31 Ways to Grow Your Leadership – #7

The Challenge

Most leaders who fail don’t come up short because of a lack of skill – they fail because of a lack of focus.
It’s not always the big, obvious temptations that trip us up. Those are the potential pitfalls we watch out for and try to guard against, as we should. But more often, it’s the subtle distractions – the shortcuts, the compromises, the things that seem harmless at first but slowly pull us off course – that line the road to leadership demise.

Every leader faces a choice: stay focused on the mission or get sidetracked by the moment.

The Solution

📖 Proverbs 7:25 (NLT):
“Don’t let your heart stray away toward her. Don’t wander down her wayward path.”

Process It

In Proverbs 7, Solomon paints a sobering picture: a young man who drifts into temptation because he wasn’t paying attention. The warning isn’t just about immorality, it’s about distraction.

Notice the verbs: “stray” and “wander.” Those aren’t sudden collapses. They’re slow drifts toward temptation, into destruction. That’s how leaders lose influence – one small compromise at a time.

The principle is simple: What you give your heart to shapes the path your feet take. If your heart gets distracted, your leadership eventually will, too.

Apply It

Here’s how to protect your focus and resist distraction in four life areas:

• At School:
  Identify one distraction (friends, phone, procrastination) that keeps you from learning well. Set a boundary this week to protect your focus from whoever or whatever you identified.
• At Home:
  Choose one evening to put your devices away and give your family your full attention. Show them they matter more than your notifications.
• At Work:
  Before you chase a new project or opportunity, ask: Does this align with my role and our mission? Say no to what distracts from the main thing.
• At Church:
  Serve with consistency. Don’t jump in and out of teams or roles based on mood – commit and stay faithful.

BOTTOM LINE

Leaders who fail don’t usually crash – they drift. Stay focused. Stay faithful.