For the majority of people, they see leadership from a “lime-light” perspective. The preacher on stage, the author who gets to sign books, the conference speaker, etc.

What they don’t see is all the behind-the-scenes stress. The late night writing binge to finalize a deadline, conflict management, financial stress, fear of speaking in public even though you do it every Sunday. 

One of the hardest aspects of leadership for me is knowing that for me to lead well, I will disappoint people in process. It’s simply impossible to please everyone all the time. A healthy church grows, but a healthy church also see’s people leave. Its very sad and I wish it was not reality-but it is, therefore I must deal with it.  

You can’t lead well and expect everyone to be alright with all the decisions. Very few people understand the totality of leadership. Most folks are very focused on their passion and the area they want to serve in, but they take no account that every organization has multiple streams therefore leaders have to manage all of those streams. For a church I have to manage our finances, kids, staff, worship, small group, assimilation, administration, vibe, web-presence, Sunday gathering, etc. Of course we have people over these areas, but Jeff and I still have to think about them. 

So please remember…The second you try and please everyone, you’re actually hurting the overall organization. Yes that stings…But at the end of the day if you want a healthy organization, you have to put the overall vision first and people’s feelings second. 

You sure you wanna be a leader?

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