It’s January. The confetti has been swept away, the champagne glasses are in the dishwasher, and those ambitious New Year’s resolutions are staring you in the face. If you’re a leader—whether you’re shepherding a church staff, managing a business team, or guiding a ministry—you know that familiar weight: How can I do more? How can I lead better? How can we finally break through this year?
Here’s the counterintuitive truth I’ve learned after decades of working with ministry leaders and teams: The path to doing more starts with doing less.
I know that sounds backwards. Maybe even irresponsible. But stick with me.
This year, instead of adding more to your plate, what if you made three fundamental shifts in how you think about leadership? Three mindset changes that could unlock exponential growth—not just in your organization, but in the people around you and in yourself.
These aren’t tactics. These aren’t five-step formulas. These are paradigm shifts that require us to esteem others higher than ourselves (Philippians 2:3) and to recognize that we are God’s workmanship, His poem to the world (Ephesians 2:10). When we lead from this foundation, everything changes.
Shift #1: Let Go to Go Up
The Problem with Holding On
Most leaders I meet are drowning in details. You’re approving social media posts at 11 PM. You’re rewriting emails your team already drafted. You’re the bottleneck in every decision because you believe—consciously or not—that if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself.
Here’s what that belief really reveals: a lack of love.
Now, before you close this article, hear me out. Remember how we define love at Ministry Insights: the steadfast, zealous, selfless seeking of another’s true good.
When you refuse to delegate, when you hold every responsibility close to your chest, you’re actually operating from the opposite posture:
- Apathy instead of zeal (you don’t care enough to invest in others’ development)
- Selfishness instead of selflessness (you care more about the outcome than the person)
- Abandon instead of steadfastness (you’re giving up on their potential to grow into the role)
Ouch. I know. But this is the honest evaluation many of us need.
The Counter-Intuitive Shift
Craig Groeschel, pastor of Life.Church, teaches something that revolutionized my own leadership: “To go up, you must let go.”
When you’re stuck doing everything, you can only go as far as your own capacity takes you. But when you empower others, when you delegate not just tasks but actual authority and ownership, you multiply your impact exponentially.
Think about Jesus. He had three years to change the world. What did He do? He invested in twelve ordinary people, gave them real responsibility, and then—here’s the key—He left. He went up (literally, in the ascension) so they could go out.
Practical Action Steps
This month, identify three tasks you’re currently doing that someone else could do at 80% of your quality. Not 100%—that’s the perfectionist trap. But 80%? That’s good enough, and it gives someone else the chance to grow.
- Choose the person: Who shows potential in this area? Who needs this growth opportunity?
- Provide context, not just instructions: Explain the “why” behind the task, not just the “how.”
- Give authority with responsibility: Let them make real decisions. Let them fail forward.
- Resist the rescue: When they struggle (and they will), coach them instead of taking it back.
This is love in action. This is esteeming others higher than yourself. This is believing they are God’s poem too, and giving them the space to demonstrate it.
Shift #2: Think Higher, Not Harder
The Tyranny of the Urgent
You know that feeling when you finally get home after a long day and realize you’ve been busy for 12 hours but can’t point to a single significant thing you accomplished?
You were productive. But you weren’t effective.
There’s a difference. Productivity is doing things efficiently. Effectiveness is doing the right things.
Most leaders are working in their organizations when they need to be working on their organizations. You’re fighting fires instead of preventing them. You’re reacting instead of planning. You’re stuck in the weeds when you need to be at 30,000 feet.
The Counter-Intuitive Shift
Stop trying to work harder. Start thinking higher.
This isn’t about working less (though you might). It’s about elevating your perspective. It’s about regular strategic thinking time where you ask better questions:
- What are we really trying to accomplish? (Vision)
- What’s working? What’s not? (Evaluation)
- Where are the real bottlenecks? (Systems)
- What do my people need most from me? (Development)
- What opportunities are we missing? (Innovation)
King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, didn’t get that wisdom by grinding 18-hour days. He asked God for wisdom and then used it to think strategically about how to lead well (1 Kings 3:9).
Practical Action Steps
Block out two hours this month—yes, two full hours—just to think.
No meetings. No email. No interruptions. Just you, a notebook, and some strategic questions.
Here’s a framework to get started:
- Review: What did we accomplish last quarter? What did we learn?
- Assess: Where are we stuck? What patterns keep repeating?
- Dream: If resources weren’t an issue, what would we do differently?
- Focus: Of everything on our plate, what are the three things that would have the biggest impact?
