
I found the article “Seven Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful Executives” on Forbes.com eerily familiar. In the article, Sydney Finkelstein shares his research on how fortune 500 companies disintegrate into bankruptcy because their CEOs shared 7 bad habits.
The “Seven Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful Executives” are (see the full article for details):
Warning Sign for #1: A lack of respect
Warning Sign for #2: A question of character
Warning Sign for #3: A leader without followers
Warning Sign for #4: Executive departures
Warning Sign of #5: Blatant attention-seeking
Warning Sign of #6: Excessive hype
Warning Sign of #7: Constantly referring to what worked in the past
While I’ve run into these “habits” throughout my business career, unfortunately I’ve also seen them on display in the church. It’s easy to become so passionate about your piece of God’s kingdom that you turn it into your own personal fiefdom, forgetting who we serve.
But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:25-28