership, authenticity and integrity are coveted values in every arena of leadership.