Be the Underdogs – #1 – Excuses are Everywhere! (An Underdogs Leadership Series)

Excuses are Everywhere… No More Excuses.

In the weeks leading up to the Launch of the God of the Underdogs book, I want to take some time on MattKellerOnline.com to apply the “9 Excuses” found in the book to our lives in a succinct and unique way (300-500 words). And since I use this website to teach and unpack leadership ideas, I thought,

“Why not apply the 9 excuses to young leaders trying to figure the whole leadership thing out?”

So that’s what we’re going to do…

The 9 Underdog Excuses Debunked in a Leadership Context:

So let me start with perhaps the Biggest Overarching principle in the entire book:

Excuses are Everywhere!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 20+ years of leadership experience its this: Excuses are Everywhere! Everyday as a leader, you’ll hear them. And they will come from at least 3 directions:

1. Excuses from those under you.

When you’re a leader, you will inevitably have times when your team will tell you all the reasons why something can’t be done. Of course, the wise leader listens to those things, but I’ve also picked up an important nugget over the years. One that has positioned my team to begin fighting excuses before they ever reach my office. My team knows, don’t just bring problems, bring solutions as well!
Listen, when it comes to a problem we’re facing, I don’t need Good Solutions, I just need options. The worst possible solution to 5,000 hungry people on a hillside is 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. But that’s exactly what Jesus used to feed 5,000 people in the Bible.
You will be amazed at the Creative Solutions that emerge with you and your team when you teach them to not just bring excuses and problems, but solutions as well.

2. Excuses from those around you.

Sometimes, as a leader, the excuses we hear are from a boss or peer or family member. When that happens, again, my strategy is always to come ready with possible solutions and angles that they may not be thinking about. Also, one of the biggest keys I’ve found to combating excuses from peers and others in authority is Optimism. It takes a tremendous amount of Optimism to do the hard work of combating excuses in those around us. If you truly believe in your idea, don’t give up on it too soon. Stay Optimistic.

3. Excuses from within you.

Hands down the greatest place you will encounter excuses that threaten to stop you in your tracks is within yourself. As a leader who is responsible for charting the course for an organization or department, you don’t have the luxury of allowing these negative voices to stop you from leading well. You must be able to fight against the excuses that arise in your head and heart. Which means you have to know what they are. Most leaders I know, don’t know what the fears and excuses they’re fighting internally are. Wise is the leader who does.

Fighting through Excuses

From the beginning of Next Level Church in 2002, one of our Leadership mantra has always been, “We’re church planters, we don’t take “NO” for an answer. We figure it out, that’s what we do!” Listen, when we started our church, we were Underdogs! The deck was stacked against us big time! We had no clue what we were doing, little money, no contacts and no equipment. And in those days, we had a choice to make: Listen the excuses, or Go and change the world anyway!
Obviously, we chose the latter! And I am so glad we did! When it comes to your excuses, leader, the longer you listen to it, the more stuck you’ll be. But the minute you stop listening to all the reasons why something can’t be done, the sooner you’ll discover how it can be done!

Excuses are Everywhere… It’s time for No More Excuses!!!

App Question: ? Where have you been making excuses for yourself or someone else? When are you gonna stop making them and starting moving forward again?