5 Common Mistakes Young Leaders Make
In my experience as a still relatively young leader, there are (unsurprisingly) many mistakes young leaders make. While the list of potential mistakes could be rather long, in this post I share five big ones that I have seen many young leaders make
Not that I would have any personal experience with any of these of course :).
1. Not honoring the way things used to be done
Oftentimes, there is good and necessary change that needs to happen in any organization if it wants to stay healthy. I would even argue a lack of a willingness to change and try new things is one of the leading causes of "death" for churches and businesses.
However, there is a danger for young leaders to dismiss the very real and impactful ways in which things used to be done.
For me in a ministry context, many examples of things that have changed over the last few decades come to mind. Worship style, Sunday school, going to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night, and I could go on.
And while things at New City Church look different than how many churches did things 40 years ago, it doesn't mean how we do things is better. It's simply different because our context is different.
When we change things without realizing that some of the things we no longer do were really impactful for many people, we can unintentionally communicate that people need to get with the program and stop complaining if they want the Church to reach more people.
Instead, we should honor the way things were done in the past by understanding the impact they likely had on others, explain why things are changing, and give people time to and space to ask questions as they work towards the future.
2. Avoiding difficult conversations
Difficult conversations are hard. Whether it is a coworker or employee who isn't doing their job, confronting someone about an issue that you have noticed, having to explain a decision that was made to someone who you know isn't going to like it, etc. By definition difficult conversations are difficult.
What makes them harder is when you haven't had to have very many (or any) in the past. You don't know what to expect. Because of your lack of experience, you don't know the best way to go about doing it. Or just not knowing how the conversation will go can be nerve-wracking.
So what do you do? The preferred option is to avoid it all together. Of course, it will lead to even more problems going forward. But for now, you don't have to do something you're really nervous about doing.
This is never a good idea. So don't do it.
The good news is that hard conversations more often than not end up doing a lot of good. People are able to be honest about what is going on, needed conversations can be had, and respect is often earned.
So have the hard conversation. It's hard, but so worth it.
3. Impatience
I've been, and probably still am, a big offender of this. In my desire to execute on any new idea, I have often charged forward without giving it all the necessary thought and planning it needs to be truly successful.
Typically, the younger you are the more eager you are to change the world. That's not a bad thing. But it can lead to moving on things too quickly.
Patience can actually help things be more successful and healthy over the long-term instead of flaming out too quickly.
Like having difficult conversations, patience comes with experience. But the sooner you can learn it, the better things will be.
4. Allowing their insecurities to hold them back
Like impatience, this was a big one for me. When we planted New City Church a little over two years ago, I was 26 years old with relatively little experience. However, it wasn't my inexperience that was the biggest issue for me, it was my insecurity.
What if people asked me questions I didn't know the answer to? What if someone older than me disagreed with what I was doing and thought New City should do something else? What if I made a bad decision?
My insecurities as a leader really prohibited me for being the leader I could have been in the beginning. As I talk to other young leaders, I have found this to be a big issue for them as well.
The solution? Not to act like you have it all together or that you have it all figured out. No one will be fooled by that. Instead, have courage. Understand that you will get it wrong sometimes, but don't be afraid to try, make decisions, and fail.
In the end, no one has it all figured out anyway, so don't let your insecurities keep you from being the leader you were created to be.
5. Comparing their beginning to someone else's highlight reel
It's really easy to look at the people you admire in your related field be feel discouraged by all they have done and accomplished compared to you. The problem, however, is that we are comparing apples and oranges.
First, we don't know all the internal struggles and doubts those we admire wrestle with. We only see them from a distance, so it is easy for us to wrongly think they don't have struggles of their own.
Second, they didn't start there. It's kind of like moving out of your parents house for the first time and wanting everything they have (a house, better paying job, more vacation time, etc.). But those things didn't magically appear for them either. It took time and effort for them to get where they are.
So while it is great to have people to look up to and aspire to be like, don't forget that they were once where you were.
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