The Malnourished Leader

“Leaders are learners”.

(I think Andy Stanley said that… and probably several other great leaders.)

But the more complex our leadership gets, the less time we tend to carve out for learning.

I’m hanging out this week with some other Executive Pastors from influential churches across the country.  In just the first day, the conversations have been extraordinarily rich and challenging.  I’m learning from these leaders who are a few steps ahead of me and others that are leaps and bounds ahead of me.

To be honest, I’ve felt a little guilty for taking this time away.  Learning environments like this are so rejuvenating for me that they just feel wrong.  They feel like a luxury… but I have to remind myself that they are a necessity.

Not learning is malnutrition to your leadership.  It’s starvation of your gift.

You can not thrive as a leader without learning.

Do you ever wrestle with feeling guilty for enjoying the things that rejuvenate you?