Luke 2:48 “And Jesus said to them, ‘Why were you looking for Me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’”  Jesus was only twelve years old when He made this statement to Mary and Joseph.  You know the story.  Mary and Joseph were traveling home from being in Jerusalem, but Jesus had stayed behind and was not found for three days.  They had searched for him in great distress and finally found him in the temple when He made this statement to them.  He was already looking ahead to what God had called him to do.  He was about his Father’s business.

In my many career leadership positions, I have been paid to look ahead which is one of the primary traits of effective leadership.  It is to cast a vision of where you are going and to persuade others to go with you. People want to see a goal and mission and the rewards for following and participating.  Without these, it would be like going bowling and have no pins to knock down at the end of the lane.  While thinking and looking ahead was an important part of my leadership at work and even church, it had to also be a primary focus of my leadership for my family.  I wanted them to see me in my Father’s House and about His business.  It was my responsibility to persuade them to follow.  One major principle of leadership is that people do what they see people do.  As a husband and parent, they see you first and whether or not you are about your Father’s business, just as Jesus was at the ripe age of twelve.  So, look ahead and think about where you are going and where you and those you lead will be in just a few short years.  Look over your shoulder to see if those you are supposed to lead are following you.  Are your children following you?  If not, you are not a leader because there are no Lone Ranger leaders.