None of us is a perfect leader. I’m certainly not. For that reason, I’m always hesitant to critique leaders.
Nevertheless, leadership is so important that I want to list 15 types of leaders who worry me:
1. The “My way or the highway” leader. When a leader thinks he’s always right, he’s not only wrong; he might also be an idolater of self.
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2. The “What’s the point anymore?” leader. Burnout is real, but leaders who’ve given up sometimes leave good teams hanging.
3. The “Maybe I shouldn’t say this” leader. A leader who does not control his mouth — whose speech is ungodly even when he’s knows it’s wrong — is probably out of control in other areas of his life.
3. The “Let me tell you all I’ve done” leader. Leaders who are always reminding people about their past tense achievements tend to struggle with pride.
4. The “What? I have a family?” leader. Leaders who never talk about their family typically aren’t the best family leaders; in fact, their families often feel neglected and distanced.
5. The “Don’t tell anybody this” leader. If a leader is sharing somebody else’s confidence with you, you really can’t trust him with your confidences, either.
6. The “I just heard about another program to try” leader. Programs are important, and I affirm them — but leaders who change programs with every shift of the wind can wear out a congregation.
7. The “Ahh, everything’s always great!” leader. If a leader always says everything’s great, he might be so uninvolved that he really doesn’t know what’s going on anyway . . . or he’s unwilling to face reality.
8. The “I remember leading someone to the Lord in the year 2000” leader. Leaders whose evangelism stories are all past tense don’t lead congregations to do the Great Commission.
9. The “I expect you to be the best, but do it without bothering me” leader. The leader who holds his team to high expectations but then provides no support or training sets them up for failure.
10. The “Oh, yeah, you’re right; we probably should pray” leader. Leaders who must be reminded to pray make me wonder if they pray much at all.
11. The “It’s not my fault” leader. Leaders who never take responsibility for failure probably aren’t building a strong team. They’re certainly not creating loyalty if they cast blame on others.
12. The “We need to maintain peace and unity at all costs” leader. These leaders sometimes tolerate ineffectiveness — even sin at times — in their team.
13. The “Can you remind me what we talked about?” leader. Leaders must be hearers, but too many have forgotten how to listen.
14. The “No, I can’t name anyone I’m equipping” leader. This leader is often (1) not thinking strategically about future leadership, and/or (2) unconcerned about discipling/training the next generation of leaders.
What other leaders would you add to this list?
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Church Lawless and originally published at Chucklawless.com.
