end of my career. My colleagues are
more valued than I am. I’m supposed
to go forward, not backward.”
The story of Brian has a happy
ending. Years later, he is in charge
of a major area of the world for the
ministry, and this has given him the
opportunity to spend more time
in that part of the world. He finally
appreciated the fact that he didn’t
have to waste time at the home
office in all those long meetings
that we leaders have to do. He
circled back around and said to me,
“You know, Hans, that was a great
decision—the right decision. It hurt
me at the time, but you actually
launched me toward my heart and
passion. Today, I love what I am
doing, and I am doing what I’m best
at. Thank you.” Pretty cool, huh?
Did you hear about the rebellious
little girl who was forced to have a
time-out and sit in the corner for an
hour? She told her mommy, “I might
be sitting down on the outside, but
I am standing up on the inside.” If
you as the leader ignore below-the-
waterline issues, it almost always
comes back to hit you. Regarding
Brian, what would have happened
if I’d never had that follow-up
meeting? I would have wrongly
concluded that everything was fine,
checked that off the list, and moved
on to the next problem. Somewhere
down the road, there would have
been an explosion. Something very
negative would have happened. It
could have been an obvious, in-my-
face blowup or a quiet, subversive,
passive-aggressive reaction, which
people often have when they don’t
agree with their leaders. If there’s no
follow-up conversation, then there’s
no healing. They might look like they
52 Solutions
are sitting down in submission, but
inside they are standing up. Sooner
or later, that inner wound is going to
cause great damage to the unity of
your team.
Dr. Hans Finzel is a successful author,
teacher, podcaster and trusted
authority in the field of leadership.
He has trained leaders internationally
on five continents. Hans recently
completed twenty years as President
and CEO of international non-profit
WorldVenture. Today he and his
wife Donna oversee a new ministry,
HDLeaders.