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Every leader faces temptation. It is part of the landscape of leadership.
Here are ten of the most common temptations facing leaders today:
Temptation #1: To be served, not to serve. This is about motive. Every leader should ask, “Why do I want to lead?” In other words, what attracted you to the leadership position you now fill? Were you looking for more authority, more perks and privileges? The motive temptation is the temptation to focus more on your rights than your responsibilities; your privileges in the role rather than the sacrifices required to excel. The best leaders are motivated by a desire to serve others, not to be served. To remove obstacles so that others can enjoy success. To ignite the passion of their people and release them to do amazing work.
The first temptation of a leader is about the motive to lead. Every leader should ask a daily question: Why do I want to lead? Are you in the role to serve or to be served? Click To TweetTemptation #2: To always be right. This is about pride. Leaders give-in to pride when they think their opinion is always the right opinion because it is their opinion. I love what Craig Groeschel says, “People willingly follow leaders that are not always right but they are always real.” The best leaders create a culture where everyone believes that no one of us is as smart as all of us.
Temptation #3: To refuse or ignore feedback. This is about arrogance. Richard Nixon famously said in an interview with David Frost, “I’m telling you because the President did it, it isn’t wrong.” If nobody can offer you constructive feedback, you will eventually be surrounded by people that have nothing to say (thank you, Andy Stanley). Great leaders continually seek out constructive feedback and give their team members permission to offer unsolicited input and advice all-the-time.
Great leaders continually seek out constructive feedback and give their team members permission to offer unsolicited input and advice all-the-time. Click To TweetTemptation #4: To confuse authority and competence. This is about delusion. Just because you have the authority to make decisions, doesn’t mean you have the competence to direct the details. The best leaders hire great people then get out of their way so they can do the job way better than the leader ever could.
Temptation #5: Self-pity. This is about self-absorption. Self-absorbed leaders continually groan about their task list, their inbox, their schedule, their sacrifice, their burdens and pains. The best leaders are not self-absorbed. They are humble but humble in a particular way. CS Lewis said it like this, “Humility doesn’t mean thinking less of oneself, it means thinking of oneself less.” Great leaders are curious, not conceited. They are more about being interested than being interesting. They look to empathize with the burdens and pains of others and seek to ease the load.
Temptation #6: To ignore the success of others. Toxic leaders make it all about them and keep it about them by only celebrating their own successes. They tend to see the success of their staff as an opportunity to toot their own horn, rather than celebrate what others accomplished. The best leaders make heroes of their people by honouring them publicly when they succeed. They tend to give away more of the credit when things go well and take more than the blame when things don’t go well.
It is tempting to see the success of your staff as an opportunity to toot your own horn. The best leaders make heroes of their people. They give away more of the credit when things go well and take more of the blame when don't. Click To TweetTemptation #7: To be driven, not called. Jesus was clear on this point. He said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” If you find yourself in an on-going season of ridiculous pace and the undisciplined pursuit of more, you may have taken on a burden that the Lord never asked of you and that’s not good. The best leaders are busy and productive but never overwhelmed. In the words of my friend, Heather Khym, “they are on-pace with the Lord.” They are engaged in the disciplined pursuit of less, not more, and constantly pruning in their life and ministry.
The best leaders are busy and productive but never overwhelmed. They are on-pace with the Lord. Engaged in the disciplined pursuit of less, not more. They are constantly pruning in their life and ministry. Click To TweetTemptation #8: To be liked more than respected or respected more than liked. This is about vanity. Whether you want others to like you or respect you; revere you or fear you; the bottom line is that you are living your life through the social mirror. Your sense of self-worth is bound to the opinions others have of you. The best leaders care more about their character than their reputation. They care about doing what is right not just appearing to do what is right. Nothing wrong with wanting to be held in high regard, but leave your sense of self-worth and identity to God alone.
Whether you want others to like you or respect you; revere you or fear you; the bottom line is that you are living your life through the social mirror. Click To TweetTemptation # 9: Disguising fear as prudence. This is about timidity. When you take prudence to the extreme, it’s not a virtue anymore, it’s fear. Fear can become an excuse for inaction. Fear can hold you back from pursuing your passion because you are compelled to avoid mistakes at all costs. Fear can keep you from making a final decision because you perceive any lack of clarity as a threat and become paralyzed. Great leaders are prudent but not fearful. Prudence is wisdom applied to life. Sometimes the most prudent thing to do is risk and to boldly move forward.
Prudence taken to the extreme is not a virtue, it is fear in disguise. Sometimes the most prudent thing to do is to take a risk and to move forward bodly into the unknown. Click To Tweet
Temptation #10: Becoming Spock. The old saying, “Don’t let them see you sweat,” is a great maxim for actors but not for leaders. Adopting a stoic disposition – never rattled and rarely emotional – fails to build trust with people. Your staff and volunteers need to see you as a real human being, it gives them permission to be human too. Leaders that come across ‘beyond-human’ create cultures of never-ending posturing and superficiality among the staff. The best leaders carry themselves with tremendous dignity, but never out of reach. They motivate by their exemplary competence and tenacity but aren’t afraid to show emotions and to be moved by what moves the heart of God.
Adopting a stoic disposition - never rattled and rarely emotional - fails to build trust with people. Click To Tweet CEOs that come across beyond-human create cultures of never-ending posturing and superficiality among the staff. Click To Tweet