I’ve been a pastor, custodian, office secretary, youth director, worship leader, and chairman of the board—all at the same time! As a seventeen-year-old pastor of a small church, I was the entire staff—the Lone Ranger. I look back with a chuckle now, but it wasn’t that much fun at the time; it was tiring and frustrating. I guess you could say I was suffering from “Lone Rangeritis.”
Great discovery
Later, I would become an assistant pastor to John C. Maxwell, and learn much about the value of working in and with an administrative team. I learned that a solo mentality reduces effectiveness. I learned that the counsel of others directly affects reaching the goal. I learned that every leader has a web of wisdom that can be tapped and trained to help the rest of the team.
And that experience has not only shaped my own leadership, it has given me a passion to help other leaders.
Serious questions
Are you suffering from “Lone Rangeritis?” Are you trying to do the work of many all by yourself? Do you have others that could help but you still insist on flying solo? You and I both know the dangers of that philosophy.
Every leader must remember that there are potential “staff members” in their organization. People are already on-site who have graduated from the school of experience. And those same people may be part of the cure to help you overcome “Lone Rangeritis.”
Working it out
What are you doing now that could be done by another person in your network? Look around. Who in your organization has a natural ability that could be fine-tuned to work on your project or program?
What attitude would you need to change about yourself or your work ethic to delegate that responsibility to another? Get tough with yourself. Begin now.
What sacrifice of time and energy would you need to make to provide training and follow-up? Is an hour of instruction too costly for a year’s work of help in return?
What resource would you need to provide to equip that person? Not all resources have a price tag. Some might be in your media files or on a bookshelf in your office.
Is it worth it? Take it from someone who was cured of “Lone Rangeritis”; it’s worth it!
– Stan Toler
