Contradictions and Confidence

Photo Credit: Matthew Lancaster, public domain

         In studying leadership, I have discovered some interesting contradictions. One is how leaders are identified. According to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, confidence is often confused with competence. Overly confident people (typically men) get promoted to managerial positions because they are productive, but Charmorro-Premuzic also points out that productivity is not the same as leadership potential.

Another contradiction is how leaders lead. According to Amy Edmondson, fear-driven command-and-control leadership strategies offer the illusion of effectiveness but ultimately do not produce the best outcomes. She uses examples like Wells Fargo and Volkswagen as cautionary tales of what happens when fear, fostered by a command-and-control mindset, defines a business or corporation.  

In some ways, I wonder if one leads to the other. Over-confident men promoted due to their ability to produce become overly dependent on a management style that is inherently ineffective but very convenient.

Modern management strategies, that have created workplace environments defined by stress, insecurity, and intrigue stand in stark contrast leadership in the early Church. Reading in Acts 15 about the debate over Gentiles in the Church, Peter’s leadership caught my eye.  

Pharisees who had become believers felt like Gentiles needed to be circumcised to be welcomed into the Body of Christ. After much discussion and debate, Peter stood up to speak. After he spoke, the crowd fell silent and listened.

This strikes me for a few reasons. First, Peter spoke. And when he spoke, everybody listened. He didn’t need to exert his authority. He didn’t need to claim his title as an apostle or someone who walked with Jesus. He simply stood in his identity.

 Peter also spoke on behalf of someone else; he wasn’t advancing his own agenda. He was leveraging his influence for the benefit of someone else’s need. Finally, Peter was completely confident in his platform. He did not need anyone’s approval nor did he wait for anyone’s permission.

Maybe because of what God is doing in my life in relation to confidence and leadership, Peter’s confidence stands out. It is especially noteworthy to see Peter’s confidence at that point in light of where he was at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Having denied Christ immediately before the crucifixion and gone back to fishing after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter had reasons to lack confidence. He could have allowed himself to be defined by his worst mistakes and weakest moments. But he did not. He figured out how to move forward from his failures to embrace his calling to lead the early Church.

Peter’s story is a beautiful testimony to the transformational power of the Holy Spirit. It is also a powerful example of what happens when someone understands where their value comes from. It changes everything.

Like I said, maybe the reason this caught my attention is because of what God is doing in my life. While my mistakes are not exactly the same as Peter’s, I have allowed myself to be defined by failures and weaknesses. As a result, my confidence has been undermined. Lacking confidence, I have not been recognized as having leadership potential, further undermining my confidence; a vicious and destructive cycle.

As I begin to understand who I really am in Christ, it is infusing confidence and giving me freedom to move forward without waiting for permission or getting approval. The craziest part is, as I gain confidence, my entire experience is changing. Other people are engaging with me differently, too. Like Peter, my story is a beautiful testimony to the transformational power of the Holy Spirit.