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On May 10, 1940, Winston Churchill became the prime minister of Great Britain. It was Britain’s darkest hour. The former prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, had tried to reason with Adolph Hitler. He failed, and Europe lay devastated before the German Wehrmacht. Nothing could stop the onslaught of Nazi Panzer divisions racing across France. At last, in desperation, the British parliament turned to aging Churchill. Many British people had already resigned themselves to defeat. Honorable terms of surrender appeared to be their only recourse. But then, in a series of speeches, Churchill roused the nation. In one of his most famous orations, he declared,
“We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
It is said that Hitler hated Churchill, because Hitler could not intimidate him. At last the Führer faced someone equal to the challenge of all-out war.
Leadership is often misunderstood. People assume individuals who hold prominent positions or serve as figureheads at corporate functions are leaders. But true leadership involves addressing problems. Until Britain faced its greatest crisis, its citizens did not feel the need for Churchill. But when they had nowhere else to turn, they finally placed their hope in him. Occupying a corner office and making the occasional speech at staff meetings does not take courage. But facing real problems may call upon every ounce of a leader’s courage. The problem is that many people holding leadership positions today suffer from an acute absence of courage.
Leaders resolve to tackle their people’s greatest problems. But to be successful, leaders must be courageous. Let me suggest two more areas where leaders must demonstrate courage.
1. Change something
Change is the waterloo for many leaders. Countless leaders have been lulled into believing their people are fully supportive of their agenda for the organization. Then they tried to change something, and people who had previously seemed supportive suddenly turned from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.
I rarely meet leaders who cannot list issues they need to address in their organization. Nevertheless, they often refuse to act because they fear the consequences. Change always comes at a cost.
I met a pastor a number of years ago who told me he had recently closed his church because it had dwindled to such a small size that it could no longer function. Knowing I would probably disapprove of shutting down the church, he said, “Richard, we had no choice. We had to close the church.”
“How long were you the pastor?” I asked.
“Fifteen years” he replied.
In response, I gently reminded him that he may have had few choices at the end of the church’s life. But he had options 15 years earlier. And 14 years earlier. And 13 years earlier. The church could have made some choices then that would have stopped the decline. However, the pastor had not had the courage to make those changes. He had vainly hoped that things would get better. And eventually the church had no choice but to disband.
2. Take responsibility
I knew a woman who had been fired from five companies in a row. Her conclusion? She worked for bad companies! I knew a pastor whose church had dwindled from an average attendance of 110 to an average attendance of less than 30 after 15 years of his ministry. But when he had the opportunity to audit a leadership class, he turned it down. After all, he had already been a pastor for 15 years! Many politicians have held office for more than 30 years but continue to blame their constituency’s problems on the opposing party. Today’s leaders too often focus on casting blame rather than on finding solutions.
True leaders are prepared to take responsibility for their organization’s failures. It is an abdication of duty to throw everyone under the bus when leaders fail to do their job. When professional sports teams fall short of expectations, their coaches are fired. This response sometimes seems unfair, especially when the players have been underperforming. But, ultimately, the coach’s job is to draw out the best in the players. Leaders understand that the organization’s performance is equal to its leader’s performance. No excuses.
Every leader eventually confronts a situation that demands courage. Seth Godin claimed,“In every organization everyone rises to the level at which they become paralyzed by fear” (Tribes, p. 44).
Leadership is not for the fainthearted! It takes courage. History is filled with examples of people who were scared to death, but they resolved to do what was right. They summoned their courage. And they led.
Photo source: istock
 | Richard Blackaby is the president of Blackaby Ministries International and lives in Georgia. He travels internationally speaking on spiritual leadership in the home, church, and marketplace as well as on spiritual awakening, experiencing God, and the Christian life. Richard regularly ministers to Christian CEOs and business leaders. He has written or co-authored 33 books . This article was first published on RichardBlackaby.com. Used with permission from Blackaby Ministries International. Learn More » |
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