3. Don’t do what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it.
Most of us leaders are eager to please. And that can lead to overpromising in the name of not wanting to let anyone down.
But over time, even in the small things, when you fail to do what you said you were going to do when you were going to do it, you damage your influence.
Trust is confidence. And when you break even well-intentioned promises, you erode trust.
4. Only talk about your strengths and awesomeness.
Leaders who only talk about their victories may be influential, but I believe they could be even more influential if they honestly talked about their struggles. Leaders who just talk about their strengths make others feel inadequate, but they also lose credibility with outsiders and younger adults. The next generation knows you don’t have it all together. So tell them (appropriately).
One of the all time most-talked-about messages at our church was one my wife Toni and I gave on our marriage. We talked about our darkest days, and how there were seasons we didn’t think we were going to make it. You can watch it here (the message is called “Command Performance”).
It resonated not just because it was the truth about us, but because it described the tension so many other people face.
5. Let your relationship with Christ get stale.
Listen, keeping a strong spiritual life as a leader is hard. I know. But when I started ministry I told our elders at the time to fire me if they ever sensed my walk with Christ had dried up. Give me a couple of months to get it right, but if I don’t, send me packing. You can’t lead people to a place that you have never been. And when you try to do the authentic work of God without an authentic relationship with God, it eventually kills your church.
You don’t have to try to drift away from God. It just happens. So engage. Stay fresh. Love the one who loves you.
