Be the Underdogs #4 – Labels Never tell the Whole Story

In chapter 3 of the God of the Underdogs book, we talk about Jacob and how from the time he was born he had a label placed on him. A label that haunted him for a long, long time in his life. As leaders, we must not allow the labels that have been placed upon us to dilute our decision making abilities. Who we are is not based on what people say about us, but only by what God says about us. Wise leaders walk in that.

Three Things Leaders need to know about Labels:

1. Wise leaders know what their labels are.

Every person you know can be summarized in your mind in 3 words. Try it. Think about your spouse, or a close friend. What are the 3 words you would use to describe them? That’s their labels, at least to you. Now, do you know what the 3 words are that most people would use to describe you? What 3 words would your team use? Your spouse? Your kids? Your boss? Before we can change the labels we wear, we have to first know what they are. Accurate or not, that’s who people see you to be.

2. Labels are only ever partially true.

The problem with labels is that if they are true at all, they are only ever partially true. No one label tells the whole story about anyone or anything. Unfortunately, we live in a world that puts way too much stock in one word descriptions. Just look at the commercials for movie reviews. They splash one word on the screen for 2 1/2 seconds and it causes us to make snap judgments about a 2 1/2 hour movie! The labels you wear in your life don’t define you completely. After all, no person can ever fully know another person completely. So don’t put more stock in the labels you wear than is appropriate. After all, you’re more than your label. You know that right?

3. Being proactive causes us to change our labels.

We don’t have to be victims of our labels. We have the power to change the labels that have been put on us if we don’t like what they are. It starts with owning the present label. In some cases, it may require apologies and a broken and repentant spirit. Then we must fight the belief in our own mind. Long after others have let us off the hook for past labels, we still have the ability to hold it over our own heads. Finally, we have to ask God to change us from the inside out. Labels don’t change from the outside in, they only change from the inside out. That’s where the power is. (More on that in chapter 3 of the God of the Underdogs book.)

Underdog, you are more than your label. Live like it today…