1. I don’t make mistakes. Right. Becauseyou’re perfect. No one else is, but you are. Let’s stop kidding ourselves.
2. Everyone thinks I’m a big deal. Sure, we might deify Christian celebrities. We make them rock stars. That doesn’t mean it’s right. And it doesn’t mean that you should live as if you’re God’s gift to the church.
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” (Romans 12:3)
3. My work doesn’t need improvement. Everyone’s work needs improvement. We never arrive. If you have arrived, you are further away from doing what God wants than you think.
4. I don’t need more discipline. Systems are great. Discipline to make those systems happen are great. But when you fail to discipline yourself, things fall apart. You can always amp up your discipline to the next level. Never stop pushing for that!
5. I don’t need a coach. Because you’ve got it all handled, right? I’ve listened to countless spirit-filled, successful pastors and one of the consistent things throughout all of them is that they all need a coach. Even in the midst of success! In fact, I would submit that you need a coach more after you’ve hit success! Who are you allowing to mentor you?
6. I don’t need to step up my game. I once thought this. When I was invited to lead the student ministry I currently lead, everything was great from the outside looking in. And I knew I had what it took to lead it. I came in with the mindset of management. “I’ll just manage the current process and it will grow.” I couldn’t have been more wrong. Stepping up your game means adapting, driving change, going the extra mile, stepping out of your comfort zone, working with new people, getting out of the box, etc. All of us need to continually step up our game.
7. Everything in my organization is good. Nothing needs improvement. I can just manage what exists. I just decided this one needs it’s own point. If you’ve hit a point in your leadership, in which you believe your best move is to manage what currently exists, the clock is ticking down to the eventual downfall of your ministry.
8. Everyone is on my team. This is a lie I’ve told myself to help me sleep at night. It’s just never going to be true. There will always be a Judas. There will always be someone who would not only prefer things were different; they would prefer that you weren’t in leadership! And you know what, that’s OK. That will always exist. The sooner you embrace it, the sooner you can move past it and start making educated decisions for your team (that are NEVER based on your approval rating, but the overall success of your team). There’s a good chance that the decisions that get criticized the most are the ones that aren’t
9. If I were in charge, everything would be better. Wherever you are on the org chart, you’ve thought this at one point. The truth is this: no one is perfect. Everyone will make mistakes, and everyone’s leadership style comes with a set of problems. Your style of leadership may solve one set of problems, but it introduces a new set of problems. So you have to be very careful about how you define “better.” Because you may be dead wrong. And when you stake a church or organization on your definition of “better,” other people are affected. Be very careful about that lie. Humility is key. You will always win with humility.