Leaders are always caught between “the way things are” and “the way things should be.” I have never met a leader who was completely satisfied with the way things are. There is always something that can change, something that can be done better, or something that can improve.
I recently sat with one of my friends in my office. He was heartbroken and stuck between “the way things are” and “the way things should be.” Many times, such as this case, when we have no one to share our passions with, we become frustrated. I sat and listened as months of frustration flowed. It was great. It seemed as though with every word, he was getting “lighter.” I watched, as every sentence he delivered appeared to lift burdens off of him. He is passionate, has vision, and has amazing leadership skills, but he was just frustrated…stuck between the way things are and the way thing should be. When he left my office he seemed much more at peace. All he needed was someone to say, “yes, you are not alone, I hear you, and I believe in you.” He needed someone to help him re-ignite his passion, vision, and help him chase some big dreams that God has laid out in front of him.
I walked away from our talk having learned something about leadership. I believe one of the jobs of great leaders in the church is to help other leaders identify, clarify, and run down big dreams that God has laid out before them. Big dreams that only God can take the credit for! Those are the kind of people I want to be around! I want to work with people who believe God is up to something big and he wants us to be right in the middle of it. It is our responsibility, as leaders, to find and hire people who have dreams that match the vision that God has laid out for our ministries and churches. Make no mistake…there is nothing more glorifying to God than someone who is using every gift and talent to glorify Him…it is our job to help people get there!
