Are you a Confusing or a Confused leader?

by | May 16, 2023 | Uncategorized

This past week I had a coaching call with one of my clients who attended a conference at a large church in Texas.

He shared one of his take-aways with me.

One of the speakers mentioned the difference between being confusing and being confused.

As we apply this to leadership, here are some thoughts:

Confused leader

Bob Dylan was certainly right when he sang “…the times they are a changing.” What people believe, how they behave and what they value have undergone tsunami-size changes over the last few years.

As a leader you can be “Confused” as to where you should stand on certain current and controversial issues which are hot topics in the news and on social media. You may be confused  as to if you should  take a firm stand, how you should respond/react or if you should react at all.

If you are a preacher/teacher in His church, folks might be pressuring you on taking a firm position and speaking out clearly and loudly.

There are plenty of issues out there.

  • Guns
  • Capitol punishment
  • Gender issues
  • Police using unreasonable force
  • Abortion
  • Immigration
  • Critical Race Theory

Just to name a few.

Confusing leader

The presenter at the conference my client attended said it’s not okay to be confused; but, instead, we should be confusing to those who think differently than we do. It’s a matter of standing firm, but at the same time being:

  • Loving
  • Considerate
  • Compassionate
  • Understanding
  • Listening

As we express where we are on certain volatile issues, we don’t want to be:

  • Mean-spirited
  • Accusatory
  • Nasty
  • Bigoted
  • Closed-minded
  • Unkind

These are the traits people would normally expect from someone who has a different view or belief than they do—especially conservative Christians!

You want them to be thinking like this:

You’re confusing me.

You don’t think like I do, value what I value or believe what I believe; but you’re  not what I would expect and what I’ve experienced from others I’ve encountered who are like you.

That’s where the beauty of the Gospel and our walk with Jesus comes in.

A passage which well expresses the way we should communicate with those who are opposed to us and  what we believe is:

“Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous, be strong. And everything you do must be done in love” ~ 1st Corinthians 16:13,14 NLT.

So we don’t have to cave or compromise where we stand, but we can do so with the love of Jesus who empowers us and gives us the proper attitude!