Overcoming Insecurities in Leadership

Insecurity in leadership is quite common and so destructive. It reveals cracks in your foundation, even when you try to paint it over. Learn to identify the roots and signs of insecure leadership in your life. Through Jesus, you can overcome these insecurities and lead your teams with a new freedom and confidence. Read more...

A Case Study in Insecurity
* The Israelites were set free from their insecure position within Egypt.
* God conquered the Egyptians and parted the Red Sea. He provided manna and water. God gave them security.
* Yet, the Israelites forgot, complained and refused to believe that God would continue to be good.
* Their unbelief brought great insecurity to the nation.
* Walking in insecurity is a bold move of rebellion against God. If left unchecked, it will lead to destruction.

A Case Study in Insecure Leadership (Gideon)
* He immediately responds to God with doubt (second-guessing) - Judges 6:13
* Gideon makes an excuse of his own weakness - Judges 6:15
* He demands a sign from God - Judges 6:17
* He is delicate in his dealing with idolatry, because he fears man more than God - Judges 6:27
* Gideon demands more signs, or else he will not obey - Judges 6:36-40
* God reveals that it is his power alone that will save Israel - Judges 7:7
* Gideon deals harshly with the men that did not help him - Judges 8:16-17
* He rejects being leader of the people with false humility and religion - Judges 8:23-24
* Gideon quickly returns to idol worship and leads the Israelites against the God who saved them - Judges 8:27, 33-34.
* Gideon was called "Jerub-Baal" -- the one who contends with Baal. He did contend with Baal and lost!
* Insecurity is a self-focus, a self-protection. It is self-idolatry. 

Roots of Insecure Leadership
Pride
Unbelief (a choice to deny God's character)
Painful experiences (when you have been sinned against)
Fear (fear of failure, rejection, man)

How Insecurity Gets Revealed?
* Pressures of leadership
* Old securities are removed (family, affirmations, comforts of life)
* New leaders in our lives
* When people disagree with us
* New assignments of leadership are granted

Signs of Insecure Leadership
Pride - over-focus on self… how you sound, what you look like, how you come off. Lots of self-analysis.
Domination  - Seeking to control a person or situation
Harshness – another attempt at controlling people, rather than loving and serving them.
Legalism - Leads by rules, rather than relationship. Leading by relationship requires vulnerability and the threat of rejection.  An insecure leader can’t handle this. Tries to keep followers from failing, rather than inspiring them to succeed.
Double standard - Different rules for himself / distances himself from people. Leader is always to serve – never think he has the right not to serve
Defensiveness - Can’t receive correction – what they hear is rejection
Over-sensitivity (thinks they are being attacked or over-blowing offenses). He will regularly be hurting others. Never considers she may be responsible when things are going wrong. Finds scapegoats – they try to find a reason things are going wrong
Passivity - Indecision – afraid of making a wrong choice, afraid of rejection. Second-guessing – leads to inactivity / paralysis
Ex. The servant with one talent
Seeks attention and thrives off of it. - 
Competitive - Desperate for success. Often compares past & present successes and failures with others. Does not thrive off of other people succeeding or really being used by God in a powerful way. Example of Saul and his competitive spirit with David
Makes a lot out of position and title - Often dwells on this in the mind. Jealous when others “rise ahead” in position. Example: John & James wanting to sit at Jesus’ right and left-hand sides.
Need to be right!  The leader should always be right!
Very concerned about appearances - 1 Samuel 15:30 - Saul sins against God, and yet is still concerned about looking good in front of his people.
People-pleasing - 1 Kings 12 -- Rehoboam
Retreats in the face of confrontation. Therefore, condones sin (does not confront) in those he leads.

Results of Insecure Leadership
* Destruction. Faulty (insecure) foundation leads to a quickly crumbling house (Matt. 7:24-27)
* You end up leading people into idolatry. You won’t lead people past yourself to God.  You will just leave people with you, because insecurity is being focused on oneself.
* Opens the gate for the enemy to breed insecurity in your followers.

Rooting Out and Guarding Against Insecurity
Recognize insecurity as sin.
We must move away from seeing insecurity as an unfortunate weakness to a heinous sin.  It is pride!  Insecurity does not need coddling.  It needs to be destroyed (not the person, just the sin).

Humble yourself and confess pride
Recognize the choice to dwell in fear as unbelief in God's character. Repent of this.
The feeling of insecurity is normal. The choice to live in it is a choice against God.

Recognize where you might need ministry (prayer). Certain issues of insecurity come from places that the Father wants to heal in our lives. Call out for prayer / healing.

Spend more time in worship, dwelling on the character of God.  Insecurity is by definition a focus on self, so get your eyes on God in worship.

Security breeds security. Do no wait until you feel secure to act secure. Step out in faith, and a sense of security will follow. Otherwise, you will wait forever before acting.

Come under the yoke of Jesus and get secure.  You are insecure when you are pulling against the yoke – you are outside the security offered by Jesus. More submission brings greater security.
Greater boundaries brings greater security.
Psalm 119:9-16 - "How I love your boundaries!"

Run to your leader. Communicate with your leader. Draw close to your leader. Security flows.

Do not exalt yourself. Humble yourself. Let God exalt you. 1 Peter 5:6