- The Leader Letter
- Posts
- Leading By Accident
My wife and I visited the redwoods in Northern California a few years back.
It was absolutely spectacular!
And we had a wonderful time seeing the largest trees in the world.
But while we were there I inadvertently caused a mini crisis!
There was a paved path there that led to one of the most famous trees but we weren't sure if it was for driving or walking on.
So I decided to just park my car and walk down the path.
Unfortunately, it was a driving path and there was a parking lot several hundred feet ahead that was not visible from the road...
What took place next was a comedy of errors as car after car followed my bad example and parked, blocking the path for everyone else.
Once I realized my mistake I quickly started waving cars down trying to fix the situation!
It took me several minutes to work myself out of what I had done.
And the whole time I was thinking...this is a perfect example of leadership gone wrong!
Here's the thing - if you're the leader it's your job to set:
Vision
Direction
Strategy
If you miss on these key things there will be trouble!
And what's worse is as the leader (like I was in the woods that day!) people will follow the example you set even if it's WRONG.
Neuroscientists have discovered something called social proof.
Basically, people are more likely to do what they see other people doing.
This is why we're drawn like a moth to a flame to line up if we see a line...
At least most people are!
Bottom line: people will follow leadership...even if that leadership isn't taking them in the right direction!
So here's the question...are you leading with purpose and intentionality?
Do you have a great big God-sized vision for your church?
You're leading people somewhere...is it the right direction or the wrong one?
Do you need a change in direction so you can lead with fresh purpose?
Many leaders are caught in the trap of going through the motions - Sunday after Sunday...and people follow them...
But if you're not leading your church FORWARD in the mission of Jesus to reach people and make disciples...maybe it's time to get some help.
Talk to you soon,
- Pastor Jake