Leadership: Criticism and Confrontation

Leadership: Criticism and Confrontation
Numbers 12:3-14 (NKJV) 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. 5 Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?” 9 So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!” 13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!” 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.”
Leaders can bank on two truths.
First, they will be criticized.
Second, criticism always changes the leader.
Unhappy people tend to attack the leader. Moses’ own family criticized him.
Notice what God and Moses teach us on how to handle criticism:
1] Maintain your humility (vs.3)
2] Face the criticism directly (vs.4)
3] Be specific about the issue (vs.5-8)
4] Lay out consequences (vs. 9,10)
5] Pray for the criticizers (vs. 12, 13)
6] Restore them when appropriate (vs.14)
Beyond that, consider ten ways leaders should handle criticism:
Understand the difference between constructive and destructive criticism [who benefits?].
Do not take yourself too seriously [ but take your God very seriously].
Look beyond the criticism to see the critic [do you respect him or her? What’s his or her need?].
Guard your own attitude toward the critic [do not get defensive; stay objective-we are in the restoration ministry].
Recognize that good people get criticized [do not be hard on yourself].
Keep yourself physically and spiritually in shape [weariness distorts our perspective].
Do not see only the critic; see the crowd [is the criticism widespread?].
Wait for time to prove the critic wrong [be mature enough to be patient].
Associate with people of faith [spend your optional time with optimists].
Concentrate on your mission; change your mistakes [focus on the big picture].
(Notes from John C. Maxwell)