Why Leadership Is So Hard

I have always been a people person. For as long as I can remember, I have loved being with people, caring for them, and walking alongside fo them. That has not changed.

What has changed was the seat I sit in.

When I became President of a University, I found myself making decisions that affect people, and they see things one way and do not understand why this new guy had to make the decisions he was making. Often people see only a small part of a decision: the pieces that touch them, not the full picture behind it. And yet the hurt they feel is real. I do not take that lightly. Those decisions have caused me real hurt and pain too.

But as President, I am called to make decisions for the good of the whole, even when they are costly for some and even when I cannot explain every reason. I do not think anyone fully understands that weight until they have carried it.

Leading is hard. Leading is lonely. Leading is painful.

Over the last three years, I have felt that pain, and I have seen it in others. I have not gotten everything right. I have made mistakes, and I carry those too.

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deut 3:18).

Moses spoke those words to Joshua as he stepped into leadership. What strikes me is what God did not promise. He did not promise Joshua that the road would be easy, that everyone would understand him, or that he would never get it wrong. He promised His presence: ahead of him, beside him, and staying with him. That was enough for Joshua, and it is enough for me.

God has called me to do hard things, and He has not asked me to do them alone. That does not make the hard things easy, but it makes them bearable.

Today, I am reminded again that God knows. God sees. God is close.