Decision Making, pt3
Leadership in Context with Keith Tucci
Episode 046
As a leader, it is necessary to understand the critical nature of decision making. Decision makers are not people marked by certain personality types. Decision making is about character.
In Matthew 25, Jesus gives one man 5 talents, one man 2 talents, and one man 1 talent. The man with 5 talents invested them and got a 100% return. The man with 2 talents got a 100% return. It is interesting that the Lord doesn’t make any excuse or apology for someone getting 2 talents or 1 talent and another getting 5. The issue isn’t on how many talents we have; the issue is what we do with them. Then Jesus came to the third man…
Matthew 25:24
And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.’
The third man’s excuse for burying his talent in the ground is that he was afraid of the Master. This is the wrong perception of the Lord. If you have the perception that God is hard, that He is looking to catch you in a mistake, that God is not redemptive, you will be paralyzed. Jesus is a redeemer looking for a place to happen. In this story, it isn’t about woeful sin; it is about poor stewardship of a gift or talent that has been given.
Here are a few things to remember when making decisions:
God is a Redeemer
You should not be afraid when making a decision. When you make a decision, you are making an investment; you are stewarding the time, talent, and treasure that has been entrusted to you.
No Obligation to be Right
If you interview people you admire as great leaders, you might find that they have been wrong many times. You do not have to be right all the time. Acts is full of examples of Paul making decisions, many of which probably were not the right decisions. You will be wrong some of the time. We need to take Jesus very seriously, but ourselves not so much.
No Expectation to be Right
Many leaders believe that people have an expectation of them to make nothing but right decisions. I believe this is a wrong preconception. I believe that the people we are leading do notexpect that we would never be wrong. If we believe that they think we are never wrong, then we are wrong to think that. The people we are leading are much more able to identify with us and follow us when we acknowledge when we make a wrong decision. People will identify with us if we are humble through the process.
Wrong vs. Bad Decisions
Not all wrong decisions are bad decisions. A bad decision is when information is available, but you do not exercise due diligence before making that decision. A wrong decision is when you are trying to do the right thing, you chart a course, something happens that was unforeseen, and it turns out to be the wrong decision. That doesn’t make you wrong. That makes you a faithful navigator on the seas of life and decision making.
Hear from God
We cannot attach a “thus says the Lord” to every decision. Do not take the Lord’s name in vain. There are times when we do clearly hear a direct mandate from the Lord and we speak that. But that is not an equity check that you cash every day. It is better to communicate that you have sought counsel, the experts, that you have prayed, that you believe this is the best decision, and that you are going to chart this course together with your team. This type of reality leadership stirs people to want to be involved and follow.
If we walk humbly before the Lord, God will enable us to escape from our defeats and triumph in our victories in decision making.
Join us next week as Keith Tucci continues to put leadership truth in the context of the local church. And as always, please like, share, rate/review, and invite others to listen. See you next week!
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