The Most Ignored Leadership Principle

The Most Ignored Leadership Principle

Most leaders ignore this one leadership principle.

It’s a principle that all great leaders throughout history have embraced. Seriously, I can’t think of a single influential leader who made a positive mark in history that didn’t have this trait.

Embracing this principle…

• Martin Luther King Jr. paved the way for equal rights.
• Winston Churchill became one of the greatest wartime leaders in the 20th century.
• Mother Theresa taught the world what it means to serve humankind.
• Jesus, the greatest leader ever, started a movement that changed the world.

Yes, these leaders embraced many other leadership principles.

But when it comes to this on in particular, many of us run the other way when given an opportunity to embrace it.

What is the principle?

What can we do to embrace, rather than ignore it?

I’m going to answer those questions by sharing something that’s going on in my life right now…

Training for the Spartan Race

I’m currently training for the Spartan Race, which is an incredibly insane 5 mile obstacle course designed to make you fail. Yes, you read the correctly. It’s designed to make you fail. Crazy!

In addition to running 5 miles, participants…

• Climb up a 20 foot rope
• Run through nasty mud
• Crawl under barb wire for over 100 feet
• Jump through a huge flame of fire
• Climb a 20 foot wall greased with oil
• Carry a 50 pound cement bags while running for extended periods of time
• Rope in a huge tire
• Do endless burpees (these are killer exercises that really wears you down)
• And a lot more….but I think you get the idea 🙂

I’m really excited about participating in the upcoming Spartan Race on November 8. Woohoo!

In preparation, I’ve been running a lot (4 miles at a time, 3 days a week) and hitting the gym harder than ever. When going to the gym, I do 20-30 minutes of cardio and then lift weights for over an hour.

Since April or so, my body has gone through a crazy transformation of losing about 15 pounds of fat and gaining some muscle.

Throughout all my training, I’ve discovered a really important lesson.

I’ve discovered that discomfort is a good thing.

When lifting weights, I experience a burning sensation in my muscles. It hurts and is uncomfortable. Ouch!

When running I often get cramps, which is a really unpleasant feeling. Running for 45 minutes in the hot, humid heat of New Orleans is like running in a furnace! It’s hard to breathe and sweat just oozes out of you. It’s painful!

The uncomfortable stuff is actually making me stronger.

I’ve come to embrace discomfort because I know it leads to growth.

I have more energy, and am stronger, faster, and in better shape than I was in my 20’s (and I’m almost 40). My overall emotional and physical well being is at an all time high. Why? Because I’ve learned to embrace discomfort.

And this leads me to the most ignored leadership principle (you’ve probably guessed it by now).

Finally…would you get to the point already!

The principle is simple yet powerful…

The most influential leaders embrace discomfort.

There are a lot of things about leadership, particularly in ministry, that aren’t comfortable to deal with.

It’s uncomfortable to…

• Have “the talk” with a volunteer who really isn’t a good fit for your ministry.
• Confront your pastor about an issue that’s been eating away at you.
• Address a conflict between yourself & someone else on your team.
• Overcome the many endless obstacles that pop up at every turn.
• Cast & implement God’s vision for your ministry.

Many of us avoid, ignore or run away from the tough stuff. We would rather focus on other things.

And it’s easier to do.

So, instead of addressing the conflict head on with the other person, we don’t address it until hitting a breaking point. Then, we have a big mess on our hands.

On the other hand, if we address it as soon as possible, the situation is resolved. It won’t be easy. It might hurt the other person’s feelings, and you might be misunderstood. But in the end, it’s the best thing.

That’s true with any uncomfortable issue we face.

Here’s the deal…

The more you embrace discomfort, the stronger your leadership becomes.

When you have the difficult talk, you solve the problem AND it’s easier to do next time around.

When you do the hard work of implementing change in your ministry, the payoff is changed lives.

As you lead, when something uncomfortable pops its ugly head, pay attention.

Lean into it.

Embrace it.

You’ll be a stronger leader.

Do Something

Reading this blog post will do you no good if you don’t take action.

So, take a minute or two and reflect on one specific situation, person or thing that is uncomfortable for you to deal with.

What is it?

Now, what’s the first thing that pops in your mind as the best way to solve the problem?

If something comes to mind right away, you know what to do. The hard thing is doing it.

Go do it anyway.

If it’s a difficult and complex issue, then spend some time in prayer about it. Talk it over with a friend, mentor or co-worker.

Then, even though it’s not easy, go do it.

Seriously, my hope and prayer isn’t that you would simply read this blog post. But that you would get busy doing the hard stuff and stop running from it.

So, go do something really uncomfortable today!