influence is up close

A good coach gets close. It has been said you can impress from a distance, but influence happens up close. The people of God in the 5th century BC needed to be MADE. They needed a coach. Nehemiah was their chosen coach. He might have wooed the people with his grand vision for Jerusalem from a 1000 miles away in Susa, but to really influence the work and influence the people so that they captured the same vision that captured him, he had to be close to do that. Near the people. For any dream that we have, any area of life we want to see made over, it would serve us well to do the research ourselves about what it will take to do that. Not just hearsay.This principle of leadership applies to all relationships as well. If you want to know what the real condition of something check it out yourself. If you want to know if the car needs an oil change sometimes you’ve got to go pull the dip stick out yourself and look at it. Check it out for yourself.

A good coach gets close, s/he may impress from a distance, but influence happens up close.