Element Church Insider

you shouldn’t be a leader.  Notice I didn’t say you CAN’T be one, you just SHOULDN’T. In fact, I’m not sure you WANT to be one if you can’t make tough decisions.  There are lots of leaders who can’t make tough decisions, but they won’t be leading very long.  YOU won’t last long and neither will the thing you’re leading.  One of the BIGGEST leadership lessons I’ve learned the past 2 years is not letting personal preference dictate leadership decisions.  There are times when my preference lines up with what is the best leadership decision, but MAN have I learned this lesson the hard way.

Just recently I feel like I’ve finally turned a corner in decision making.  I’ve had 3 or 4 VERY tough leadership decisions that 2 years ago I would have made leaning toward preference and not leadership.  All of these recent decsions, ONE specifically that included changing the role of a staff member that is TOTALLY not my preference, had the potential to set precedence AND change the direction of some things that wouldn’t have benefited Element from a leadership standpoint, just a personal one.  I’m learning the hard way that when you are a leader, you HAVE to make decisions and confront situations that are not comfortable, easy or fun, but ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

The GREATEST leaders of the Bible are the ones who made the toughest decisions.  And notice, even when Moses and David (2 of the greatest leaders in Scripture) failed, they failed because they made decisions based on preference and NOT leadership or Holy Spirit.  Saul couldn’t make the tough decisions and it cost him his throne.  Read through Kings and Chronicles and notice who led well and why.  They made TOUGH decisions.  Look at the most successful business, or for that matter the healthiest churches, and you’ll find leaders who made the TOUGH decisions.

Whether it’s your family, your job, your church, your team.  If you can’t make the tough decisions, you shouldn’t be a leader.

Learning,

Jeff