“What???   Why didn’t we just have Lynch run it in?”

Famous and haunting screams echoed by Seahawk 12s everywhere.  If you missed how Superbowl XLIX ended, watch the 60 sec clip HERE.

Now, I’m  a true and committed Seattle Seahawk fan…born and raised in the great PNW.  I was so excited for the chance to have 2 consecutive Superbowls on record for Seattle.  In the moment, I’ll admit.  I was frustrated, mad, and genuinely disturbed.

BUT…I began to recover my sanity the next morning after hearing Pete Carroll’s explanation of what happened.  The original plan was to hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch.  Apparently, the Patriots’ defense lined up in such a way that Lynch would most likely have been stopped.

This really got me thinking.  There are huge leadership insights to be learned here.

1.  We’re not always going to agree with leadership | Look…not agreeing and not supporting are two completely different things.  I still think that short pass that resulted in a game-ending interception was a bad call.  But, I still respect Pete Carroll and support his judgement in that moment.  Churches aren’t much different.  We may not agree with our pastor or team leader all the time, but I’ll tell you this.  They need our support and prayers just the same.

2.  Leadership often sees things that we don’t | Now that I’ve been in ministry for over 20 years, I have experienced more and more situations where senior leadership made a decision that did not make a bit of sense to others in the church.  Often, there are things (details) going on in the background that everyone isn’t aware of.  These things play a big part of a leader’s decision process, and usually are experiences or pieces of information that the general church body would not benefit in knowing.

3.  Leaders are going to let us down from time to time (click to Tweet) | I can’t tell you how many leaders/mentors have disappointed me over the years.  In the past, I’ve allowed those disappointments to shape my attitude and leadership negatively.  I have learned the hard way, however, to simply expect people to let me down.  The key is to strive to learn something from the failure and pain which can grow us into a healthier leader ourselves.

4.  Forgiveness is a command…not an option | When leaders do make big mistakes and acknowledge that things didn’t end up how they thought they would, we’ve got to offer grace and move on.  Your leadership needs to know that you have their best interests (and the church’s) in mind.  This can actually encourage many leaders to be more open and less guarded with you in the future.

I’m not talking about unhealthy leaders here.  Obviously, those in leadership who are leading from unhealth need accountability and help.  This post is directed toward those leaders whose hearts, attitudes, and intensions are purely aimed at doing their best for the Church and in step with God’s will.

What has your experience been?  Are there any other lessons you would add to this list?  Comment below.

Photo credit: www4.pictures.zimbio.com & nypost.com