I am inherently change averse. I like familiarity. For over 55 years, banana cream pie has been my favourite desert. Our family has lived for 29 years in the only home we have ever owned. I’ve been married to the same woman for 40 years – that’s an OK aspect to have unchanged. 

If I can lead change, so can you.

At one time I believed being a pastor meant I was a leader. To me, pastor and leader were synonymous and interchangeable roles. Preaching, teaching, and chairing Board meetings equated to leading.  I thought of myself as a successful leader because people liked me.

I discovered that pastors are not leaders just because they are a pastor or the chairman of the Board. Leaders are leaders.

Just because you are at the front of a line or at the top of a flow chart doesn’t mean you are a leader — You have to lead something to be a leader.

The test of a leader is the ability to lead necessary change successfully.

Leading change was the first time I discovered that some people stopped liking me. My initial reaction was, “I must not be a good leader anymore”. Then it dawned on me that I was actually leading, and unfortunately the loss of favour with some people was a price to be paid. 

Having the praise of hundreds of people is not the measure of being a good leader. In fact, wanting or needing affirmation will lead to disaster; You can’t lead people if you need people.

Your most life-giving change will be when you choose leading people over needing people. You can lead that change when you make humble pie your new favourite desert.

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