Original article posted on 9/17/2015
From the book (Think and Grow Rich) by Napoleon Hill Page 114
INTEMPERANCE. Followers do not respect an intemperate leader. Moreover, intemperance in any of its various forms, destroys the endurance and the vitality of all who indulge in it.
0 to10 in 60 Seconds
Intemperance means lack of moderation or self-control; most often associated with alcohol consumption. I had never heard the word before now so I had to look it up.
Do you know anyone who easily goes from 0-10 with their emotions? If they’re happy, they’re SUPER happy. If they’re worried, they’re SUPER worried! If they’re angry, they’re SUPER angry. If they’re scared, they’re SUPER scared! Although I typically don’t mind how a person chooses to show their emotions, Leadership does mind. Think about it, what if the person leading you got SUPER scared at the first sign of a danger? How far would you follow this “leader?”
Take my favorite leader of all time; Harriet Tubman. She’s my favorite because she had one of the most difficult missions ever; she chose to lead over 300 uneducated people to freedom. Leading educated people today is difficult enough! Imagine how many trips she would have made if she lacked self control and couldn’t manage her emotions. She was even quoted as saying: “if you hear the dogs… keep going...”
President Obama, love him or hate him, you have to admit that this man knows how to keep his cool. Despite the constant stream of decisions and problems he faces, he manages to always keeps his cool. Imagine if he went from 0-10 each time someone spoke out against him. He’d only be giving his political enemies more ammunition to use against him if he did.
Being a leader is not an easy job, in fact, it’s not even a job it’s a lifestyle. When you’re a leader, you’re always a leader. You can’t turn leadership on and off like a light switch. A good leader should always practice INTEMPERANCE because a good leader knows that there is always someone watching.
~Matthew