7 Cues It’s Time To Quit Your Leadership Position

I love how Andy Stanley puts one oft-overlooked aspect of leadership.

Leadership is a stewardship, it’s temporary, and you’re accountable.

Before we take on a leadership role, we realize that leadership isn’t permanent. Leadership is something that flows from one leader to another.

Until we embrace the mantel of leadership. Then we want to hold onto our title.

But we can’t. We can’t continue to lead when it’s no longer our time.

The trouble comes in telling when it’s time to lay aside our leadership position and move on.

I do believe there are cues we can be watching for. These will gently, and sometimes not so gently, tell us we need to move on from our current leadership role.

We All Have An Ugly Couch

I want to let you in on one of my dirty secrets. It’s kind of embarrassing, too.

I have an ugly couch. One that should have been thrown out years ago. Yet I haven’t.

I’ve kept this ugly couch in our living room. It’s stayed in front of our picture window.

Even more so since we put Zane down.

Why We Have An Ugly Couch

There’s a reason I’ve kept this ugly couch. It was my boy’s favorite spot to lay.

He’d love to flop on the couch and roll over on his belly. He’d look at you with his goofy grin.

It was HIS couch.

Broken boards. Ripped fabric. Ugly decision.

But the ugly couch has stuck around.

I’ve kept it because it reminds me of him.

The Shocking Truth Of What Young People Believe

The world has changed quite a bit over the last 20 to 30 years. Views held by teenagers are not the same views you or I held when we were younger.

In fact, their beliefs vary widely and contrast sharply with what previous generations grew up with.

A survey taken in 2010 asked those under the age of 18 to share their thoughts on the world. What they said shocked me and, I believe, may shock you.

What Young People Believe

81% believe it is not okay to break the law, even if no one is hurt: If I had conducted this survey, I would not have expected this result. My opinion had been that most people would be okay with breaking the law, as long as no one was hurt.

This statistic about what young people believe says otherwise. Overwhelmingly, young people believe in obeying the laws.

8 Ways You Can Kill Your Leadership Authority

Andy Stanley once said:

Leadership is a stewardship, it’s temporary, and you’re accountable.

The last part of this quote always catches me. Andy Stanley tells us that we’re accountable for our leadership. And it’s true.

We’ll be called out on whether or not we led the best we could. People will watch to see how we handle the power (and stress) of leadership.

There will be people looking for reasons not to follow your leadership. You will also have people who want to discredit and kill your leadership authority.

But those aren’t the ones you have to truly watch out for. You have to watch out for yourself.

Your Own Worst Enemy

It’s funny. Actually, it’s not…

We love to self-sabotage our efforts. We will do things that will hold us back or make us fail.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up Over Close

There’s an old saying you’ve probably heard. This idiom has to do with horseshoes and hand grenades:

Close only counts in horseshoes (and hand grenades)

You’ve heard of that expression, right?

Well, I believe we can include leadership, or at least portions of it, in this famous phrase.

Close Is Often Good Enough

Hearing that close enough is good enough from another leader may shock you. Yet, I know it’s true.

As leaders, we want to push for excellence. We want to see people doing the best job they can.

Or do we?

What if the best job someone can do is close enough? Would that be acceptable?

Depending on the project or task, close is good enough.

How can this be? Think about the following situations:

You have a fundraising goal of $2,500. You reach $2,400.