Leadership pitfalls are inevitable, but our biggest trouble often comes from preventable, self-inflicted wounds that begin in the heart. Continuing from Part 1, here are five more common practices wise leaders try to avoid:
#6 Minimizing input from people outside the circle
We mentor rising leaders, train current ministry partners, and build teams that share ministry and multiply disciples. We are deeply invested in ministry with these people. We speak the same language, appreciate the same books, and share a vision of ministry that we believe will change the world. We genuinely love one another and enjoy time together. The depth of the relationships in this circle boosts our confidence in the counsel that comes from the inside.
Expectedly, the people outside the circle simply do not have the same influence in our lives. We may view life and ministry from a different perspective, or we just may not have natural opportunities to build a relationship. The distance between us is not necessarily something to fix, but we should be aware that there are people who are outside of our circle who have much to contribute.
Wise leaders not only learn to listen to unfamiliar voices, but they value and seek out those voices. Even if we cannot expand the circle, we should regularly reach outside of it, listen well, and then implement good ideas that originate somewhere beyond us.
#7 Viewing opposing counsel as unspiritual
“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22). The cumulative good of wise counsel comes from its variety, not its uniformity. Yet insecure leaders often view opposing counsel as out-of-touch at best or unspiritual at worst. Healthy leaders, however, know that “opposers” are not necessarily imposters. Instead, we prayerfully and respectfully listen to the pushback as a fellow learner in this Kingdom work.
If we choose otherwise, we create a leadership culture where dissenting views are never heard, even from voices of reason. How we receive words of criticism in one moment communicates to the people closest to us how their views will be received when they dissent. The unchallenged view of the single leader is adequate to sustain organizations in the short run, but it is the rough-and-tumble environment of collaboration that builds healthy momentum over time.
We do not have to build consensus around every decision, but the best results are achieved when those who offer a different perspective are welcomed with open arms.
#8 Expecting sacrifice without instilling values
Leadership is exciting. Personally, the ministry God has given to me consumes a large portion of my creative energy, so that I am running ideas, dreams, and goals through mental feasibility filters throughout the day. I’m asking, “Is this from the Lord or just a good idea?” “Can we do that?” “Is this the time?” “If not now, when?” “How will the people respond?” “What will this cost?” “What will this produce?” On and on the questions go, so that when vision is cast and plans are introduced I have had ample opportunity to pray and process the decisions required for implementation.
The congregation will trust my active intuition for a while, but sooner or later the people’s compliance will not be enough to advance the mission. Ultimately, their hearts must beat for a shared desired outcome before their hands will work. Eventually, they must embrace values before they sacrifice time, money, and energy to implement plans.
That’s why every leader is first a teacher. We take the time to teach, trusting the Spirit of God to plant the Word of God deep into the hearts and minds of our people. Jesus took three years to teach and model the values of the Kingdom, and then the disciples stepped into the mission with complete abandon. In the same way, as pastors teach and model Kingdom values, our people eagerly give themselves to the ministry.
#9 Neglecting soul care while giving soul care
Pastors “shepherd the flock” (1 Peter 5). That’s an agricultural picture that points to the shepherd’s responsibility to feed, lead, and tend to the needs of sheep. It’s a three-pronged job description built on the two fundamental principles of trust and skill. In our day, great emphasis is placed on the latter rather than the former, particularly the skills of leadership and communication. And in an increasingly complicated world, leadership and communication skills are more important than ever.
This emphasis, however, has created an expectation that can cause us to neglect the deepest needs of our people. Pastors are often measured and evaluated by how many people we lead, how many disciples we make, how many groups we start, and how many churches we plant. That’s how we measure ourselves, and what gets measured is what gets our attention. So we give ourselves to skill development that will achieve these measurable results.
The people we lead need us to lead well, lost people need to be saved, and the influence of the church needs to expand, but biblical leadership begins with trust, and trust not only asks the question, “Can you get me there?” but “Should I go there with you?”
So rather than beginning with questions of goal setting, leader development, and attendance projections, it would do us well to begin with questions like, “Do you love the people?” “How are you caring for those God has already given to you?” “Do the people trust you yet?” If we love the people, we will feed them God’s Word, show faithfulness, and serve them in a way that equips them to walk with Jesus and join His mission in the world.
Our churches are not laboratories to experiment on human subjects. They are, instead, stewards of trust, precious souls, given to us that we may model, however imperfectly, the character of the Good Shepherd.
#10 Looking down while trying to coach up
People are funny. Yes, some people are humorous, but all of us are funny in the sense that we are different, even odd at times. Some people squeeze their toothpaste from the middle. That’s just strange. This universal oddity influences things well beyond dental hygiene…things like relationship skills, theological convictions, and life priorities.
By God’s grace and the power of the Gospel, He gathers all kinds of funny people together in churches. This diversity creates great opportunity for Kingdom impact. The temptation, however, even for pastors, is to view the personal distinctions of others as a liability rather than as a gift to the body of Christ. We disparage the very people God has fit together. We see differences in others as an indictment on ourselves or on our leadership. We see them as difficult people who must be managed rather than image bearers who need our love.
This kind of condescending view of others, however, destroys genuine influence. When judgment crowds out love, the leadership window closes. So rather than looking down on funny people, healthy leaders first recognize that we are just as funny as anyone else and then we learn to value and to serve other funny people.
Leadership pitfalls are everywhere, but they most often begin in our heart. So wisdom demands we nurture our heart, guard our heart, and like King David ask for God to cleanse our heart because everything we do, including how we lead, flows from the there (Proverbs 4:23).