- Plan: What’s one strategic decision I can make this month that will compound over time?
When you think higher, you see things you couldn’t see before. You spot opportunities others miss. You prevent problems before they become crises.
This is wisdom. This is stewardship. This is leading like someone who recognizes they’re managing God’s resources, not building their own kingdom.
Shift #3: Know Less to Reach More
The Expert Trap
Here’s a painful truth: Your expertise might be limiting your influence.
Wait, what? Aren’t leaders supposed to be experts? Aren’t we supposed to have all the answers?
Not necessarily.
When you position yourself as the expert who knows everything, you create several problems:
- You limit innovation (because your way is “the right way”)
- You discourage input (because who wants to look foolish in front of the expert?)
- You create dependency (because people wait for you to tell them what to do)
- You isolate yourself (because you can’t admit what you don’t know)
This posture isn’t love. It’s pride dressed up as competence.
The Counter-Intuitive Shift
Become comfortable saying “I don’t know.”
The best leaders I know aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones who ask the best questions, who invite diverse perspectives, who create space for others to contribute their expertise.
They understand that “we” is always smarter than “me.”
Look at how Paul describes the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12. Every part is essential. Every gift matters. The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” When you acknowledge what you don’t know, you create space for others to step into their strengths.
Practical Action Steps
In your next three team meetings, practice asking more than telling.
Try these question stems:
- “What am I missing here?”
- “What do you think we should do?”
- “Where do you see the gaps?”
- “If you were in my position, what would you prioritize?”
- “What perspective am I not considering?”
And here’s the hard part: actually listen. Don’t just wait for your turn to talk. Don’t just collect information to validate what you already decided. Genuinely seek wisdom from the team God has placed around you.
This is humility. This is recognizing that you are one part of God’s poem, not the entire work. This is esteeming others higher than yourself by valuing their contributions.
Bringing It Together: A Leadership Revolution
These three shifts—let go to go up, think higher not harder, know less to reach more—aren’t just leadership tactics. They’re spiritual disciplines.
They require us to confront our pride, our control issues, our insecurity, and our fear. They demand that we trust God’s design for community and collaboration. They ask us to live out what we say we believe: that every person is made in God’s image and has unique value to contribute.
As we step into this new year, I’m grateful for the capacity to grow and change. I’m grateful that God isn’t finished with any of us yet. I’m grateful that we get to lead from a position of stewardship rather than ownership.
So here’s my challenge to you: Choose one of these three shifts and commit to practicing it this month.
Not all three. Just one.
Let go of something. Think higher about something. Admit you don’t know something.
Watch what God does when you create space for Him and others to work.
Reflection Questions
- What’s one responsibility you’re holding onto that someone else could grow into?
- When was the last time you had dedicated strategic thinking time? What would change if you did this monthly?
- In what areas are you positioned as “the expert” in ways that might be limiting your team?
- What would love—steadfast, zealous, selfless seeking of another’s true good—look like in your leadership this month?
Take the Next Step
If you’re reading this and thinking, “My team needs this,” you’re right. But here’s the thing: leadership development isn’t just about consuming good content. It’s about creating shared language, shared understanding, and shared commitment.
That’s why we created the Leading From Your Strengths assessment and the Strong Teams Starter Pack.
These aren’t just personality tests. They’re tools that help you and your team:
- Understand how God has uniquely wired each person
- Appreciate the diverse strengths everyone brings
- Communicate more effectively across different styles
- Identify and resolve sources of tension before they become conflict
The Strong Teams Starter Pack includes everything you need for three transformational team sessions—turnkey process, discussion guides, and practical applications.
Because here’s the truth: you can’t let go, think higher, or know less effectively if you don’t understand yourself and your team.
Use code NY2026 for 20% off through January 30 and start the year investing in the people God has entrusted to your leadership.
A Prayer for Leaders
Father, thank You for the privilege of leadership. Thank You that we don’t have to have all the answers, carry all the weight, or do all the work. Help us to trust You enough to let go, to think strategically about what really matters, and to create space for others to flourish. Give us the humility to know less and the wisdom to ask better questions. Remind us that we are Your workmanship, Your poem, and so is every person we lead. May we esteem them higher than ourselves, seeking their true good with steadfast zeal. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the Author: Rodney Cox is the Founder and President of Ministry Insights (StrongTeams.com), where he helps church leaders and ministry teams discover their God-given strengths and work together more effectively. With decades of experience in organizational development and a passion for seeing people thrive, Rodney believes that healthy teams change the world.