Last week I finished up a series about the four main dichotomies of motivation.
- Authority vs. Relationships
- Obedience vs. Autonomy
- Your Agenda vs. Their Agenda
- Shame vs. Buy-in
To be honest, for a topic like motivation I hear leaders struggle with the most, my series seemed to fall flat with little interest.
That was probably related to my delivery, so I’ll keep trying.
Apart from the series, I noticed a passionate discussion in the Leading Saints community that caused me to consider a different angle of motivation — that is when you are not the leader trying to motivate, but the subordinate the leader is trying to motivate.
What if you need RELATIONSHIP but your leader offers AUTHORITY?
What if you need AUTONOMY but your leader pressures OBEDIENCE?
What if you need YOUR AGENDA considered, but your leader forces THEIR AGENDA?
What if you need an opportunity for BUY-IN, but your leader SHAMES you?
In short, what if the leader is leading from a place of tyranny and not partnership?
This is where our leadership culture gets tricky.
Yes, we have been asked to be obedient, but we have also covenanted to give our “time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed us to building up Jesus Christ’s Church on the earth.”
For example, what if you’re a Primary president who wants to go one way, but your bishop wants to go another way?
Or, what if you’re a [insert lower calling] who wants to go one way, but your [insert higher calling] wants to go another way?
This isn’t as simple as assuming the Lord’s will is more in line with the will of whoever is higher in authority.
It’s also not as simple as assuming God has an opinion one way or the other.
(I call this the Chalkboard in Heaven Fallacy.)
When these motivation conflicts arise, our cultural pressures have taught us to go passive, step back, disengage, and go with the flow.
My invitation to you is instead to lean in, stand up, have the tough conversation, and engage on a higher level.
Easier said than done, right?
This requires leadership skill sets.
This is why Leading Saints exists.
If we are students of leadership, we will be more prepared and have the confidence for these interactions.
This is why leadership is not a title that gives you authority to dictate vision.
Leadership is an identity where you learn how to lead those who are your leaders; not to get your way, but to build Jesus Christ’s Church on the earth.
Sincerely,
Kurt Francom
Executive Director
Leading Saints
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