For the most part, people try to avoid tension with others. What others think about us, or the ideas we have, is what keeps a lot of people from moving from the next level in leadership. They don’t like the tension that comes with it so they fall to it and back down. God has called them to do a certain thing but instead of fearing God, they fear man, and the result is a failed implantation of the God-given desire to take the ministry to the next level. As a result, people shy away from tension.

I like tension.

I think there can be a positive to it and I think when the tension is in its highest form, the true nature of everyone involved in the conversation comes out. From there, the vision can be carried forward.

When planning and talking about execution of an event, idea or vision, everyone involved is going to have his or her own opinion on how it should be carried out. The best thing is… the answer is in the room. There is gold in the tension. Tension can bring everything to the surface of what people actually think and everyone ideas will be shared. It’s like refining gold. The gold is put under extreme fire and it melts. Then the impurities float to the top where the owner scoops out all of the “bad stuff”. When it is left to harden back up, what is left is a more refined, solid, more valuable piece of gold. Tension is the refining process. People will get heated (or passionate as I like to say). The problems will come out. You can address the problems. Come up with the solutions and what is left is a more solid, pure, idea to move forward.

Getting the right people in the room to bring up tension should not be shied away from. Every good leader can pull out gold from tension and use it to the advantage of the ministry to carry out the vision God has laid out for you.

 

@justinknowles3