THE TWO DANGERS OF LEADERSHIP

There are two extremes which a leader must avoid if s/he is going to successfully lead God's people. These are two dangers faced by every human leader, because every person is confronted with the knowledge of their own weaknesses, and this self-knowledge can force a leader to take actions which are inconsistent with the role of a leader. Every leader is tempted to waiver between two extremes and these two extremes are illustrated in the life of King Saul, the first king of Israel. (For the full text, you can read his sad story in 1 Samuel, especially chs. 10 - 15. The key passage of focus is 1 Samuel 15:17-23.)

The first danger of those in leadership is Self-Doubt.

Saul suffered from this at the very beginning of his leadership as king. When Samuel was looking to anoint Saul, he could not be located until the Lord revealed in 1 Samuel 10:22 "He has hidden himself among the baggage." This is a serious case of self-doubt. He understood some aspects of what it may mean to be the king and he doubted his own abilities to do it. So he hid himself. This is further illustrated by the Lord's words through Samuel when he was rebuking Saul in 1 Samuel 15: 17

Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel?"

  Saul was "small in his own eyes", which is a very descriptive statement of the first danger of those in leadership: they do not think they are up to the task.

This results in a few problems as leaders: In the early days of their leadership, or for as long as they suffer from this problem of self-perspective, they do not seize the opportunities quickly enough which God sends their way. They question; they second-guess; they worry; they fret; they are concerned about what people think of them.

Because they are small in their own eyes, they believe that everybody else sees them that way as well. And so they do not step up to the opportunities which God has placed before them.

They see themselves alone and without the power and presence of God in their lives and this leads to fear, self-doubt, and lost opportunities.

I'm sure there are many victories which could be had by such leaders, victories which God is prepared to give them, if only they will step out in faith and trust, not themselves, but God at work in them. Note all the references in Joshua 1, as Joshua assumes the leadership role of Moses over the people of Israel. Again and again God says to him "Be strong and courageous". Why does God need to say this to Joshua? Because Joshua is in the early stages of leadership and he, like Saul, and like most leaders at the beginning, could be suffering from a bit of self-doubt.

Self-doubt is the first danger of leadership, and it is most often one that occurs in the beginning of a leadership tenure. Some leaders never escape from this problem and this self-perspective handicaps their leadership efforts for quite a while until they grow out of it, or lose their leadership role because of it.

The second danger of leadership is not Self-Doubt, but Self-Importance.

Naturally, some people suffer from this before they step into leadership roles, but for many people, as they become more self-assured in their leadership role they move from self-doubt right past self-confident, and into the realms of self-importance. If we were to put it on a line scale, we would see self-doubt off to the left at about minus ten, we would see self-confidence at about the zero spot, and we would see self-importance at the plus ten end of the line.

Self-importance is the thought that a leader has that he is the most important part of this organization or mission, and he doesn't really need others and the roles they bring to the team. Saul suffered from this when he made the sacrifice without waiting for Samuel. This was a role that only Samuel was supposed to do, but Saul, who had once been small in his own eyes now believed that he was capable and called to do something which was not appropriate even for a king to do.

Here was Samuel's judgement:

But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”

 

So Saul went from one extreme to the next in a short period of time: Staring with self-doubt, he then developed the self-confidence to call the tribes together to defend themselves against the Amalekites. But then after that victory, he faltered over to the self-importance side, which Samuel called "arrogance like the evil of idolatry". Saul suffered from a case of idolatry, in this case worship of self; self-importance. Because of that he lost the anointing of God as king of Israel.

So there are the two dangers of leadership, and either one can destroy a person in leadership. Either they suffer from self-doubt, and therefore do not seize the opportunities presented by the Lord, or else they suffer from self-importance and go too far in their attempts to lead people.

Better to find that perfect spot of self-confidence, where you know how God has gifted you, and are willing to use your gifts to serve Him, while at the same time keeping your eyes on the Lord, and also being grateful for the gifts which God has given to others. That is the perfect balance a leader needs to maintain to flourish in his/her role as a leader.

Please use these thoughts to guide your own prayers and meditations as you seek God's guidance in your role as a leader.

For now,

Dr. Bill