Leaders, Who’s in Charge?

Leader, who’s in charge?

During the six years I lived in Minnesota, USA, I had the opportunity to attend a leadership conference in Illinois. A snowstorm was expected on the day I traveled, and I decided to fly because of the icy roads. My flight was from Minneapolis to Springfield, with a stop at O'Hare Airport in Chicago. We boarded after a short delay, and I had fallen asleep before the plane even took off. After some time—I had no idea how long—I felt the plane land. Then, with my eyes still heavy, I heard, "Welcome to Chicago!" That couldn’t be right! Immediately, the pilot began to explain what had happened. Long story short, the plane had a mechanical issue, and we had to return to O'Hare.

When people started complaining about the decision, the first thing that came to mind was: do these people know so much about airplanes that they can question the pilot’s decision?

At times, we leaders act like those people. We love making decisions and being in control. We hear that leadership is about making decisions. However, as we make decisions, we also need to keep perspective on our position and our environment. Because of our need for control and the speed with which we make decisions, we often lose sight of the Creator and the world we live in today. We frequently forget that He is the One who created us and the only One who can truly know what is best for us.

My first thought about those people on the plane was that they were very arrogant. It’s unbelievable—how can you judge a pilot’s decision like that? The pilot knows what’s best for us, even when we can’t understand or accept the reasons. Leaders, let’s learn who’s in charge by placing our trust and dependence in the One who holds the highest position and knows every detail of the world around us. He has what it takes to help you make the right decisions in your leadership. Trust Him and depend on Him!