When Michael Hyatt stepped down as Thomas Nelson’s CEO this week, he was asked, “Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to a new CEO?” His counsel is appropriate to all leaders, pastors included.
1. Your position is a role not your identity.2. Your position is temporary not permanent.
3. Your position is a privilege not a right.
4. Your position is about faithfulness not achievement.
5. Your position is about them not you.
6. Your position is about stewardship not ownership.
7. Your position will require more than you can provide on your own. Read Hyatt’s brief expositions of these points here: He concludes:
There’s one last thing I would say to new CEOs: take care of yourself. Make your spiritual, emotional, and physical health a priority. During your tenure, you will experience more stress than you can imagine. You need all the resources you can muster. You will be tempted to put yourself last. But if you die of a heart attack, burnout emotionally, or lose your faith in God, you will be of no use to anyone.