How Effective Is Your Leadership?

What effect does your leadership have on those you lead? Does it inspire confidence and trust in your leadership? Does it empower others and mobilize clear action? Or does it create uncertainty and confusion? Fear and suspicion?

We all want to be a stronger leader.  So we read books, attend workshops, and spend hours in prayerful reflection so we will be prepared for God’s use. (Hebrews 13:21) As I prayed about this recently, God revealed a crucial truth:

The strength of your leadership will be revealed in the effect you produce on those you lead. The strength of our leadership is revealed in the effect we produce on those we lead. Click To Tweet

Since then, I’ve been taking a hard look at my leadership and I’m not sure I like what I see. Too often, I straddle between pleasing people and pleasing God and in the end, I please no one — not even myself — and I leave confusion in my wake.

 

3 crooked railroad tracks

Courtesy of Crestock.com

 

 

Does my leadership set a clear tone or are my teams left wandering in an amorphous “grey” zone because I’m afraid to give a strong, clear directive?

But ambiguity won’t encourage or equip those I lead. There’s no fence straddling strategy that can affirm their faith and empower their service. Strong leadership is much more than a sincere heart and a highly developed skill set.

God is looking for servant leaders who will lead with courage, clarity, and conviction. God is looking for servant leaders who will lead with courage, clarity, and conviction. Click To Tweet

Is that you? Is it me? Lately, I’ve been wobbling around in the muddy zone of “middle ground.” Just to appease the masses. Oh, how the enemy loves a leader more focused on “keeping the peace” than on following God’s clear call to action. The enemy loves a leader more focused on “keeping the peace” than on following God’s clear call to action. Click To Tweet

But there’s no neutral zone a leader can hide in to escape the responsibility to actually lead. No “out” to avoid making clear decisions. Maintaining middle ground is no way to build leadership muscle, mutual trust, or ministry momentum. People-pleasing-vagaries leave others floundering in the cloudy water of ambiguity.

Ambiguity in leadership is the enemy’s sweet spot. He dons it like an elven cloak and moves among us undetected and unfettered.

~Creating anxiety

~Causing conflict 

~Killing confidence

I hate ambiguity.

It cripples me. And it really confuses those I lead. God wants so much more for those He has entrusted to our leadership. God seeks strong leaders to lay firm rails upon which others can travel with clarity and confidence. Is that me? Is it you?

 

Courtesy of Crestock.com

Courtesy of Crestock.com

 

 

Strong leaders lay rails upon which others can travel with clarity and confidence. Click To Tweet

I want to be a leader who inspires confidence and mobilizes God’s people. One who is Spirit-strong. Effective. How about you?

 

What types of things have you done to strengthen and clarify your leadership?

Comments 4

  1. Great post. I’m willing to sit back and let others lead until I see chaos. Then I step out of my comfort zone. But I think you’re spot on that the strength of our leadership is revealed in the effect we have on those we lead. Sobering!

    1. I agree. It IS sobering. But it’s also a great way to gauge the effectiveness of our leadership. A tough test of it. Grateful for grace!

  2. Hi Bethany,

    I don’t want to be a leader at all! That being said, we all are leaders in our little corners of the world, and when we don’t lead well confusion is what we leave in our wake. I love the image you paint of a strong leader laying tracks down for those who come after. The stronger we are with the material we’re given, the more long-lasting those tracks are. It’s so hard finding the balance between being a strong leader and being caring.

    Blessings,
    Sarah

    1. Post
      Author

      “I don’t want to be a leader at all” Well, I’ve tried that, but it hasn’t ever worked. So I must forge ahead.. 😉 I love your comment about what we do with the strength of the material we use to lay rails for those we lead. Great insight! I’m praying for methods and materials that stand the wood, hay, stubble test. 🙂

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