When I was a kid, around 7 or 8, there was a new Darth Vadar helmet, from Starwars, that hit the market. It was $50, and I wanted it more than anything in the world. There was just one problem: my parents said they wouldn’t pay for it. Rude!
They did say that if I could figure it out on my own and get the money, they would drive me to the store and get it. Challenge accepted.
I hired (for free) the help of my mom to bake brownies and help me make lemonade. Truthfully, that was probably more expensive and more work than the actual helmet. Still, I was determined. I set up a table at the end of my driveway and held a lemonade stand, selling a cup of lemonade for $.50 each. Nobody was driving past my house without buying something, and if they did, I would sprint after their car until they turned around.
It was an aggressive sales tactic for sure, but I was under the gun. I ended up raising the $50 (in quarters) and came home with a bright and shiny Darth Vadar helmet.
That was one of the first times in my life that I stepped out of my comfort zone to lead myself towards a specific goal, other than sports. Ever since then, I have naturally wanted to be a leader. One issue that I face regularly, and I know that I am not alone in this, is being a young leader. There is a great deal of social tension, loneliness, confusion, and discouragement that comes from both yourself and other people.
That’s what this blog is about: What do you do when you want to lead, maybe you’ve somehow found yourself in a position of leadership, but you feel under-qualified because of your age, knowledge, experience, or maturity?
Recommended Book: Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church
THE ISSUE
When I had just gotten my driver’s license, I would help my dad buy and sell cars. He was a licensed car dealer, and we would drive all over the midwest (sometimes further) to pick up a good deal, and then I would list it for sale online and handle all of the paperwork. That may sound impressive, but it was far from glamorous.
There were countless people that sat on the opposite end of the desk from me and tried to take advantage of my young age. They would say degrading comments and point out things in the vehicle that “a youngin’ like yourself could never see”. They saw me as second tier, their opportunity to teach me a lesson.
Three years later, when I turned 19 years old, I got hired as a full-time construction project manager. The company name and shirt did little to protect me from the social bias of many customers. Their house had flooded and they were dealing with five or six digit amounts of money. Who was this young buck to coordinate the process and make them satisfied with the service? I was consistently faced with the question of whether or not my manager should be present.
I have been serving in leadership roles in my local church since the age of 16. Time and time again, there are older leaders, parents, and even sometimes staff that look at the young person as nothing more than an administrative assistant or coffee runner. How could someone less tenured, who has been there less, have anything to teach them?
How could a parent trust a twenty-something guy with their kid? How could a seasoned leader take time out of their busy schedule to meet and actually get something out of it?
Are you catching on to the issue that this causes among young leaders? Eventually, it makes the determined young leader NOT want to pursue leadership. It degrades her long enough to make her feel inadequate, unsuccessful, and not qualified until she is older and married.
This is not how it should be. Let me tell you, whether you are 12, 21, or approaching 80 there is not a “right age” to begin leading. Of course, there are so many life lessons that come with life experience. There are invaluable teachings that come from the older generation.
However, there is never a reason for someone not to lead – especially due to their lack of tenure. All people can lead something and start somewhere.
If you have been discouraged by what you don’t know or all the things you haven’t done, keep reading for the solution to getting past this crippling barrier to your leadership.
THE SOLUTION
We’ve covered that the issue of treating young leaders as less-than will eventually suppress their God-given desire to step up and change their generation.
Say you are that leader… what do you do?
First, you take the next faithful step. I can’t pretend to know what that might be for your life. I can name a few common next steps, and ones that I took at a younger age, that will set you on a trajectory for further responsibility:
- Lead a small group
- Consume massive amounts of content (LEARN THINGS)
- Find something to buy and sell
- Get your finances in order
- Discipline your healthy habits above what is natural
- Disciple individual people
- Start a new community/group/sporting team
These are all little things that you can do to start leading. If you work, take assignments that are outside of your scope – whether or not you get paid extra.
The best way that you can start somewhere is to do a lot of work for free. You may be young, but no person can deny someone with an outstanding work ethic who is not afraid to get stuff done.
Second, try new things. All the things!
Many people are in a perpetual state of waiting for their purpose in life to hit them in the face like an undeniable brick wall. I hate to break it to you – sometimes, that is not how life works.
Christians are the biggest culprit of this. They are simply “waiting on whatever God has called them to”. This would be a great statement, if they weren’t using it as an excuse.
Trying new things can bring the possibility of failure, and it most likely will lead to some of that. You may not like everything you try, and you may have to change more than you are comfortable with.
I am not even talking about jobs, relationships, cities, or your diet. I am talking about your everyday experiences. Try serving somewhere new in your church for a weekend or special event. Say yes to that board game night that you’ve been avoiding. Go over to that families house for dinner that you say hi to every Sunday.
Say yes to things, and then follow through on it.
I have helped park cars, dressed up in weird costumes for children’s ministry, taught students of all ages, sold cars, done the stock market, real estate, construction management, delivered pizza, and that is not even all of the things I’ve tried.
Yes, it is a lot of change at a very young age. However, the amount of principles that I have learned about both business and ministry is unmatched to if I had simply waited around for something.
You are never too young to start leading. You are never too young to try new things. You are never too unqualified to change a life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Step out in faith. You got this, young leader!
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