John Stanko

"But Peter declared, 'Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.' And all the other disciples said the same" - Matthew 26:35.

Peter is often remembered as the disciple who proclaimed his loyalty only to deny Jesus hours after his declaration. Yet this verse states all the disciples did the same thing. They assumed they were one place in terms of loyalty and commitment but were really in a very different place. Leaders must be aware that they are as susceptible to failure—bad decisions, fear, fickleness, betrayal, lying, exaggeration, misinterpretation and faulty memory of the facts—as anyone else in their organization. An accurate assessment of their dark side gives leaders a chance to face and overcome it. Denial only challenges God to devise a scenario where reality will be revealed, just like it was for Peter and his comrades.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Your Leadership Step today is to face the fact that you, like everyone else, have a dark side, but you may need help to identify and see it. Armed with this realization, find a leadership coach, someone who can listen to, observe, and evaluate your performance and give you honest feedback. You want to focus on enlightening your dark side so it is not functioning while you deny it even exists, thus becoming a source of dysfunction and pain in your world.