The foundation of good leadership is security. Paul told Timothy, ‘God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment.’ You must know with certainty that God called you, equipped you, and guaranteed your ultimate success. And you must keep this in mind when people stop liking you, when funding drops, when morale dips, and others reject you. If you feel insecure, fear will eventually cause you to sabotage your own leadership.

Confident leaders see what is, while maintaining their vision of what can be. They’re rarely content with things the way they are. As President Ronald Reagan once joked, ‘Status quo… is Latin for “the mess we’re in”!’ By definition, ‘to lead’ is to be out in front, breaking new ground, vanquishing new worlds, and proceeding away from the status quo. Dissatisfaction with the status quo doesn’t mean having a bad attitude or complaining; it has to do with a readiness to be different and to take risks. A person who won’t risk change is someone who fails to grow. A leader who loves the status quo is someone who soon turns into a follower.

Raymond Smith of Bell Atlantic Corporation once remarked, ‘Administrators are easy to find and cheap to keep. Leaders—risk takers—are in very short supply. And the ones with vision are pure gold.’ Many people are more comfortable dealing with old troubles than doing what it takes to find new solutions; risk seems dangerous to them. The secret lies in having a winning attitude—one that comes from being secure in who you are and what you have been called to do. Think about it!