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First Steps for a Leader to Prevent a Fall
Brian Kreeger • September 8, 2022
A quote from my previous blog article:
“I submit to you that most executives -no, let’s make this personal- most of you, in the deepest part of who you are, can identify potential temptations in your life that can lead to a disastrous fall.
I remind you, ‘Great sins are often the product of many little decisions and are driven by internal rebellions that are finally offered opportunity.’ As is human nature, you think you have it under control.
Little may you know that there is a catalyst that just might come along to activate that disastrous temptation and take it beyond your control.”
(This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at
briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book,
The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.)
After a thorough self-examination you have recognized that, yes, you are aware of potential temptations that could bring you down. Those temptations have been hanging around inside you and can be labeled “internal rebellions waiting for opportunity.”
Sure, you have kept them under control and have not acted on them, but what happens when that one opportunity comes along, triggering an avalanche in your life?
So now what? While I do believe there is a role to be played by those around a leader in preventing a fall, these next two blog articles will provide a starting point for the leader.
Let’s start by looking at 5 early indicators of a potential Christian nonprofit leadership fall (this full report can be found on my website,
briankreeger.com):
- Shift In/Reorganization of Priorities- You made it to the level you are because you most likely built a solid foundation. That foundation had specific priorities, typically with spiritual and family matters at the top. Many times, as a leader rises to the top, those priorities begin to shift, and the foundation begins to crumble.
2. Loss of Personal Identity- The foundation I wrote of above usually forms a chunk of the identity of a leader. The rest comes from
life experiences, education, upbringing, etc. A leader who forgets their true identity in favor of the inaccurate portrait they or the community may have painted of them is asking for trouble in their lives and the lives of those closest to them, including the
organization. Many times a leader’s personal identity is too intertwined with that of the organization.
3. Credit Absorption- In the leader’s mind, the credit for the success of a ministry can shift to the leader instead of the God who made it all happen, and the people God used. Honestly, it is human nature, a part of human nature that must be fought off like any other sinful practice. The ownership of the ministry shifts from a ministry that is God’s with the leader working in it, to the leader’s
ownership with God helping when needed.
4. Listening Deficit- In the beginning, most leaders are humble in their approach and absorb everything said. Many times, after the first few years, the leader’s focus can tip toward advancement, toward bigger and better things, and leaders do not listen as much. They push to drive forward, and when people can’t keep up, or wisely won’t come along, the leader stops listening.
5. Adrenaline Addiction- As a leader, especially as a founder, it’s hard to match the satisfaction you experience when you see the excitement in someone’s eyes as you share with them a new life-impacting program or piece of equipment that signifies the organization’s growth. Unfortunately, many leaders find this is best done by always being able to introduce the next big thing for their organization in order to keep people’s attention. That energy of the new becomes addicting.
Why did I start
with listing these early indicators? Because most of you can relate to one, or a couple, of these indicators…and I wanted to get your attention.
I also started this way because these early indicators are very common, leave a leader lonely, isolated, and hollow, forming the number one reason for a leadership fall.
Remember, these are indicators and don’t guarantee a fall. Only you know how serious these indicators are in your life.
No matter what you do at this point it is always better to take someone into the battle with you. You have blind spots. You are your number one fan, and can justify just about anything.
The first thing to do is to sit down and write out what has gotten you to the level you are right now.
What are your foundations? Where have you gleaned support? Spiritually, what are those instruments of growth God used in your life (bible studies, relationships, struggles, church attendance, etc.)? Maybe you even want to write out who you desire to be: to your family, to your organization, to your community.
You didn’t just show up one day ready to be a leader. You went through a process that built and strengthened those foundations.
Now, examine if there have been any shifts in those relationships, priorities, your personal identity. Dig deep. This is where another person will come in handy.
Too many times leaders believe they no longer need those things that got them where they find themselves in their leadership role. Most don't do it consciously, it just happens in the hustle bustle of their life. Sometimes it is time for a reset.
In my life, just before my fall, I relegated God to the corner, where I would call Him when needed, instead of Him being the source of all, the one I was solely dependent upon.
And then there is family. They helped you build your foundation, didn’t they? Too many times family becomes a blur in the peripheral vision of a leader whose primary focus has become the success of the organization they lead.
Listen! Ask the people around you about these things. Remember, these things are probably obvious to them.
Be humble! Don’t allow their thoughts to become speed bumps in your life. When you listen to what people say, blow it off, and keep moving….that’s a speed bump. Run too fast over speed bumps and damage is bound to occur.
All of this takes great courage.
Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School professor and leadership expert says, “When you fail at something, the best thing to do is think back to your successes, and try to replicate whatever you did to make them happen.” This definitely applies to the identification of changes that took place in your foundations that have caused them to start to crumble.
It is so important to write these things down in a journal, or even give them to a trusted friend so you have them to look back on someday when you are struggling. It just might be this exercise that snaps you back into place.
Be Courageous!
Be Proactive!
Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at
briankreeger.com. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My Story) of my book,
The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.
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Executives -pastors or nonprofit executives in our context- are put on a pedestal. It’s not that the typical person necessarily believes they belong there or desires to put them there. But it is human nature that this happens. The general public often places much higher expectations on leaders than they do on themselves. Sometimes it is appropriate, and the leader has put themselves in that position. In some cases, it is simply scriptural. For instance, James 3 points out that those who teach will be judged more strictly, thereby heightening the expectations of those who lead and teach. But what about when we accept, and enact, those elevated expectations and forget the humanity of our leaders? Often a community heaps on a leader the expectation that they are to perform with the perfection of Jesus and not simply be a Jesus follower and disciple just like them, but with a unique calling and heightened responsibility. Too many times when a leader shows human imperfection, the respect we have for them is damaged. Leaders fall under strict judgment, and we forget they are no less fallible than us. The imperfection they have colors any positive experience we would have had with them otherwise. While most of us acknowledge this strict, hypocritical judgment and recognize it as not being how we want to treat our leaders, it is a difficult battle to fight in our own attitudes and minds. No matter who the leader is, they are not Jesus. But please allow me to reverently make some comparisons. (This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders. )
You are the community, no matter what formal role you play in a particular organization, or if you play any role at all. My blog articles typically focus on the roles the leader and the board have in preventing the fall of Christian nonprofit leaders. But I contend that the community that exists around organizational leaders and boards has a role as well. In fact, a community’s role can many times be much bigger. My next few blog articles will focus on the role of the community in preventing the fall of Christian nonprofit leaders. (This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders. )
