In a recent episode of the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, guest Dr. Tim Elmore said, “Right now, people need guide dogs not guard dogs.” His point is that the people we lead need our help walking the path before them.
The word that describes a lot of people in this moment is “overwhelmed.”
Mental health challenges mount. Inflation means more of us are losing ground financially. And relational networks of family, friends, church, and community are fragile.
The people we lead are limping. Their feelings of overwhelm create at least one of the following:
Insecurity which says, “I can’t do this.”
Anger which says, “I don’t like this.”
Fear which says, “I’m afraid of this.”
Weariness which says, “I’m tired of this.”
How then do we help those we lead to keep believing? How do we position them to succeed in their calling and the important work given to them? How do we lead them without losing them?
Consider these four leadership priorities:
1. Calm
I’m old enough to remember the moment President George W. Bush was informed of the attack on the World Trade Center. He was in Florida reading to a group of elementary students when his Chief of Staff Andy Card whispered in his ear. (See photo above.)
Rather than bolting from the room, the President finished what he was doing and calmly exited to respond to the greatest attack on U.S. soil in our nation’s history.
I don’t know if it’s the ease of access to information through our smartphones or our fear of missing out, but we often feel compelled to react instantly to every news story, every wayward act or opinion, or every social ill.
And that reactionary temperament informs our leadership when the people we lead actually need a more measured response than a reactionary one.
King Solomon reminds us, “A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but one slow to anger calms strife.” Proverbs 15:18
“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but one slow to anger calms strife.” Proverbs 15:18
Effective leaders exercise patience. We trust God giving him time to work in a situation. We also give the people around us an extra minute to find their bearings, to figure some things out on their own, and to correct themselves.
2. Compassion
We do not like losing ground, so when the people we lead do not perform well, our natural response is to correct the problem. But the problem is not always the biggest problem.
When I was a young pastor, I made a lot of mistakes. I didn’t know I was making them. My inexperience and immaturity blinded me to my shortcomings. Generally, church members had one of two approaches.
The first approach was to get angry and become critical over a problem I had caused. These were the people who would talk behind my back with enough people until they had the courage to talk to me. But by then, they were so confident in their position winning was their goal.
The second approach was to get to know me, ask questions, and serve with me. These were the people who could overlook an offense, learn to love me, and then help me become a better pastor.
Both approaches recognized my deficiencies, but only the one that showed compassion made a positive impact on the problem or on me.
Compassionate leaders don’t ignore problems, but they step back from them long enough to listen, to understand the people they lead and to care enough to help them be successful.
Compassionate leaders don’t ignore problems, but they step back from them long enough to listen, to understand the people they lead and to care enough to help them be successful.
3. Collaboration
In the podcast mentioned earlier, Dr. Tim Elmore also reported that 70% of public high school students aspire to become entrepreneurs. That’s incredible!
So, the goal of leadership is not “Build it and they will come,” but “Let’s build it together.”
The goal of leadership is not “Build it and they will come,” but “Let’s build it together.”
Despite uncertainties and insecurities, the people we lead remain hopeful. They know things could be better and they want things to be better.
But we do not get better by top-downing leadership initiatives.
Better happens together. That’s not just a cliché. It’s a cliché because it’s true. The people on our team, the people we lead have good ideas. They often understand the work better than we do. They not only bring incredible value and creative solutions to difficult problems, but engaging them at a higher level inspires their confidence in themselves and the future they are helping to create.
Creating collaborative systems and opportunities taps into an entrepreneurial spirit, inspires hope, and gets important things done.
4. Clarity
Before we ever get to work, life is complicated.
Relationships, finances, parenting responsibilities, health challenges, mental health challenges, caring for aging parents, being a responsible citizen, understanding pandemics, politics, Critical Race Theory, and on and on it goes.
I’m a bit of a dreamer. I trust God to do great things in my church and in my community. Generally, that seems to inspire people. Hearts are moved, and every now and then a tear is shed. But dreamers can also be frustrating because the dream can add to the overwhelm our followers already feel.
They need to know the dream. That keeps their hearts hot for the mission. But life is too complicated for them to need to know the 100 steps needed to get there.
When Nehemiah had a dream to rebuild Jerusalem, he communicated the dream without laying out every step needed to get there. Instead, he provided crystal clarity just for the immediate next steps.
What does your team need to do next? What is the one meaningful win that is within reach?
Focusing on the next good step simplifies the work and frees your team to do chase the dream with enthusiasm.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK
“What’s possible in a community when local pastors begin gathering for prayer and friendship?” We’re expecting to find out. This picture was taken at a recent City Pastor Network gathering in Lebanon, TN.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Article: An Education into Gambling Addiction? Universities are making deals with sports-betting companies, and students will be the losers. By Nathan Finn
Podcast: The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
Twitter Clip from Alistair Begg:
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