Deja Vu: Lessons from a Seven Time Rookie

Once upon a time in a leadership land “far-far” away there lived a man named Bob (not his real name). Bob viewed himself as an accomplished leader who had “it” all together. He had been performing the same leadership role in the exact same way for seven years. Bob was amazed at his own perceived wisdom and prided himself in knowing just the right thing to say at just the right time. As a result, he was always ready to give his advice to other leaders who lived in his “far-far” land (even when they didn’t ask).

Bob was indispensable, irreplaceable and exceptionally gifted…at least in his own mind. He refused to ask for help because he always knew what was best. Remarkably, his area never recruited or naturally attracted new leadership, which actually was okay with him (new people have new ideas and don’t understand what I know he would say). Bob also said he never really liked working on a leadership team because it took too much energy.

Maybe you think this parable is irrelevant or overstated. Or perhaps you think I have secretly spied on your church or organization. Either way, let me draw 5 lessons from our seven-time rookie Bob’s story:

1. No leader has it all together. No matter how long we are in leadership, we should always continue to learn and grow.

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2. Godly leaders realize that having good answers requires dependency on God for wisdom from above rather than only relying on their own.
3. Wise leaders do not share unsolicited advice.
4. Every leader needs help. Remember we function best as part of a team within the body of Christ.
5. The wise leader is always recruiting and attracting future leaders to develop.

What lessons have you learned from some of the “Bobs” (no names please) in your life?