The 10 Stupidest Leadership Mistakes I've Made

5. Assuming it's always black and white

Maybe it's all those years I spent in local government, fulfilling my bureaucratic responsibilities. Or maybe it's just because following prescribed rules is easier than dealing with the mess of following God's lead and making wise decisions. The reality, of course, is that much of life isn't black and white. And I've found I'm chasing my tail if I think I'm going to be able to create policies or guidelines to address or prevent every situation that could potentially arise.

6. Not following my gut

Or is that the Holy Spirit? One of my spiritual gifts is discernment. But I've noticed that people's strengths can also lead to their biggest challenges. For me, discernment can lead to paralysis through analysis. When that happens, I tend to get in the way of what God is trying to accomplish. In an effort to make the best decisions possible, I sometimes get stuck trying to acquire information rather than seeking God's direction and taking action. Yes, we're called to plan and seek counsel. But that initial reaction you sense could very well be God's prompting.

7. Dwelling on the worst-case scenario

Again, this is what happens when I let my focus wander from God to the circumstances around me. It's appropriate to plan and take steps to prevent those bad situations from occurring. It's sin when this turns into worry. It's really kind of humorous to see the stupid mistakes we can make when we begin to think we're in control. I've wasted way too much time worrying about ministry challenges that never happened.

8. Waiting until there's a problem to provide feedback

I really do hate this about myself, and I'm consciously trying to improve with God's help. But to be quite truthful, I'm encouragement challenged. Like I mentioned before, I've always had this strong sense of what the end product needs to look like. So one of my biggest mistakes as a leader has been withholding encouragement when the team delivers and only speaking up when expectations aren't met.

9. Staying busy

I've fallen into this trap too many times. In my mind I tell myself that if I'm busy, then I'm adding value. The reality is that our busyness can get in the way of effectiveness. We can be busy about the wrong things. And if we don't discipline our lives, we'll find ourselves investing a lot of time with little impact. E-mail is one example of this trap for me. If I wanted to, I could spend the entire day processing e-mail and not really accomplishing anything. That's why when I plan my week, I actually plan the times when I'm going to respond to e-mail messages.

10. Spending too much time on the details rather than the dreams

This is a natural corollary to the mistake of staying busy. When life gets busy and I get invested in all the dirty details flowing my way, I lose sight of the dreams that God has for me. Here's the reality: those dreams usually come when the pace of my life slows enough to do stuff like read, pray, rest, experience new places and meet new people. Dealing with the dailiness of life doesn't allow for that. It needs to be planned and prioritized. We need to create space to experience God and all that He has for us.

I hope this list encourages you to consider where God is growing you in your leadership role. He loves you too much to leave you where you are today.

Adapted from Killing Cockroaches by Tony Morgan. B&H Publishing Group, 2009. Copyright © 2009 by Tony Morgan. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Original publication date: July 1, 2009