LEADERS ARE PROBLEM-SOLVERSpeople, we must do everything possible to salvage the person while solving
the problem!
Principle:
“Eff ective leadership seeks to salvage the person while
solving the problem.”When you study the life of the Lord Jesus, you see that the majority
of His time was also focused on people-problem-solving. He did not have
problems with inanimate objects...with nature...or with animals. The
physical realm and the world of nature are locked into obedience through
natural law and animal instincts. It is only man and his rebellious free will
that is the problem! Therefore, Christ’s only problem was with people
- or with the evil spirits who sometimes inhabit and possess people.
Everywhere Christ went He was solving people problems – whether they
were of the spirit, soul or body. When He was not dealing with the myriad
of problems represented by the masses of people who were drawn to
Him, He was trying to solve the interpersonal problems between His
disciples. Ultimately, His death was to solve the greatest human problem
of all – sin.
Problem-solving and conflict resolution are two of the greatest challenges
of leadership. There are many personality types who do not like to face
problems. They do not like to deal with conflict. Unfortunately, many
leaders fall into this category. I have often heard Christian leaders say:
“I just don’t like dealing with conflict.” As a result of that attitude, they
either ignore the problem – or run away from it. All the while, it only
worsens. If the person at the top will not deal with the problem, someone
else around them will have to “face the music” of the problem that the
leader refuses to face. In his book, The Other Side of Leadership, Eugene
Habecker, writes:
Confrontation is one of the least glamorous and most difficult
facets of leadership. It is, however, one of leadership’s most
necessary and important responsibilities. Failure to confront
produces negative results for both persons and the organization. Only
as the art of confrontation is carried out under the divine leadership
of the Holy Spirit will the kind of personal and organizational results
desired by leaders be accomplished.^5