Issue #201, February 22, 2017
No one loves to lose! No leader intends to lose. It’s hard to accept loss, but there are some times that it is best to accept a loss and move on. King Amaziah learned this leadership lesson at the young age of 25. Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men ready for military service, able to handle the spear and shield. He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver. But a man of God came to him and said, "O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the LORD is not with Israel– not with any of the people of Ephraim. Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow." Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?" The man of God replied, "The LORD can give you much more than that." So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage. Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. (2 Chronicles 25:5-11). In one of his first actions as a leader, Amaziah spent an enormous amount of money to hire men to help him fight. By some estimates, the value of 100 hundred talents was close to 2 million dollars! No leader wants to lose that amount of money. But Amaziah teaches servant leaders that there is a time to accept a loss and change directions.
Accept a loss when the direction is wrong.
Amaziah was moving in the wrong direction. The prophet warned him that he was heading in the wrong direction. Servant leaders acknowledge that no matter what they have invested in a goal if it is the wrong goal, it is time to accept the loss and move in another direction. If you have already moved too far in the wrong direction, don’t keep investing time and energy, it’s time to accept the loss and change. Accept the losses that come with that decision. Stubborn leaders refuse to turn around; servant leaders are willing to accept a loss to move in the right direction.
Accept a loss when the outcomes are wrong.
For Amaziah to continue moving in the direction he was heading would have been disastrous. He would lose the battle he wanted to win and his investment would not produce the results he wanted. Many leaders keep doing things that do not produce results because they are not willing to pay the price of change. They continue to invest in programs, activities or ideas that are not productive. Servant leaders accept a loss when the outcomes do not warrant continued investment.
Accept a loss when the assumptions are wrong.
Amaziah assumed that he could not win the battle with the men he had and it seemed reasonable to hire more. But in this case, his assumption was wrong! Some leaders press forward assuming their assumptions are right. But servant leaders ask hard questions about their assumptions. They ask if they have all the information they need or if they based any part of their decision on an assumption that may be wrong. When servant leaders find their assumptions were wrong they accept the loss and change directions quickly.
Is it time for you to accept a loss and make a change? Or do you need to persevere? Use the questions below to guide your decisions.
For further reflection and discussion:
Read the whole story in 2 Chronicles 25. Reflect on whether Amaziah learned his lesson well or not. What was the continued cost he paid for his decision to hire more troops? What do his actions reveal about his heart? What more can I learn from his leadership?
Think of a current situation you are facing in your life or leadership in which you have or will invest significant time, energy or resources. Is it time to accept the loss and move in a different direction or to persevere? Reflect on the following questions
1. Is my direction the right direction?
- How can I confirm that it not only seems right to me but it is right to God?
- Does my goal bring glory to God or is it for my glory?
- What are my true motives for moving forward?
- Who can I talk with that can help guide me in discerning this issue?
2. What are the outcomes of this direction?
- If the outcomes are still in the future, do the outcomes warrant the amount I will invest in the goal?
- If I have been moving in this direction for some time, what results have I seen?
- Are there other activities or programs in my organization or church that are not producing the needed results? How do I measure the results? Am I willing to pay the price of changing them?
- What would be the cost of changing directions? (Consider not only financial cost but the cost in relationships, time, momentum, etc.)
3. What assumptions have I made about this direction?
- How can I test whether these assumptions are true or false?
- How would I know if these assumptions are incorrect?
- Are there alternative solutions to the problem I seek to solve which I have not considered?
- Who can help me see my own blind spots on this issue?