Years ago, in one of my first jobs, I worked for a leader that was constantly dwelling on my weaknesses and picking apart my failures. He was a Christian leader that struggled to do anything other than critic and expose my limitations. I also had reason to believe that he was talking about my weaknesses to others but not to me. It was demoralizing! I felt constantly exposed and my trust of him was really low. Even worse, as I look back now, I have come to realize that I don’t think he ever recognized this subtle pattern of destructiveness in his leadership.

Most people I talk to want to be good leaders. They want to be a leader that builds and encourages their staff towards stronger unity and trust; a leader that develops an organization that grows their workers and honors God in the process. However, good leadership takes work.

As human leaders it is our tendency to immediately be drawn to the weaknesses in others. We see their areas of fault or vulnerability and direct our focus in that direction. While we are quick to downplay and soften our own weaknesses we often magnify and expose the limitations of others. And, as we all have probably witnessed, such practices can be mistrustful and damaging. The truth is, many times we follow along this path of leadership without even realizing it. Therefore, as growing leaders here is a gentle reminder to check ourselves as we think, talk about and examine the people we have the blessing of working with.

What do I as a leader do about the weaknesses of those I lead? How do I honor my co-workers in their limitations?

If you are a leader that finds yourself asking those questions, here are a few things to humbly consider:

1) Only God is omni-competent! Each one of us has weaknesses. None of us knows it all or has it all together. Even you as a leader have blind spots and areas where you need improvement. None of us is without sin. None of us is the perfect worker with perfect skills. Once we have that clearly in view, we’re in the right place to address another’s weaknesses.

2) Wholism means accepting the whole person. It seems a bit redundant but when you work with someone you can’t just accept their greatness, you must also accept that they will have some not so greatness as well! Whole person means everything – strengths and weakness, warts and all.

3) It will take a full dose of gospel grace. Matthew 7:1 says “judge not, that you be not judged.” Deep down we all have some deep seeded insecurities. Often our desire to emphasize someone else’s inadequacies and cut them down comes from a place of personal insecurity, whether we realize it or not. We need the gospel to saturate our soul every single day in order to avoid the temptation to build a platform of self-righteousness.

4) Where there is a weakness there is also a strength. The beauty of God is that every person has a “talent”: (Matthew 25:14-30) An area where they are strong and can contribute to the team. You may see their lack of organization, drive and visioning as a clear weakness, and it very well might be. Can and should you work with them to grow or cover those areas? Yes, of course! But remember where there is a weakness there is also a strength. Maybe they are great with people? Maybe they are able to network and make connections? Maybe they are able to quickly develop trust and motivate others towards a task? Remember great planners are not necessarily great adapters. And great encouragers are not always great organizers. We need them all to succeed. You will need them all as well. Welcome the weaknesses of others by valuing their strengths just as much.

Honoring others in their weakness

The world seems to say expose the faults of others in order to further yourself. However, as with most things that is not God’s way. Paul states in Romans 15:7: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

How are you accepting the weaknesses of those you work with? How would your co-workers say you are dealing with the weaknesses of those you lead?

What is God saying to you as a leader?

Have you found yourself falling prey to judging, emphasizing and talking to your co-workers about others inadequacies? If so maybe it is time to take a step towards positive change. If you are realizing that maybe your leadership style needs to change, rest assured that God’s grace is sufficient. Remember, we are all in process and we all need patience. Together, with the help of God, we can take steps of change towards being imperfect leaders who honor each other in our imperfect skills and weaknesses.

The next Flourish article will give some practical steps towards honoring others in their weaknesses

Growth Point:

Good leaders honor others in their weaknesses and accept that it will take grace, humility and a full dose of the gospel along the way.

Scripture Point:

Read Matthew 7:1-5. Ask the Lord to reveal his application of this for your leadership

Action Point:

Write in your journal this week the ways that you find yourself falling prey to exposing others weaknesses. Be honest with yourself and ask God for grace and wisdom as you seek to change.

 

References:

http://image-2-image.blogspot.com/2015/12/reading-others-through-lens-of-your.html