This is part three in a five-part series addressing myths about entrepreneurs in the church. If you missed previous posts, you can check out part 1 here and part 2 here.
Myth #3: They Will Present a Leadership Threat
Every organization either has one leader or no leader. If multiple people are vying for leadership, and people are following them, then the organization as a whole is lacking a leader. If you are losing leadership because of another strong leader in the organization, your organization is losing leadership. Leadership is not being taken from you.
The Myth
Strong leaders need to lead and will not stop eroding leadership from me until they have it.
The Truth
Entrepreneurs are generally strong leaders. They will always step into leadership gaps. However, unless they are evil, which few of them are, they are not trying to steal anything from you.
In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell talks about the Law of the Lid. The Law of the Lid suggests that we all have some quotient on a scale of one to ten that represents the level at which we have the capacity to lead in any given area.
None of us will have that in every area—no one is great at everything. What will make you a great leader is when you figure out how to empower people that are stronger leaders in areas where you are not as strong.
If you feel threatened by another leader in your organization, it ultimately says more about your lack of leadership strength, aptitude and experience than it does about their ability to lead.
Invite Entrepreneurs into the Process
If you feel like your leadership is being eroded by an entrepreneur, you simply have to figure out how to lead entrepreneurs into your vision and outcomes. Entrepreneurs solve problems. If they sense a leadership problem, they will attempt to solve it; but, that does not mean they are the solution to it.
If you feel like you are losing the ability to be the “one” leader in your organization because an entrepreneur is challenging that, try asking them what they see as the problem. Once they tell you, ask them what they would do to solve the problem. Invite them into a partnership within you in seeking a solution.
Entrepreneurs are more than happy to work toward your desired outcome when they’re invited into the process. Failing to do so will only keep them isolated and trying to solve a problem they see by themselves.
That will not end well for one of you.
Check back on Friday for the fourth myth: Entrepreneurs never think small. Better yet, subscribe below, and the post will land in your inbox!
