4 Tips to Staying the Course Amid Sabotage
“Canoeing the Mountains”, in any organization (whether it be a business, church, family, etc.) will always have obstacles. One of the major obstacles that we often overlook in leadership until it is front and center is sabotage. The definition of sabotage is mainly to deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct something. We’ve all seen spy movies or superhero movies that make it alarmingly clear when someone is trying to interfere with someone else’s plans, and usually in a covert or sneaky kind of way. Think “Mission Impossible”...
But often in real life, sabotage is defensive rather than deliberate. Plans and even great intentions are often foiled by one major culprit - fear. Ed Friedman said it this way:
“In any type of institution whatsoever, when a self-directed, imaginative, energetic, or creative member is being consistently frustrated and sabotaged rather than encouraged and supported, what will turn out to be true one hundred percent of the time, regardless of whether the disrupters are supervisors, subordinates, or peers, is that the person at the very top of that institution is a peace-monger.”
What is a “peace-monger”, you ask? A peace-monger is a “leader whose own high degree of anxiety leads him to prefer harmony to health, to appease complainers just to quiet them, but who will not actually demand that they take responsibility for their own part in the organizational problem”. Thus, progress forward is sabotaged.
So, how do we handle sabotage, whether intentional or unintentional? Tod Bolsinger encourages us to stay the course, and to respond to sabotage wisely and calmly; by responding rather than reacting. How do we do that? Bolsinger gives us 4 tips:
Expect sabotage.
Sabotage is bound to happen. Bolsinger says “Saboteurs are usually doing nothing but unconsciously supporting the status quo. They are protecting the system and keeping it in place”. Being aware of it and not being shocked when it appears will help us to handle and process it well. “Remember, all change, even necessary change, brings loss. Loss heightens anxiety, and anxiety can lead people to do things that even hours before they wouldn’t have considered. Expecting sabotage enables us to stay calm when it comes.” Being open and honest about fears and obstacles and working to replace those with curiosity and inspiration will help to move forward instead of backward.Embrace sabotage as a normal part of an organizational life.
Sabotage is normal. Every system has a “normal”, and when that is upset, the system’s nature is to try to revert to what it knows. Bolsinger writes “The art of leadership is helping the system override the instinct to self-preservation and replace it with a new organizational instinct to be curious about and open to the terrifying discomfort of asking, Could God be up to something here?”Don’t take it personally.
When sabotage happens, it’s usually not the person that the saboteur is against, but the change itself and the leader that represents that change. If we can separate ourselves from the personal level, it is much easier to stay calm, and to react wisely instead of emotionally.Focus your attention on the emotionally strong, not the saboteurs.
As leaders, it is easy to let the loudest voices win. Unfortunately, the loudest voices are often the saboteurs. A much better strategy for the health and future of our organization is to focus on and invest in those who are staying calm, embracing the vision and the need for change with you and moving forward instead of backward. Those partners will be the help, encouragement and inspiration to you when you need it the most.
So, my friends, while our progress forward will typically look slightly less exciting than Tom Cruise’s missions, our progress as Christian leaders has ETERNAL value that surpasses any other mission out there! Stay the course!
#FindAWayFriday
Check out The Jon Peacock Podcast on Google Podcasts, itunes or Spotify! Subscribe, share and review today!
THE JON PEACOCK PODCAST - Google Podcasts
THE JON PEACOCK PODCAST - itunes
THE JON PEACOCK PODCAST - Spotify
Find encouraging blog posts, resources and more at jonpeacock.com!