I can lead worship. Very few people in my circles know this today. I taught myself how to play chords on the piano in my 20’s and for more than a decade I led worship regularly in various venues and events at the church where I served. I did a pretty decent job most of the time.
But I don’t do it anymore. Why? To be honest, a lot of it has to do with my lid. I often frustrate and hold back the other members of the worship team. I don’t have very good rhythm. I tend to overwhelm the band by overdoing it on the piano. I can’t harmonize and when others do it sometimes throws me off. And since I can’t read music I often don’t have the language needed to properly communicate with the team what I want to do next.
John Maxwell introduced ‘The Law of the Lid’ in the first chapter of his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (by the way, it’s a must read if you haven’t done so yet.) John summarized the law like this, “Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower an individual’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential. The higher the individual’s ability to lead, the higher the lid on his potential.” In this post I want to talk about what happens when people end up being led by leaders with a low lid.
What happens when people follow a poor leader.
- Frustrated
When I’m driving down the road and come across a man driving 20 miles slower than everyone else, I’m frustrated. Why? Because I should be capable of driving faster, but someone else’s driving limitations are preventing me. My expectation, based on my own skills & experience, is that I could do more than the one I’m following. Likewise, when great leaders are stuck behind poor leaders, its very easy for them to become frustrated by the limitations imposed on them.
- Disappointed
When I’m served food that is cold and overcooked I’m disappointed. Why? Because I was led to believe that I would receive better service. Similarly, when people follow someone who is in a position of leadership, they build expectations that are often unmet because the leader did not have what was necessary to meet them.
- Confused
When I’m told to turn right at the light, when I was really supposed to turn left, I get confused. After a while I realize I’m not seeing the roads and landmarks I think I should be seeing and I have to get more directions to reach my destination. Poor leaders often don’t know how to get where they’re going or they simply don’t know how to communicate and lead others there. Sometimes, they don’t even know the destination themselves. This creates confusion for everyone.
- Lethargic
When I walk on the creaky stairs in my house several hundred times I eventually tune them out and forget they are even there. I never think to fix or improve them, because I’ve chosen to integrate them into my life as normal and acceptable. Similarly, when people are led by poor leaders for a long time they get familiar and comfortable with lower standards, less vision and ineffective ministry. It becomes their norm and they become blind to what could or should be instead.
- Limited
When I ask an amateur to teach me how to play golf, the best I can hope to attain is amateur golf skills. I will learn some of what I need to know to play the game, but I will also likely adopt habits & tactics that may always limit my chances for success. Likewise, people tend to only rise as high as those who are leading them.
Poor leadership is dangerous for everyone. Like rust on metal, it has a tendency to erode foundations. It creates false hopes that will eventually burst. What makes it even more dangerous is that we often become enablers by allowing poor leaders to continue as they are.
I’m not proposing you hit the eject button on the leaders in your organization who don’t measure up. That could present just a few problems. If you think you might fall into the category of ‘poor leader’ or someone else in your ministry falls into that category I suggest a few things to get you started:
- Prayer.
I am regularly dumbfounded by how God intervenes when we humble ourselves before Him. If what you are doing is from Him, then I believe He is interested in helping you find and build great leaders. - Cards on the Table.
Find the right people and expose the elephant in the room. Do this with compassion, humility, submission to your leaders (regardless of their ‘lids’) and faith that God is for you and everyone on that team. - Get Help.
We live in a day when help is often available to those who are willing to ask for it. Whether it be through hiring a ministry coach, finding a mentor, reading relevant material, etc. Tackling barriers is always better done with others than alone. - Make a Plan.
Every situation is different, which means there is no cookie cutter solution out there. Through prayer, honesty, help and some great planning I believe you and your team can and will discover what needs to happen next. Your strategy may be to provide mentoring and extra education to the weak leader or it may be to find a replacement. Whatever it is, having a Spirit-led plan will bring clarity and peace while you face the challenge.