Creating a Culture of Excellence, Pt.6

6.LEADERS DON’T LET FEELINGS DICTATE THE MISSION

Number 5 (leaders initiate painful conversations) seems to be one of the hardest lessons to embody in leadership, but I believe it is mostly because of number 6 (leaders don’t let feelings dictate the mission).

Often times we are not so much afraid of the personal pain in our own lives it is the pain we may cause in another person’s life that we shy away from. We are so afraid of offending someone that we will shirk our biblical responsibility of sharing truth (in a loving way) with them. Usually we don’t want to offend them because it means they may not be “the president of our fan club” anymore and we don’t like rejection in any form.

As leaders we must not let feelings dictate the mission. We must not sway or serve from the vision Jesus has given to us in order to pamper someone’s ego, protect someone’s insecurities, or even protect someone from pain!

If Jesus says to do it, then we must do it, even if some people get their panties in a wad!

As leaders we must be more committed to “following Christ” than our “fear of offending others”.

We will not let the mission of Jesus suffer because we are afraid to hurt someone’s feelings. People’s eternity is at stake. God would rather we feel a little sadness on earth than a lot of torment in hell.

I would rather hurt someone’s feelings and remove them from a ministry role they don’t belong in than leave them there and cause countless souls to suffer eternity in hell. When we allow someone to remain in a ministry role they don’t belong in because of a lack of “giving their best to Jesus” then we are allowing the mission of Jesus to be sabotaged.

This doesn’t mean that “only perfect people can serve Jesus”. Actually, if we had to be perfect then nobody would be in ministry to Jesus. We serve because of the cross, not because of our own good deeds, merit, or performance. But Jesus does expect excellence and He will do whatever it takes to bring that about in our lives even if it means allowing a little pain (possibly even a lot of pain).

We can’t be so afraid of offending someone that we sabotage the mission of Jesus.

It isn’t our goal to offend people, but the cross can be offensive, and we don’t need to apologize for that. I know Jesus never did!