FOLLOW THE LEADERthan “fight for the facts.” He will have the “search and destroy” mentality
of a military general – who must “win at any cost!” Authority is abused.
Rank is pulled. Higher position and superior power are called into play.
Stronger and stronger defensive postures are taken. A stalemate occurs. At
that point, either the person and problem are both destroyed – or they are
driven underground. A cold war sets in with constant outbreaks of guerilla
warfare. This kind of in-fighting can quickly destroy an organization or
a church. It is just as deadly for marriage as it is for ministry.
Principle:
“Passions always intensify problems. Th erefore,
principle must rule over passion in problem-solving.”In much problem-solving, emotions reign over reason...passion rules over
principle. We are basically emotional people rather than rational people, as we
saw in an earlier chapter on the passion of leadership. We must remember
that every person on earth tends to lead with his heart rather than lead
with his head. Nothing confirms this fact more quickly than the issue of
problem-solving! We first begin to “solve the problem” in the privacy of
our thoughts before we seek to deal with it publicly and organizationally.
The more we “mull over the problem” in our thoughts, the more our
emotions tend to become involved. The problem gets all wrapped up in
our feelings. We begin to mentally work out our “plan of attack.” We
rehearse it and nurse it. In the process, an “us” versus “them” dichotomy
develops. We justify and defend the “rightness” of our position – while
attacking the “wrongness” of their position. The problem is increasingly
thought of in terms of “right versus wrong,” and “win versus lose.”
When that thinking takes over – everyone is wrong, and everyone loses!
We increasingly secure our mental arguments with the passions of the
heart. All the while we are seeking the vulnerability of the “other side.”
When the time of confrontation comes, the issues have already been
“blown far out of proportion.” Perspectives are lost. Objectivity looses
out to subjectivity. Emotions quickly heat up the confrontation and
conversation. Feelings are hurt. Rather than attacking the problem, the people
are attacked! The real issues are seldom discussed and “the baby is thrown
out with the dirty wash water!” The person, or people, associated with the
problem are destroyed along with the problem. Because leadership is about