| Home | eBooks |
| Devotions | Podcasts |
| Articles | Church Suppliers |
| Videos | Our Writers |
| About Us | Find Church Jobs |
Once I was in a senior leadership meeting for an organization when a leader became emotional while sharing her values and what was important in her life. She quickly apologized and mentioned that she had been working hard to not show emotion as she felt it was a sign of weakness. She didn’t want anyone in the organization to see her as weak.
Being vulnerable and showing emotion is not weak. To say it is a weakness is a lie! It is just the opposite.
Illustrating that you are a real person by being vulnerable and transparent is a significant strength of a servant leader. Remember the shortest verse in the Bible?
“Jesus wept”
Live beyond the lies
As a servant leader, you need to overcome the lies that you’ve been told about yourself and leadership. Some of the hardest hitting ones are the lies we believe about ourselves, so let’s debunk some of the most common of them:
1. “Sharing my feelings makes me look weak.” True leaders share their feelings and vulnerabilities and in turn, their team understands and respects them even more.
2. “Hiding weaknesses works.” Your team probably knows your weaknesses just as much as you do. Don’t hide from them; embrace them. Look for ways to improve and be upfront about your shortcomings. It will make you more approachable and your team will be all the more loyal when you’re honest about your imperfections.
3. “I am in this alone and I have to figure it out myself.” Leadership can often feel lonely, but you cannot do it alone. Lean on Jesus and work to find a group of values-aligned individuals that can become a circle of support during the ups and downs.
4. “God doesn’t care about my work.” God created you and has placed the desires in your heart. The work you do every day and the purpose you live out is innately given by Him. He loves you and cares deeply about your work!
5. “I need to keep my work and faith separate.” Again, God has given you a purpose to live out and your work should be done with that in mind. For true fulfillment, you cannot separate the two. Your workplace is your mission field.
6. “I am good enough.” Complacency is a slippery slope towards extinction. Don’t grow weary in making improvements every day and relying on Jesus to fulfill what we cannot.
7. “I don’t need to listen effectively to lead.” Leading starts with listening. You need to listen to your team to build relationships as well as find ways you can improve. Listening is a key way to illustrate value to others.
8. “I enable people when I make all the decisions.” Creating dependence does not enable anyone. In fact it will limit the organization or team. Push to have your team problem solve and think for themselves. All of us are always smarter than any one of us!
9. “People love it when I tweak their work.” No one likes a micro-manager; allow people to learn with instruction, but then give them the freedom to do their work.
10. “People will trust me if I show my face every now and then.” Your team needs to see you on a consistent basis. If they rarely see you, how can they get to know you and trust you? Be there for them offering encouragement and praise as often as possible. Become a presence they look forward to seeing.
11. “If I pay people enough, they will enjoy their work.” Money can’t buy happiness. If people do not feel fulfilled and appreciated in their work, it doesn’t matter what the paycheck looks like at the end of the day.
12. “I know how people are feeling about my leadership.” Often times, people will not share their true opinions unless you ask. Seek honest feedback and then implement ways to grow from it. If you don’t at first receive areas to improve upon, ask again!
13. “People don’t need encouragement, as I never had it growing up.” The best thing you can do is be an encourager to the people around you, including your team and your family. Everyone appreciates encouragement!
14. “We are good enough.” When you stop forging ahead to become better, you open the door to your competition taking over.
The world may try to sell you on these lies, but you need to commit today to put them to rest. Embrace the truth found in servant leadership and when in doubt, turn to see how Jesus would respond. Your effectiveness and purpose are hinged to you living a life of fullness; don’t let lies steal those from you or inhibit you from being the leader God has called you to be.
Photo source: istock
 | Mark Deterding is the founder and principal of Triune Leadership Services, LLC. In 2011 he formed Triune Leadership Services to follow his passion of working with leaders to help them develop core servant leadership capabilities that allow them to lead at a higher level and enable them to achieve their God-given potential. He is married to his wife Kim, and they have two sons, two lovely daughter-in-laws, and three wonderful grandchildren. This article was first published on triuneleadershipservices.com. Used with permission. Learn More » |
Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.
 | Jordan Raynor helps Christians respond to the radical, biblical truth that their work matters for … |
 | Todd Hopkins is founder and CEO of Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services. He earned the … |
Ryan Sanders serves as the Director of Content for BiblicalLeadership.com. |
 | Copyright © 2025 Networld Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved. |
Already a member? Sign in below.
