" Leaders seem to routinely get caught in currents that pull them away from missional alignment."
us off course. Small acts of faithfulness or compromise determine our destination, and drift is all the more dangerous because it is subtle. fundamentally different about the one in three who finishes well?
START WITH THE END IN MIND
When leadership scholar J. Robert Clinton studied biblical leaders, he found that only 30 percent“ finished well,” which he defined as“ walking with God in a vibrant personal relationship, developing the potential God has given to its appropriate capacity, and leaving behind an ultimate contribution that is both pleasing to God and established by Him.” 2
" Leaders seem to routinely get caught in currents that pull them away from missional alignment."
When Clinton applied the same criteria to more than 1,200 historical and contemporary leaders, he reached the disturbing conclusion that“ evidence from today indicates that this ratio is probably generous. Probably less than one in three are finishing well today.” 3 Drift is the default.
Feeling the pull in my own life, I wanted to understand what causes leaders to drift. Why those who start well don’ t always finish well. How rational people make irrational choices and even seemingly noble pursuits can lead us off course. Perhaps still more important, I wanted to understand what might keep us from drifting. Is there something
My grandfather’ s funeral prompted me to ask,“ Where is my path leading? And is that where I want to end up?” A few months after the service, I sat down at my kitchen table and penned my own eulogy. As I pondered what I hoped would be true of me at the time of my death, the exercise clarified what mattered most. What I wrote had nothing to do with professional accomplishments, titles, jobs, or degrees. Instead, I wrote of relationships and gratitude to God and others. I wrote about the life that I would live if I were focused on remembering my Creator and living on mission faithfully to the end. It was shorter and simpler than I would have imagined because as I focused on what truly mattered, so much of what I’ ve striven for didn’ t make the cut.
The exercise became a significant moment. Sitting at the kitchen table, I wept. For the first time, I had clarity on paper about what truly mattered. Perhaps the exercise was a little macabre, but it brought life into sharper clarity.
Writing my eulogy clarified the destination and helped me identify course corrections that I needed to make. Documenting my desired end slowly began to change the way I live.
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