Looking for “the called.”

Do you know anyone who feels “called” to their work?

We used to associate this use of “calling” with sacrifice, personal sacrifice for the common good. There was a moral, almost spiritual association with being “called.”

Somehow, over the past couple of decades, the use of “calling” is meant to convey personal passion or personal destiny, but that distorts the original idea and makes it so much less. It permits any kind of behavior as long as it produces wealth.

The signs of this disconnect are everywhere, in our dysfunctional political system, our casual acceptance of random daily violence, and our massive disregard for those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder, the actual workers who produce what we consume.

Radio needs more leaders who feel called to lead.

To lead. To “guide on a way, especially by going in advance. To direct on a course or in a direction.”

How many of our leaders endure personal financial hardship before they inflict it on their employees?

How many can articulate Radio’s future, illuminate the course they’ve put us on, and go there in advance to guide us there safely?

As Dwight Eisenhower said, “Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all.”

We need leaders who feel called, who have a motivation based on collective transcendence rather than personal wealth, who understand that Radio’s purpose is to serve a local community, which requires patience and endurance, and — yes — personal sacrifice.

It’s time to call for leaders who feel called.