The Three C's of Leadership

Three C’s of Leadership

Leadership requires the courage to challenge what is for the sake of what could be. Let me give you three specific expressions of courage that are essential for those of us who desire to be the leaders that God has called us to be. These three are by no means meant to be an exhausted list of qualities but are to serve as foundational ones.

1. The Courage to Say No.

Early in my development as a leader I assumed that when opportunity knocked, I must answer the door and embrace whoever or whatever was standing there. Mike Nappa was correct when he wrote, “Opportunity does not equal obligation.” The ability to identify and focus on the few necessary things is a hallmark of great leadership.

Don’t let the many good opportunities divert your attention from the one opportunity that has the greatest potential. Learn to say no. The one common complaint of many is the inability to focus. A lack of focus eventually translates into a loss of vision. When the vision is fuzzy, people can’t follow.

Often the reason we won’t say no is that we are afraid. We fear disappointing people. We fear being passed by. We fear missing out on a good opportunity. But at some point every leader must come to grips with the fact that there will always be more opportunities than there is time to pursue them. Choose your opportunities carefully. Many opportunities are worth saying no to and missing.

2. Courage to Face Current Reality.

In addition to saying no, leaders must be willing to face their current reality. Life seems good to us when things are going well. When things are going well that means we are leading well. So the tendency is to put a positive spin on everything, while ignoring any evidence to the contrary. The danger of this of course is that over time we will lose site of what is actually happening around us.

Author and seminary professor Howard Hendricks was asked to assess the declining numbers at a certain church. After attending services he met with the board and made this recommendation: “Put a fence around it and charge admission so that people can come in and see how church was done in the 1950’s.”

We as leaders must face reality regardless of how discouraging or embarrassing it might be. We must be relentless in our quest to know the truth about what is happening around us. We must make it a habit to root out misinformation. In doing this we will create a culture that is healthily transparent about what is and isn’t taking place.

It is impossible to generate sustained growth or progress if our plan for the future is not rooted in reality. To ensure that we are leading with our feet firmly planted on the soil of what is, we must live by what author Andy Stanley, author of The Next Generation Leader, calls the seven commandments of current reality:

I. Thou shalt not pretend.
II. Thou shalt not turn a blind eye.
III. Thou shalt not exaggerate.
IV. Thou shalt not shoot the bearer of bad news.
V. Thou shalt not hide behind the numbers.
VI. Thou shalt not ignore constructive criticism.
VII. Thou shalt not isolate thyself.

Remember, if you don’t like what you see, you can change it.

3. Courage to Dream

Every great accomplishment began as a dream. We as leaders must allow our minds to wander outside the boundaries of what is and begin to create a mental picture of what could be. Dreaming is not always work. No sooner we latch onto what could be, the thoughts of doubt will begin. We will begin to think of all the reasons it won’t work. We will find ourselves wondering if we are really up to the task. And if we are courageous enough to share the dream with others, they are generally quick to confirm our suspicions.

We must dream though. We must have the courage to forge ahead and dream. Otherwise, we will live our lives facilitating the dreams of others. If you allow fear to overshadow your dreams, you will never try anything new or create anything new.

Remember have the courage to say no!
Remember have the courage to face reality!
Remember have the courage to dream!

Because He cares,

Pastor Todd M. McKeever