As a leader, there have been times I was overwhelmed with the challenges and opportunities facing me. God seems to call me to huge tasks. I suspect if you’re a overwhelmed leader, you understand. I think He does that to many people! It keeps us humble. And dependent on Him!
Regardless of how comfortable a leader may be in his or her position:
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- There are times when the leader has no answers.
- He or she has exhausted every bit of knowledge gained.
- The current strategies don’t seem to work anymore.
- The situation is beyond the current plans and systems.
- People are complaining.
- Expectations upon you are greater than you feel you have capacity to deliver.
- It seems you’re on a treadmill — getting no where.
- Some days you leave thinking you accomplished nothing — maybe even most days.
- You are so overwhelmed you don’t know what to attempt first.
Ever been there? Did you think someone was talking to me about you?
When the leader doesn’t know what to do and/or doesn’t have a clue what to do next, here are some suggestions for any overwhelmed leader:
5 Words for an Overwhelmed Leader
Admit
The first step is to be honest with where you are currently as a leader. Pretending to know the answers when you don’t know them will not solve the problem. Most of the time, the people you are leading already know your inadequacies. Come clean. You’re overwhelmed. No shame. All of us have been there at times.
