This is Part 7 of the Laying the Foundation series on Thursday Leadership Lesson. As we build our groups and ministries, we must ensure that we are building on a solid foundation. This series will explore characteristics of leaders who lay and build on firm foundations. Today, we will talk about the Decisions of a Leader.
“A visionary may see, but a leader must decide.†According to Oswald Sanders, decision-making is the mark of a true leader.
We make decisions every day, and leaders bear the added burden of making decisions that affect not only themselves, but other people and entire organizations. Small group leaders face weekly decisions (where will we meet and who brings the snacks?), semester decisions (what curriculum will we study?), long-term decisions (who are my potential leaders and how will we multiply?), and life-long decisions (who will disciple me and who will I disciple?).
Like the other topics we have explored in this Foundations series, decision-making is one of those critical, important leadership skills that is often marginalized by the urgent matters at hand. Making decisions is one of the hardest job of a leader. Decisions take time, listening, patience, persistence, and confidence. However, good decision making, while difficult in the short term, will multiply benefits in the long term. Good decision making will give your team confidence in your leadership.
Every leader must answer to God for the decisions that they make. That raises the stakes very high and often leaves us in a state of wanting to make no decisions at all. The problem with that is that no decision is still a decision, and it’s always the wrong one. How can we be leaders that follow God’s direction?
Seek God
There are two primary skills every leader must learn in order to make good decisions. The first is the ability to hear from God. James 5:1-6 says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” There are two parts to this. First, we must ask. And secondly, we must have faith that God will give us the direction that we need.
The two main ways we hear God speak to us is through his Word and through prayer. We’ve already covered those topics and their importance to leadership foundations. God isn’t a slot machine ready to dispense answers. He is a person, and we develop our relationship with him through reading the Scriptures and praying. As we remain rooted in the Word and prayer, we will learn to hear God’s voice when we need direction. Memorizing Scripture is important in this process, as well, because it keeps God’s ways at the forefront of our minds as we encounter and navigate decisions.
Seek Counsel
Another decision-making skill is seeking the counsel of other people. We should never try to lead on our own. Proverbs 13:10 says, ” Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Proverbs 11:14 says, “Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.” (MSG).
The first task is to find wise counselors. Surround yourself with a variety of people- people who are similar to you and people who are different than you, people who are older than you and people who are younger than you. Find people who have a heart first and foremost for God. The story of Rehoboam in 1 Kings 12 shows us what can happen when we follow the advice of people we like as opposed to people we should respect. Rehoboam’s foolish decision led to a split in the nation of Israel.
The second task is to actually ask for their counsel and respond to it. That doesn’t mean always doing what they say, but it does mean listening, considering, praying, and thoughtfully responding.
Decision-Making Challenges
Some of us make decisions easily while others labor over them and dread them. Some of us have quick decisive inistincts while the rest of us slowly process them. Some of us rush into decisions while others avoid them. There are a number of decision-making challenges that we should acknowledge and watch for. A few are indecisiveness, timing, and post-decision responsibility.
The first is simply indecisiveness. It’s one thing to be slow, methodical, and prayerful in making a decision. It’s another thing to simply waffle. Indecisiveness may be an indication that you are not relying on God or trusting in his direction. It can also be an indication of leadership laziness that waits until a default answer reveals itself. As Christina Borja once said, “Don’t say ‘yes’ to something just because it’s so hard to say ‘no’.â€
The second challenge is timing. Good leaders understand the consequences of premature decisions, late decisions, and hasty decisions. Premature decisions happen when we don’t take all of the facts and variables into consideration. They happen when we don’t pray about things. Premature decisions usually result in wrong choices, and the mistake becomes apparent in time. Hasty decisions occur when we want try to expedite the decision-making process. One hasty decision usually proves itself to be wrong in a short period of time, which often leads to another hasty decision that is equally destructive. Late decisions occur when we delay the process. Sometimes, late decisions are right, but they occur too late and lead to team frustration
The third challenge is the one that comes with taking responsibility for your decisions. Once you’ve made a decision, you have to live with that. President Harry Truman was known for his decisiveness. His famous value “The buck stops here” highlights his commitment to being responsible for his decisions. As leaders, we must deal with the consequences of our decisions and stand firmly by them once they are made. We must not waffle back and forth by the winds of opinion. On the other hand, if we have clearly made the wrong choice, we must be quick to admit the mistake and be intentional about changing course.
In Good to Great, Jim Collins said, “The real question is, once you know the right thing, do you have the discipline to do the right thing, and equally important to stop doing the wrong things.â€
You make decisions every day, week, semester, and year, and those choices turn into the life that you live. Seek God. Seek Others. And move with intentionality.
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