No one seeks out to be their own worst obstacle, but often, that’s just what many leaders may find, usually unintentionally. The shift in course is often so subtle – almost imperceptible – that leaders may stay the slightly altered course until they’ve strayed far enough to see the cumulative effect in hindsight.
But the rippling impact of such a seemingly subtle shift can be sizeable. We get busy. We get lost. We get distracted. And much like driving, leading without eyes on the road and hands on the wheel may leave you seeing more people in your rearview than you had intended. Because all of a sudden SQUIRREL! And we’ve:
… forgotten to help others reach their goals, focusing only on achieving ours.
… forgotten to look for what's best for others, and looking instead for our next pet project.
… forgotten to consider the needs of others in order to keep up with the latest trends.
We’ve all done it. Whether in leadership or relationships, it’s often all too easy to lose touch. We may take the roles we occupy – and the roles others occupy in our lives – for granted. The questions below can perform a quick internal leadership welfare check. Have you:
… said ‘they’ word more than ‘we?’
… stopped seeking insight from others?
… changed direction before properly casting a new vision?
… put yourself before your community when casting your vision?
… blamed the church for a lack of participation?
… taken advantage of the people you know will always agree to help, even if your requests aren’t attuned to their specific gifts, goals and passions?
But it bears repeating: WE ALL HAVE. One way or another and to varying degrees, we have all lost touch at one (or more) time(s). Recognizing the problem is the first step to resetting your course.
With some time, patience, grace and humility, we can correct course, collect the passengers forgot and stay on our stewarding straight-and-narrow.