3 Reasons Leaders Question their Ability

Do I have what it takes to lead?

It can hit leaders at most any age, most any season. It has hit me…

• In my early years…when harsh realities met naive overconfidence.
• Through conflict, obstacles, and major milestone moments.
• In the pit of self doubt where I lacked confidence and felt alone and isolated.  

Or, ironically, everything can be going great. “I just don’t know if I have what it takes to keep doing this for 5 or 10 or 20 or 30 more years.”  

Here are the 3 Reasons Leaders Question, “Do I Have What It Takes?”

• Past experiences… Conflicts. Disappointments. Failures.
• Changing culture. Changing world. “I was raised/trained for a world that no longer exists.”
• Failing to discover my unique wiring and what I’m good at doing.

Let’s save the first two for later and focus on the third today.

You could decide today to discover what’s uniquely you!

Let’s start with the obvious: There are some things that you’re just not good at doing!

…And you should slowly (or quickly) stop doing them.

• Most of us can’t simply announce, “I’m not doing that any more.”
• We haven’t discipled/mentored others to take our place.
• With a few things, we just have to do them, because it’s ours to do.

The big reason so many of us wrestle with the “Do I Have What It Takes” question: We never slowly, steadily lean on the rudder that points us toward…

• Who I am at my core! This is where I’m passionate.
• What I’m good at, my strengths and gifts.
• What’s uniquely required of me in this ministry.

It’s never a perfect fit. And very few fully arrive. There are some things you just have to do.

Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of women and men, in the United States and around the world, in PLI’s 20 year history, have gone about discovering how God has uniquely designed them and transformed their leadership! And they’ve stopped allowing themselves to be molded into something they don’t fit.

And they’ve discovered I Do Have What It Takes!

I’ve got 2 guesses for you!

Guess #1

…. You’ve drifted and you’re doing too much of what’s not you…and something needs to change. OR

….You’ve never really become clear on who you are and the unique contribution you need to make in your congregation…or a different one.

Guess #2  

If Guess #1 is correct! Too much of what you’re doing…

• Is not that fulfilling right now.
• It’s depleting.
• It causes you to take a deep breath each week and trudge down a list of tasks and wonder, Do I Have What It Takes?

So, take action. It’s never too early, and never too late, for leaders to get this right. It’s a fundamental building block to your entire leadership.

Finally, do one of these 3:

1. Check out Leadership Essentials starting online in November. Contact Raechel. She’ll help with details or questions.
2. Make a simple list of what you regularly do in your role. Make 4 columns and answer these questions: Is it critical that I do this? Do I enjoy doing it? Am I good at doing it? Could someone else do this?
3. Take out your 10- or 20-year-old PLI notes from when you did PLI and compare with what you’re doing now.

Don’t settle for one more year of wondering: Do I Have What It Takes?

By the way, check out this book: Fear Not, Dream Big and Execute by Jeff Meyer! You’ll stop settling for too little. Too long.