Live Above The Noise

Noise is a distraction that disrupts your focus. True enough, all noise is not bad, because some people prefer white noise to help them sleep at night. But there is some noise that leaders must avoid to maintain a high quality of performance and productivity.

In leadership, I define noise as anything that is counterproductive to personal growth, spiritual development, and business acumen. It is often set in motion by people whose heart lives in a dark place with their goal being to circumvent your positivity and distort your perspective.

Here is the good news about noise… You must lend your ear and time to it for it to have life. If it cannot be heard, then it cannot be acted upon. When I was a child, I had an aunt who was extremely chatty and negative towards her husband. It was unbearable for me to hear her as a child and even more so as an adult. One day, I asked my uncle how he could tolerate all the negative chatter she would give him. He replied to me, nephew, “I lost the best parts of my hearing a long time ago and can barely hear anything she says anyway.”

To be successful, we must live life above the noise. I am not suggesting that you entirely ignore things you do not want to hear or things with which you do not agree. Doing that could make the leader blind and deaf to constructive criticism that may be warranted. But what I am suggesting is that the leader must possess a discerning ear then separates the negative from the positive. If you give life to negative energy, it will consume you and destroy your drive to be successful.

I am currently a pastor, a former mayor, and worked as a civilian federal employee for over 22 years. I have had the opportunity to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly about me, my intentions, and my work. But what has contributed to my success and ability to survive is my unwillingness to allow negative ideologies and commentaries from others to shape my viewpoint and perspective. I made the conscious decision to live life above the noise and I am encouraging you to do the same as well.

You determine the altitude of your success by intentionally, deciding not to lower yourself to live in the noise. 

In everything you do always remember… be great!