Three Things I Struggle With As A Leader

Every leader I know has struggles.  

Being a great leader doesn’t mean we do not have struggles—it means we understand what they are and actively work to overcome them.  

Struggle #1 - Confidence

My struggle with confidence as a leader began in the 7th grade when I ran for class president.  All five candidates had to make a speech and afterwards the votes were tallied.  

The teacher called me forward so I could see the number of people who voted for me—and I never will forget looking down and seeing the number “1” written on the paper (which was super demoralizing because it meant I was the ONLY person who voted for me.)  

That was the day I began battling the “you don’t have what it takes” voice inside my head…

…and I’ve fought that voice every single day of my leadership life.  

I wish I could say there is a magic bullet that somehow supernaturally fuels our confidence levels to heights unlike we’ve ever experienced; unfortunately, that simply isn’t the case.  

So, how do I lead when I wrestle with confidence.  

I go back to my calling.  

At the end of the day, for some strange reason - I know God called me to lead.  Till this day I have no idea why He did, or what He saw in me - but for some strange reason He called me.  

And while I can easily quit a job - it’s impossible to quit a calling.  

Needless to say…my confidence has taken quite an @$$ whooping the past two years.  I am in a place in life I never thought I would be - and I’ve NEVER doubted myself more than I have in this season…

…however, the Lord has been relentless in reminding me of His calling on my life.  And, slowly but surely my confidence is increasing.  

When I find myself lacking confidence - I fall back on my calling - which enables me to step into what God has called me to.  

Struggle #2 - Comparison

I’ve always struggled with the fact so many people are so much better than me…

I’ll never be able to preach and then transition into a song like Steve Furtick.  

I’ll never be able to communicate and articulate like Andy Stanley.  

I’ll never be able drop leadership wisdom like Brian Houston.  

There are so many people who do so many things so much better than me…

…and if I focus on their gifts (instead of the ones God gave me) I will always feel like I am not good enough.  

The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:4, "Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else."

Struggle #3 - Completion

I have always done a pretty good job at STARTING a project - but I often suck at SUSTAINING what I started.  

Why?  

I have leadership A-D-D!  (Most leaders do!)  

We walk into a room, announce a bold new vision and get the people around the table to come up with a plan in regards to how to execute what needs to take place.  
For far too long - in my mind, once this took place the project was over and I could then move on to thinking about the next bold leadership initiative I was going to challenge my team with.  

I remember once a team member asking me, “Hey Perry, for the past three weeks you’ve shared three different projects you want for us to be focused on.  Since we have limited time and resources—tell us which ones are the most important so we can all get on the same page - and please give us time to get the work done before we try something else.”  

It was one of the most sobering moments I’ve ever had as a leader—because I realized my job wasn’t to just START a project, but to SUSTAIN the encouragement, assistance and momentum of all that were involved until the project was complete.  

I wish I could say I have dominated these challenges - but all to often they sneak back into my life and leadership.  

However, as I am able to recognize them and then make changes - it definitely sharpens me as a leader and allows me to be more effective long term.