Pride is subtle! Pride is dangerous! If there is anything that leaders need to watch out for, it is pride. If there is any dangerous position you don’t aspire to be in as a leader, it is that pride position. Pride ruins a leader’s assignment than any other thing you can ever think of. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Leaders don’t just fall out of leadership, the substance of fallen away of any leader is rooted in pride. So, based on the foregoing, I want to quickly share with us: The three pride to avoid at all cost as a leader in leadership.
Listen to Podcast: The 3 Pride Zones to Avoid at all Cost in Leadership as a Leader
#1. The Pride That You Are the Only One And No One Else!
There are a number of occasions in which a leader can be proud in the cause of leadership. For example, a leader can be proud when the organization is making progress in terms of their set objectives and goals. A leader can also be proud when a particular difficult task has been accomplished by himself and his team. In 2 Thessalonians 1:4, Paul said: “so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure…” Did we see that? Paul boasted of the effectiveness of the Thessalonians even in the face of tribulation.
But the kind of pride that a leader should never entertain is the pride that besides him, there is no one else. This is a dangerous corner to find oneself as a leader. There is this beautiful story I want to show us concerning this in 1 Kings 19:14-18. The Bible says:
“And Elijah said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” 15 Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
In this story, Elijah told the LORD God he is the only one remaining. The first thing God did to him was to announce his replacement from the position of leadership. And this is exactly what happens to a leader who thinks apart from him there is no other. The second thing God did was to tell him that He has in reserve 7000 other replacement who haven’t compromised on their leadership. Did we see that? God cannot be held to a ransom. If he has appointed you a leader over a system, you had better serve his will and purpose while you can and don’t allow yourself to get into that pride zone of God cannot use another person other than you. It would shock you to know that God has got plenty replacement. Be careful.
#2. The Pride of Achievement!
Now, achievement is good. But if one is not careful as a leader, achievement can make one enter into that pride zone unconsciously. And there is something that God does to those who are proud. The Bible says “God resists them.” There is a story that would help us see how God resists the proud in a clearer term. In the book of Daniel 4:28-33, the Bible says:
“All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months, he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” 31 While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!” 32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”
From this story, we could deduce that King Nebuchadnezzar had achieved so much that pushed him into that pride zone. He saw the works of his hands and he began to praise himself. The thought that God had been the source of his achievements never crossed his mind at all, he gave all the glory and praise to himself alone. And because of that, God decided to resist him. He became a beast when God was done resisting him. In verse 33, the Bible says: “That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.”
At the end of the day, Nebuchadnezzar got his throne back after he was humbled by God. Some leaders may not be that lucky though to get their leadership position back after God humbled them. For example, the rich fool in Luke 12 was not so fortunate to return to his leadership. The Bible says:
“Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’”
Did you see that? That is why as a leader you shouldn’t entertain pride because you may not be that lucky to get your leadership back after God is done resisting you.
#3. The Pride of Praise!
As a leader, be careful when everyone praises you! The reason is because praise, if not maturely handled in leadership, it can make a leader to enter into that pride zone. There is an example of this that I want to show us in the book of Acts 12:20-23. The Bible says:
“Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country. 21 So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. 22 And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.”
Herod spoke and the people loved his speech. Now, there is nothing wrong actually in people applauding the way you speak as a leader or people falling in love with your oratory prowess. But the moment you start to allow those praises to enter into your head, thereby arrogating to yourself a status that is not yours, then you are dragging yourself to the mud already as a leader. Kindly avoid at all cost the kind of praises that would bring your leadership assignment to an abrupt end as a leader. If you find it very hard to handle the praise of men, why not return the praise to God almighty who has given you the privilege to be a leader? I think this might just be the wise thing to do as a leader in such situations.
In summary, these three pride you must avoid at all cost in your leadership. Number one: The Pride That You Are the Only One And No One Else! If you think God cannot find any replacement for you in that leadership assignment, you are simply joking. God can find a replacement before you even finish thinking about it. Number two: The Pride of Achievement! Don’t let your achievements in leadership enter into your head. The moment you allow this, it is enough reason to bring your leadership to an end. Number three: The Pride of Praise! Never be tempted to arrogate the praise that belongs to God in your leadership to yourself. This also can bring your leadership assignment into an abrupt end.
I believe you have learnt something!
This is where we are going to draw the curtains on this week’s edition of Leaderview. Please don’t forget to share this podcast with your friends and people within your influence, and also, you can drop your comments in the comment section so that you and I can interact on the things you have learnt. Till next time on Leaderview, stay blessed and God bless you.
[Centre for New Dimension Leadership]
