I was talking with a friend (Duncan Banks) recently. As all conversations do these days, we were discussing my final two weeks at Woodstock City Church.

We covered all the basics — how are you feeling? How’s your family feeling? That staff? The church?

I am so grateful guys like Duncan care enough to ask about me personally. Leaving a church (or anything) you created or recreated is painful. Even when it’s the right thing to do, it hurts.

Before Duncan and I moved on to the point of our call, he paused and reminded me of the bigger picture through a historical story.

I won’t quote him perfectly, but he said something like this:

“It reminds me of JFK. He had a mission and vision much bigger than him — put a man on the moon and bringing him back before the end of the decade. He was assassinated two years later. But while JFK never saw the mission come to full fruition, it happened on July 20, 1969. He wasn’t there, but his mission outlived him. That’s what good leaders do. They realize it’s bigger than them.”

I had to pause. That last statement struck me so powerfully. It reminded me why our family moved to this community nearly 13 years ago, why we worked so hard during this ministry season, and why I’m transitioning off our staff this month to help as many other leaders, churches, and organizations missionally thrive.

As leaders, we must remember that organizational leadership is about the mission, not our ambition.

The mission must be our driving force. Our leadership purpose. Our true north.

I’ve had times where, emotionally, my ambition loomed a bit larger than our mission. But God helped me rectify that thinking before it became too destructive.

Now, as I prepare to hand over the leadership of our church to a new pastor, I’m confident the bigger mission will continue to matter more than anyone’s personal ambition.

In your current leadership, how are you actively ensuring the mission remains positioned ahead of your ambition?

Here are 6 strategies to help keep the mission ahead of your ambition:

1. Accept actual leadership accountability

I don’t mean getting a couple of friends together who will agree with each other no matter what. We need friends who will support and encourage us, but we equally need people in our life to call us out. Loving accountability is a secret to keeping personal ambition in check.

KEY QUESTION: Who is in your leadership accountability corner?

2. Celebrate mission success

One of the most powerful tools to keep us in check is to celebrate organizational success. We always elevate what we celebrate. When we celebrate the bigger story, we actively remind ourselves that we are only a part of the story.

KEY QUESTION: How are you elevating the mission over your ambition?

3. Invert the organizational chart

Organizational charts are a necessary evil. The top-down nature of the chart graphically encourages leaders to see the organization as a support for them. Great leaders serve their people and the mission. So flip the org chart upside-down. When the point leader sits at the bottom of the reversed pyramid, they recognize the organization’s weight is on their shoulders. Visually it reminds us that our job is to support, not command. And when everyone else feels more important than you, it’s easy to keep the mission ahead of your ambition.

KEY QUESTION: How would inverting your org chart affect your leadership?

4. Divert the attention

Too often, leaders are mini-celebrities, and celebrity is an appetite. It tastes good, but it grows as it takes more and more to satisfy. Mission-minded leaders consistently divert positive attention to the mission and others serving within the organization. Making others the hero helps keep our cape in check. 

KEY QUESTION: How can you pass along more credit than you take?

5. Spend some reflective time

We all need to examine our motives from time to time. Poor motives are in us all. We are broken people leading broken people. Thus far, the most crucial moment of my leadership journey was the month I spent not leading but reflecting. That time away allowed me to dig into my heart, evaluate my motivations, and reset my ambition. If you are leading for yourself, you’ll eventually implode. No one is more important than the mission we lead.

KEY QUESTION: Are you incorporating personal reflection into your weekly routine?

6. Intentionally seek to learn from other leaders

One of the best self ambition checks is learning from others. When we sit under the teaching (or authority) of others, we remind ourselves that we don’t have all the answers. No leader knows enough to lead alone. No leader is that smart. The best leaders listen to others, both inside and outside their organization.

KEY QUESTION: From whom are you learning?

If you want the mission to come to fruition, it must remain ahead of your ambition. Believe me; I’m not against personal ambition. I think all leaders need a bit of ambition coursing through their veins. We must ensure our personal ambition never looms greater than the organizational mission.

How can I help?

As I mentioned in Strategy # 6, I believe learning from others is critical in our leadership journey. I’m actively doing that myself, and I’d love to do that with you.

Coaching ministry and marketplace leaders through change, transition, and transformation is why I created Transformation Solutions. Go right now to mytransformationsolutions.com and sign up for a free, 30-minute conversation to decide if working together works for you.