Thoughts on Thermometers, Thermostats & Dr Martin Luther King Jr

Lately in leadership, this idea has been coming out of my mouth more frequently, almost without permission. I keep returning to the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat, a Habitude Dr. Tim Elmore names with fantastic clarity. Here is how it works.

A thermometer tells the truth about the temperature in the room. It reads and reflects what already exists. It reacts.

Many leaders live here. We read the temperature of the culture, the conversation and the corresponding mood in the room. We read the fatigue in the people. Then, like the thermometer, we will mirror it back to the room. When that happens, it's not always pleasant.

Anxiety multiplies.

Fear spreads.

Nothing shifts.

A thermostat, however, does something different and courageous. The thermostat assumes responsibility. It doesn’t deny reality, but it refuses to be ruled by it. The thermostat actually sets the temperature, regardless of the mood of the room.

Harnessing a cause without yielding to it - New York Times (photo credit)

This was unmistakably the posture of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. He did not echo the rage, hatred, or despair of his time. He did name them honestly. Instead, he introduced something different into the atmosphere: moral clarity & strength, nonviolent courage, and a perceivably unyielding vision of justice rooted in love. He regulated the room before the room could regulate him. That’s what thermostats do.

This distinction between the thermostat & the thermometer really matters more than we admit because leadership is never neutral. Let me say that again.

Leadership is never neutral.

I mean that even when we think we’re just responding or, we say nothing at all, we’re actually still choosing a posture, and that posture shapes the environment. This needs to be understood as a leader. If we don’t intentionally influence the atmosphere, it will inevitably influence us.

Thermostat leadership requires an anchored inner life, one practiced enough to remain steady, even when the temperature is rising. The question, then, is not whether we can read the room. Most of us can. The deeper question is whether we are formed enough, emotionally healthy enough, marture enough to lead it.

Leadership is not about controlling the climate. It is about stewarding it, starting with the climate within our self. This is a relational art form that must be nurtured if you're going to grow and mature in leadership.

Praying these thoughts mess with you a bit this week, regardless of your leadership context. Cheering for you! ~ Paul