"He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail."

Proverbs 22:8

The old saying "You reap what you sow." is so true in the world and especially in leadership. Whether it is being a father or a leader at a corporation, you will always get out what you put in. In the culinary world, we say "love is the most important ingredient", and that is correct. If you do not care about what you are doing, it shows. If you're angry in life, it shows in more ways than one. Just this past week, anger has gotten the best of me. I showed it, and it was not good. Those that saw my anger had a seed sowed in their minds about me. I then read a few Proverbs that hit me like a ton of bricks. In this three part series, I want to talk about a leader's anger and how it affects our surrounding environment. As a leader, the pressures we face can be extremely heavy, but learning to control our anger can help with results in ways we cannot see yet.

My grandfather use to grow gardens in his backyard. When he grew his garden, he put a lot of work into it. Plowing the ground, sowing the seed, watering it, and helping it grow. I remember the bountiful amount of veggies he had. (I had to go pick the garden when he was out of town one week). Now, if he would not have done all that work, he probably would have not received such a great harvest. The same is said about us. If we sow anger with our families or team members, we are going to receive trouble and misery in return. The kicker is some leaders believe that they are excelling by being hard on people and gaining "company results"; yet, when you look at the turnover rate and the amount of hours they work, it tells a different story. As a parent, if we sow anger into our children, we will get nothing positive in return. A number of negative effects can happen as a result of anger. It is an area of life that I know we can all work on, especially me. I know very few people that do not get angry outwardly. Anger is not always evident is it?

A leader is a person who has someone follow them. You can lead by example or by force. A  leader needs to branch out by offering guidance, help, and support. Let's think of a leader as a tree. It grows to great heights, and branches start to form. The tree is alive, strong, and healthy. As a result, the branches grow bigger and stronger with healthy leaves and seeds that mature. Nature then carries these seeds to a new place, and the cycle starts all over again. To stay productive, the tree and seeds need nourishment, the right environment, and time. If not, the tree will start to die and the branches will begin to break off until the trunk eventually snaps and becomes a useless stump. Leaders can be the same way. We, as leaders, need nourishment to be able to help our employees or children grow stronger and branch out to start something bigger for themselves. To give nourishment, we need to get nourishment. Our priorities need to be in place whether this is through reading leadership or parenting blogs, listening to podcasts, or studying God's Word (highly recommended). This will help our minds to be in the right place to conquer each day and the situations it brings. As it says in the beginning, we will get out of life what we put into it. If we want to lose a great relationship with our children or with our team members at work, choose anger. Do not be the leader with anger because that branch will fail. Be the leader who nourishes and encourages others so they will grow, branch out, and succeed.

-Chef Mike