No one experiences the success of leadership without also knowing leadership pain.
It’s up to each individual leader if they will press through the pain and grow or quit leading.
The principle is that strong.
Too many of my friends and colleagues have quit leading. They may still have a position in the church, but after enough pain for too many years, they pull back to a safe zone and maintain.
The trouble with retreat is that it brings its own pain.
“You’ll grow only to the threshold of your pain,” is the central theme of Dr. Samuel R. Chand’s book, Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth.
Dr. Chand has served as a pastor, is the former President of Beulah Heights Bible College, the author of 15 books, Change Strategist and Leadership Consultant.
Sam is a good friend, and my post today gives you an overview of just a little of Sam’s wisdom and insights on this little talked about but so important topic of leadership pain.
There are many different examples and kinds of pain leaders experience. Jesus can help you walk through the pain, but growing from it is key.
Here are a few examples of leadership pain:
1) The pain of being misunderstood.
You can do everything right and be completely misunderstood.
You can pray fervently to make the right decision, or work hard to communicate the plan in just the right way, and still be misunderstood.
2) The pain of people leaving your church.
The people you help the most are often the first to complain and leave.
It’s difficult not to take this personally. We know the Kingdom of God is bigger than any one of our churches, but when you’re honest, this can still bring pain.
And different than in most businesses, those who attend your church are not customers, they are part of the church family, so it’s different when someone leaves.
3) The pain of deep disappointment.
Your ministry isn’t turning out like you thought or hoped.
This may be the most common leadership pain of all. Disappointment is a chief enemy to spiritual leaders.
Big dreams and bold vision are a healthy part of any leader’s life.
No one ever heard a conference speaker, blog writer, or author say, “Dream small and keep your vision manageable.”
The truth is, however, that God never promised everything would work just as you dreamed and planned. But He has called you to be obedient and faithful anyway.
Growing and leading though that pain is not easy, but essential. Don’t let the Enemy win.
4) The pain of a staff member leaving and taking others with them.
You chose them, hired them, paid them, encouraged them, loved them, trained them, and they leave without honor.
This point here is not meant to include the many normal and healthy staff transitions. That’s part of life. This pain comes from staff transitions that become difficult and sometimes even hurtful.
