7 Secret Struggles Of Leaders
Leaders often have inner struggles they necessarily keep to themselves. When I asked a group of Leaders to name their secret struggles, the list included a wide variety of issues.
01 Personal health or family concerns
How much of my health is people business? What should I tell them? How will they take it?
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It’s so hard to know what details you should and shouldn’t share with those you lead. We may find ourselves feeling spiritually dry, tired of ministry, angry at God, stuck in our spiritual life, or burned out.
02 Money Problems.
We’re carrying too heavy a load of debt and may have to take bankruptcy. Or, the income is not adequate for our needs. Or, I may have to take a second outside job. Is there anyone in the church I can share this with? Will they understand?
03 Unethical Behavior of Another Leader.
He or she doesn’t take criticism well. They’re a big contributor and if we lost them, we’d lose their whole extended family. What to do?
04 Contempt From
a Member.
How should I relate to (and minister to) members who make no secret of their dislike for me, even participating in a movement to oust me?
When they have a crisis—like a death or major illness—I have to call on them and minister to them. But it’s hard.
05 Infringement of Ministry on Family Time.
Because of a heavy responsability, leaders often miss out on family things. Sundays are especially hard. They often get home in time to get a bite to eat and rest a few minutes before the round of Sunday afternoon/evening meetings begin.
And the family is often not happy with this arrangement.
06 Over-Extension to The Organization or Congregation.
Leaders often wrestle with questions like, Am I allowed to turn my phone off? Can I ever take a vacation and not be called back for a crisis of some kind? I’ve been asked to coach my son’s Little League team, but it would tie up two evenings a week.
What to do?
07 Lack of Trusted People.
Most of us learn the hard way not to share our secrets too freely. A wisely man said, “I would not say anything in this room you don’t want known.” That’s all he had to say. I appreciated the caution. Again, this isn’t to say these things shouldn’t be shared appropriately. We tell the Lord in prayer, our spouse in private, our counselor in his/her office, and our mentor over coffee.