Poisonous Soil

My wife, Pam, and I experienced the loss of our home during a Colorado wildfire. We soon realized that toxic substances from our garage, like weed killer or gasoline, had burned right into the soil. During rebuilding, the contractor redistributed that old soil around the property. We replanted with no idea whether plants were being put into a plot of poisonous dirt! In one spot, three different trees were planted and died, before that spot was abandoned. It wasn’t the whole property, just certain places where the toxicity ruined the soil.

Sin has a lasting effect in the world and our lives. We each must address its poisonous influence...

Sin has a lasting effect in the world and our lives. We each must address its poisonous influence and the relational trauma it causes in our wounded souls. We all have sin-prone areas of our lives, so we join God in his transforming work. Failure to do so leaves us, and the ministries and businesses we serve, vulnerable. Knowing we share this common malady gives us freedom to address our vulnerabilities with candor, as we soak in the gospel.

Addressing Character Gaps

The psalmist writes, “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them” (Psalm 78:72). Skill and competence often get us into broader leadership, but it is our character through which God grows lasting fruit. Character gaps are the ultimate risk for kingdom valued organizations and businesses. Depth in Christ is the primary solution to prevent character missteps. The apostle Paul encourages us to not just endeavor to receive Christ – but to grow deep in him.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col. 2:6-7)

In addition to developing deep spiritual roots, we also must anticipate the seasons where leaders struggle most and support them during those more vulnerable times.

Overcoming Crash-prone Seasons

In aviation, 80% of all plane crashes happen within the first three minutes of flight or the last eight minutes prior to landing. A third leading time for crashes is when the pilot is distracted. 

Consider three seasons when leaders and teams are most vulnerable to character weakness and plateaued spiritual transformation. We’ll identify antidotes for passing through each one safely! 

1. Rookie Season for New Leaders

We’ve all been new at something! New roles with broader responsibility are something God gives leaders he has his hand on. Very few new leaders win the rookie of the year award, so we all need help during a new opportunity.

New and young leaders may falter under seeming pressure to prove themselves or being too busy to ask for help. Others assume it’s too risky to show weakness. The underlying poisons of insecurity or pressure to please can make them vulnerable to a rocky rookie season, if not a crash. Here are two guarantees for a stellar rookie season.

The life of King David illustrates what young/new leaders need. First, from an early age, David displayed humility. David tells us that God’s desired “sacrifice” is not bulls and goats, but a contrite and broken heart (Psalm 51:16-17). Humility and a teachable heart protect new leaders from crashes. Second, growing out of that humility is the hunger to learn from mentors. David had many men and women he leaned into for advice. In his early days as a leader, he was guided by Samuel, but Jonathan, Nathan, Gad, Abigail, Joab, and multiple priests were also influential in David’s transformation and success. 

2. The Final Turn for Veteran Leaders 

Teacher Bobby Clinton is known for speaking on a second season of vulnerability in a leader's career - the final season. In Finishing Well - Five Factors That Enhance It, he says, " ... what is true of Biblical leaders is equally true of historical and contemporary leaders. It is the first observation to which this article speaks. Identifying the fact that few leaders finish well was a breakthrough warning for me."

Unaddressed gaps in character makes leaders vulnerable to failure later in life.

Dr. Clinton goes on to point out the importance of a learning posture throughout our careers and never getting too old to learn from a mentor. In later years, it’s often someone younger than us from whom we can learn.

Unaddressed gaps in character makes leaders vulnerable to failure later in life. Hezekiah was one of the strongest, God-focused kings of Israel during the period of the split kingdom. He purified the temple, brought back the Passover, and raised contributions to re-establish temple worship. But in the end, his success led to pride and putting his hope in appearances and his faith in the help of Babylon (2 Kings 20, 2 Chron. 32). 

But, King David, later in life, continued to nurture a teachable heart characterized by repentance and transformation. Two keys for finishing well are addressing our character gaps throughout our lives, and continually putting ourselves under the influence of wise counsel who can speak truth into our lives. 

3. Those Entering a New Leadership Context

A third season when leaders can struggle, or crash is when they move into a new context. For instance, leaders moving from a successful for-profit career into a nonprofit setting often feel as if they’ve moved to a different country!

If we enter new contexts with pride and putting our faith on our experience and past successes in that old arena, we can be set up for a significant challenge. It is common for leaders in new contexts to lead from the strengths and systems that worked in their past life, not realizing the new context needs new skills.

Leaders who find themselves in a new job setting need to lean heavily on the “insiders” God provides for them there. And they must stay humbly teachable, not assuming they know everything that’s needed!

Nehemiah is a great example of a leader who moved from one role and context (an officer of the king in Persia’s court) to a new context and role (restorer and wall-builder for Jerusalem).

Nehemiah could easily have come in with the power of his experience, thinking he knew everything that was needed. Rather, in humility, he pulled together Jerusalem insiders and together they caught the vision, which led to an amazing rebuilding of a wall and the community of God in Jerusalem! Humility and leaning into a community saved him from arrogance and a crash.

Three Enduring Principles

In whatever season we find ourselves or the leaders we lead alongside, there are three principles that represent the antidote to the risk of leadership character failure:

1. Exhibit humility and a teachable heart that leads to spiritual transformation.
2. Address character gaps in every season of our leadership.
3. Invite mentors and a community of like-hearted friends to speak into our lives.

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Dr. Doug Nuenke is US President Emeritus at the Navigators and President of 7872Leaders, developing executive leaders and teams. He's served as a trusted non-profit leader in church and mission settings for over 40 years.

Listen to Doug Nuenke on Best Christian Workplaces’ The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast as he discusses “Healthy Habits for Long-Term Leadership.”

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