About Faith

Let’s talk for a minute about faith.

There are many times as a leader when you have nothing to go on but pure faith. You may call it other things: gut, instinct, or a feeling. But at some level you are relying on something obviously etheric but definitively real. Faith may be a little hard to define, but I love this definition: 

[it] is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 

I think that really sums up what faith is to me. You have something that you are hoping for, it is a world where you’ve achieved your vision. And you believe in it even though it doesn’t yet exist.

I think about everything that I’ve experienced in my life and as a leader, and I can’t help but feel like something is broken about the human condition. As I sit here in 2024, I’d say there’s been some moments over the past year, that have just taken me to my knees. I’m talking about getting hit so hard that I found myself weeping when no one was looking. Literally bent over holding my knees and begging God to keep me from having to face the next day. Unfortunately, you’re going to have those moments too along your journey. I wish it wasn’t true, but I’m telling you this so you can be prepared. My question is – where are you going to turn to in these moments?

I ask because it has been my experience that when things get rough, a lot of your support tends to disappear. In these moments, you’re going to have nothing but yourself and whatever form of faith you may rely on. That is a very real moment for a leader. When it gets down to those critical make or break moments, are you going to survive? Sometimes you realize that you’ve put your faith in the wrong things or people. You might be able to bounce back from a couple of hits, but the more disappointments you have, you might find yourself questioning whether faith is even worth it. 

Take five minutes and consider: What does faith mean to me? Is there something I believe in that I can’t always see with my eyes? Is there a hope that sustains me when all else fails?

You might not ever hear a lot of people talk about this, but a strong faith is essential to successful leadership. You must start by knowing your faith, and then just like any other discipline, you have to strengthen it. Faith is not strengthened by material gain and increasing levels of influence. Faith grows when you test what you believe about life against the harshest realities you will face along the journey. It’s a hard road to grow your faith, but when tested faith meets powerful leadership, you’ll be able to overcome almost anything.

Now Go Lead