Who Will Your Decision Impact

One of the mistakes new leaders can make is assuming they have the inside track on all the knowledge of their position. It is easy, especially when you are inexperienced and full of energy, to convinced yourself that you know all there is to know about leading people.

I used to be such a leader. My first real leadership gig was heading up the Sunday School program at the church we attended at the time. I was into reading all the books on how to grow ministries and leading people.

I had a lot of head knowledge. But, I lacked any real-world experience.

One of the first lessons I learned was that a leader needs to be careful to include in the decision making process, the very people his decision will impact.

I made the mistake of announcing changes to the program without first consulting the teachers it would impact. The ideas fell flat, partly because the teachers and their classes weren't ready for them, and also because no one likes to be blind-sided with big changes.

To do it over again, I would have first sat down with all my class leaders and asked for ideas and discussion on how to improve and expand the program. Allowing their input would have brought probably success to the changes that needed to be made.

So, if you are new in leadership, be sure to include those people your decisions are going to impact most.