{"id":77203,"date":"2023-03-09T09:57:26","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T15:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/?p=77203"},"modified":"2023-03-09T09:57:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T15:57:26","slug":"11-leadership-mistakes-to-avoid-at-all-cost-with-preventative-measures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/11-leadership-mistakes-to-avoid-at-all-cost-with-preventative-measures\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Leadership Mistakes To Avoid At All Cost (with preventative measures)"},"content":{"rendered":"

11 Leadership Mistakes To Avoid At All Cost
\n(with preventative measures)<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Dan Reiland<\/h4>\n

If you\u2019re a leader, you make mistakes. I\u2019ve made plenty. In fact, it\u2019s impossible to lead without making mistakes because you are moving into new and often unknown territory. The important thing is not to repeat your mistakes. If you do, that indicates you\u2019re not learning as you lead.<\/p>\n

So let me say it again this way. Make mistakes, learn from them and get better as a leader; just don\u2019t make the same mistake twice.<\/p>\n

With that said, here\u2019s a mistake I\u2019ve made. I\u2019ve failed to learn from others\u2019 mistakes.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0As a leadership coach and having made plenty of mistakes of my own, I\u2019ve encountered a wide variety of ministry leadership mistakes.<\/p>\n

This is your opportunity to hopefully avoid some or most of them.<\/em> As I wrote this post, many possibilities came to mind, so my goal was to curate a list of the more dangerous ones.<\/p>\n

11 leadership mistakes you\u00a0<\/strong>really<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0want to avoid:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) Drifting from your calling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Slow drift from your calling is common. It\u2019s not intentional, but busyness, pressure, sustained stress, fatigue, discouragement, and spiritually dry seasons can dampen your calling and cause you to drift from it.<\/p>\n

Remember the clarity and passion of your calling; it\u2019s the spiritual fuel that keeps you going through the seasons when leadership is difficult. It\u2019s God\u2019s kind voice reminding you that He\u2019s with you.<\/p>\n

What are a few specific things that help you keep your calling fresh?<\/p>\n

For example, when I\u2019m in a worship service with baptisms, coaching a young leader who discovers their gifting and calling, or seeing a church break through a barrier\u2026 my heart says,\u00a0\u201cOh yeah, this is why!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

How about you? What keeps your calling fresh?<\/p>\n

2) Confusing activity with productivity<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the early leadership principles John Maxwell taught me was that activity is not the same as productivity. In ministry, that is ever so true. In fact, you can exhaust yourself doing ministry with minimal results.<\/p>\n

Ministry is highly relational, and that\u2019s a good thing. Personally, I wouldn\u2019t want it any other way, but it must also be purposeful. Jesus\u2019 mission is very specific.<\/p>\n

Be very purposeful in your meetings and with the mechanics of ministry. Remain focused on your mission to maximize your productivity and minimize wasted activity.<\/p>\n

3) Surrendering the mission to the pressure of the machine<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s far too often that the machine of ministry hijacks the mission of ministry. Fight to keep the machine serving the mission.<\/p>\n

This is never intentional, but the larger the church gets, the easier it is to become event planners with theological degrees. We are organizers and equippers of Christian community, and that\u2019s a good thing, but we can lose touch with that community if we don\u2019t personally stay engaged with the mission.<\/p>\n

Regularly ask your teams, \u201cAre the mechanics of our ministry serving our mission?\u201d If not, make changes immediately.<\/p>\n

4) Adding prayer to the end of your energy<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I\u2019m out of my normal daily rhythms, for example, when I travel, it\u2019s easy for me to grab time for prayer whenever I can rather than a time when I\u2019m fully engaged and focused. Praying at any time during the day is good, but if your mind is distracted with problems to solve and tensions to manage, you may not be able to fully connect with Jesus. So give Jesus some of your best focus and energy.<\/p>\n

5) Failing to tend to personal soul care<\/strong><\/p>\n

About fifteen years ago, sustained stress and overt pressure gave way to a season of anxiety that lasted about three months. From that experience, I learned three important things:<\/p>\n