As a former megachurch pastor and president of two major Christian universities as well as founder of Global Servants, Mark Rutland has dealt with a lot of adversity in his career as a kingdom leader.
But the key to thriving in ministry—and in life—Rutland says, is not wallowing in your misfortune, whatever it may be, but rising above any type of crisis when it comes along. In other words, deal with the situation head-on, because God will give the strength to overcome it.
It’s great advice for everyone—especially leaders—considering what’s going on in the world right now. And it’s part of what Rutland teaches in his new podcast, The Leader’s Notebook.
“You can’t become crisis obsessed or crisis addicted,” Rutland told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “As soon as you begin to get on top of the crisis, you have to say to your people, your team and to yourself, ‘We’re going to get out of this. We’re on top of it, and we’re going to get victory over it. We’re getting back our vision.’
“You may be the president of a company, and suddenly there are major changes in your industry. Something happens, and you have to redesign a product or something of that nature. You have to do that. If you ignore it, it can destroy your strategic plan. But remember, your vision is not streamlining new products, it’s getting on with the job. The new product is a crisis response.
“So we’re coming out of this virus, and business is trying to return to whatever form of normality it can find. How do you effectively pick up the reins and make the horse plow? I make a major distinction between strategy and tactics. Strategy is your long-term set of goals and plans leading toward your vision. Tactics is the short-range or medium-range response to some sort of crisis.” {eoa}
For more about how to find victory in crisis, listen to the entire podcast. And be sure to listen to Mark Rutland’s podcast, The Leader’s Notebook.
L.A. Marzulli