Leaders That Fail

"Don’t interfere with good people’s lives; don’t try to get the best of them. No matter how many times you trip them up, God-loyal people don’t stay down long; Soon they’re up on their feet, while the wicked end up flat on their faces." Proverbs 24:15-16 (MSG)

Failure. We all know that failure is inevitable and we're all bound to experience it some point in our lives. Failure hurts when it first hits. No one likes failure. Failure sometimes can rob us of our confidence and strength, and it can stop us from trying again. There are tons of factors that go into our failure. A lack of focus, the wrong timing, the lack of careful planning and the error of others including ourselves can be reasons we fail.

What happens when the leader fails?! It’s hard being a leader and you’ve let everyone down. Now trust is broken, influence is at stake and expectations are low. It takes a lot motivating your team after you’ve conceived them to do something and it went wrong. They’ll either continue to play it safe or become very skeptical of your guidance. I believe that there are some failures that leaders experience that could possibly be avoided. Not all of these failures can be avoided but the majority that can be predicted can be avoided. I believe success is connected to the strength of the leadership as well as failure is connected to the weakness of the leadership. When the head is cut off from the human body everything dies. In the same way the leader is very vital for the success and life of anything. Here are six types of leaders who will always fail.

Six Types Of Leaders Bound For Failure:

1. The Impetuous Leader

I call this the impetuous leader. I know a lot of people like this. The impetuous leader is a person who makes decisions without much thought. You make decisions without thinking about it or even discussing it. Impetuous leaders are often insensitive leaders because they don’t care about others inputs and how their decisions would affect them. You’re very secretive about what you’re doing. No one knows what you’re going to do until they see the end results. Which causes people to be suspicious of your leadership, actions and judgment. Impetuous leaders see something or want something and they jump on it. But often times they do it without proper timing or training. They don’t prepare or warn anyone about what’s going on. Impetuous leaders make decisions simply out of emotions. They do things that feel right at the time without considering the aftermath. Their poor decisions end up costing them later; usually with a backlash or failed relationships. Impetuous leaders are moved by passion, desire and emotions. Moses was an impetuous leader which led him to killing an Egyptian and having to run for his life into hiding. Wasting 40 years of his life working with his father-in-law scared out of his mind because of a poor choice. Impetuous leaders must learn how to control their emotions. The thing that’s missing from them is not desire but discipline. A lack of discipline is what causes impetuous leaders to always fail.

2. The Stingy Leader

The stingy leader is only in it for them! They are selfish! This leader wants everyone to work for him and do as he says without any real rewards. They don’t reward jobs that are well done. They provide absolutely nothing but a payback. Nothing more and nothing less. You give money but no moments! These leaders need to understand that true rewards lie beyond a paycheck. True leaders reward their staff with opportunities and coaching. We give opportunities for each person to reach their own personal and professional goals. We take interest in them and see them beyond just an employee. Then we coach them. Usually we do this 1 on 1 that way we can help each individual become their best self and reach their hidden potential. To do this you must connect with your people and become relational. The stingy leader doesn’t have a problem with making sure employees are paid, but they don’t do a good job in making sure employees are fulfilled. Stingy leaders have to not only be interested in jobs being met but goals being achieved. King Saul was a stingy leader, he never gave David a chance to be great without being intimidated or seeking to bring harm to him. Saul was all about himself! Stingy leaders must make investments. A lack of investing will always cause stingy leaders to fail. Be more generous!

3. The Blaming Leader

The blaming leader is the leader I used to be. I possessed a blaming spirit. I used to always love blaming other people for my mistakes and my own personal screw ups. I used to specialize in blame. All I did was blame people. The moment I was confronted with an issue, I always threw the blame on other people. I didn’t know that I had a blaming spirit until I was at leadership academy training at my church. My pastor said “leaders take accountability!” When I heard that I knew that there was no way I could be a leader and operate in blame. Because leaders don’t place the blame, they take the blame. The world has too many people that blame. Leaders who play the blame game makes their team frustrated. People get simply frustrated at you because they’re being accused for your nonsense! Being blamed hurts! Adam was a blaming leader. When he ate the forbidden fruit, God confronted him and he blamed it on Eve! Instead of taking accountability, he starts blaming his wife. People with blaming spirits don’t care who they blame just as long as they can get the load off of them. Blaming leaders must take accountability! A lack of accountability will surely cause you to fail!

This week, we've covered the first three leaders who are bound to fail. If you're a impetuous leader have discipline, if you're a stingy leader make generous investments and if you're a blaming leader take accountability! Next week we will cover the last three leaders who will also fail!

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This is a leadership blog that helps develop Christian leaders.

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