Imagine being a leader responsible for, let’s say, about 3 million people. Picture all of them looking to you for direction and answers for diverse situations. It excites and scares me at the same time. Leaders’ scenarios vary. Some lead larger teams or organisations than others, but one of the common attributes to all of them is that those they lead are looking to them for direction and answers. “What should we do about…?” and other similar questions are nothing foreign to leadership and as a leader one needs to be comfortable with questions; they are not going anywhere!
I came across an interesting part in Scripture for leaders and some lessons also specifically for ministry leaders:
6-7 But some of them couldn’t celebrate the Passover on the assigned day because they were ritually unclean on account of a corpse. So they presented themselves before Moses and Aaron on Passover and told Moses, “We have become ritually unclean because of a corpse, but why should we be barred from bringing God‘s offering along with other Israelites on the day set for Passover?”
8 Moses said, “Give me some time; I’ll find out what God says in your circumstances.” (Numbers 9:6-8, The Message)
- You haven’t seen it all: There are still more unique and unpredictable situations yet to arise as you lead. It’s the nature of leadership. The men that approached Moses came to him with a situation that they hadn’t encountered as a nation before. It doesn’t matter the size of your team or organization, you haven’t seen it all! During Israel’s journey God gave Moses what I think were very elaborate instructions on how to handle different situations, yet a unique one still arose. Not knowing everything as God sends us is a good thing; it helps us stay reliant on Him as we lead.
- It’s Obvious!: As leader people are going to look to you for answers and for you to navigate them through unfamiliar ground, as in Moses’ case. That’s why you are there; to give direction. It should not be surprising for you to have ‘all eyes on you’. When there are challenges or crisis it should not be a nag for you to have people continually come to you looking for direction or guidance. That’s an inherent part of your job. Make peace with this fact.
- Respond: I think one of the big “don’t dos” of leadership should be not having a response for your team or organisation especially when in unfamiliar ‘territory’. When you respond to questions or objections it tells the team you are listening to them and helps reduce undesired anxiety or panic in your camp. Responding does not necessarily mean you give them the solution immediately. Sometimes a response may be I Don’t Know, but don’t leave it at that. You must communicate what you are going to do about what you may not know. Don’t be afraid to put your team on pause. Moses put the men asking on hold, told them he didn’t know and what he was going to do in order to reach a solution (Num. 9:8). A team can be easily unsettled and lose morale if there is no form of assurance that something is being done to reach a solution.
- You Can Also Ask: In the case where Moses did not know what to do he asked! The day a leader thinks he either knows it all or stops asking questions to curb his ignorance is the day his leadership sets on a course for destruction. Asking questions is an important part to growth of a leader. You can never ask enough questions.
- Where To Go: When you do not have any answers to new situations and or challenges from within your organization it is not the end of the world. Because you haven’t found someone who has the answer and or solution, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one! Look beyond your enclave. There are innumerable resources on the internet for instance. In some instances employing the services of a consultant could prove more worthwhile than trying to find an answer on your own.
For ministry leaders, especially, Moses gave a great example. He went straight to the Owner of the mission. Many ministry leaders and the initiatives they’ve led have suffered because they stopped asking the most important Person – God! At the start of their leadership journey they consistently sought direction and answers from God, the one who mandated them, but as they journeyed got complacent. While it is beneficial to be diligent in resourcing yourself, there is no blog, book, mentor, idea, research, conference or any other resource than can substitute God’s leading in your ministry! It is God you serve and only He must be the first you seek wisdom and guidance from! He’s the one you should be consumed in pleasing above anyone.
Think about the last few challenging decisions you’ve made. Who was the first you consulted? Keep in mind when you hit the next challenge, you need not lose sleep. God has and knows all the answers. Yes! There goes all the pressure and stress – you don’t have to know it all! I cannot overemphasize the importance of where you seek answers. Your solution will be as good as the source from which you draw. Moses chose to tap into the unsurpassed and inexhaustible wisdom of God and as leaders we have to follow suit.
What are you going to do differently next time you get to unfamiliar ground?
