When you’re experiencing momentum in ministry or business, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you are the secret sauce to that success.

It’s easy to get a big head when you’re on a roll. It’s tempting to quit listening to outside voices because you either think you don’t need them, or you assume they’ll mess up your secret-sauce recipe.  “I know what I’m doing” is the mantra of the unteachable leader.

Our level of teachability ultimately determines our level of maturity. King Solomon wrote: “Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will add to his learning.”

How we respond to input from others reveals something about our character. If we’re dismissive and disinterested . . . why is that? What’s going on inside of us that prevents receptiveness? If the only voice we listen to is our own . . . be afraid. We’re walking in dangerous territory.

Great leaders never stop learning from other people. In fact, they more the learn, the more they discover they don’t know. Let me offer three reasons why leaders who experience long-term success are joined at the hip with other individuals who pour into their life:

They know they’ll get farther ahead

Sir Isaac Newton perhaps said it best: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” When I think back over 40+ years of ministry and corporate experience, every season of growth was marked by multiple people speaking into my life. All along the way, God provided friends who cared enough to tell me the truth, to set me straight when I was thinking (or behaving) incorrectly, and to encourage me when I wanted to quit. Anything worthwhile I’ve accomplished up to this point in life has been a team effort.

They know if they stop learning from others they’ll eventually fail

Scripture tells us: “Pride goes before a fall.” We’ve seen the end of the pride movie too many times to count, haven’t we? When we think we know it all, or believe we’ve arrived as a leader—watch out.  A deep ditch awaits ahead. Pride hinders relationship possibilities. Pride isolates. The “I don’t really need you” attitude leads down a path to bizarro-world.  Great leaders refuse to let success swell their head, nor paint them into an isolated corner.

They know leading is more fun when learning from/working with a team

Success is journey best enjoyed in the company of others. Jesus—the Son of God—the Creator of the universe—shared His journey primarily with 12 guys. I can think of many reasons why: sustainability, multiplication of the message, etc. But I wonder if another reason is simply it was more fun for Jesus to do the work with a team? When the group of 70 short-term missionaries returned from their first missions trip, and reported to Jesus all of the wonderful miracles that happened, we read that He was “full of joy.” Great leaders understand they’ll enjoy their calling more when they learn and do their stuff alongside others.

Leader: are you teachable?

As your circle of influence grows, you’ll be tempted to become less receptive. Can I encourage you, that when success knocks on your door, to stay humble and teachable? To cultivate a set of people who speak truth into your life? A group who loves you too much to let you get full of yourself?

Teachability sets you up for reaching your God-given potential without ruining your life in the process. It protects you from falling on your face. And it offers the possibility of enjoying at a greater level the assignment God’s given to you.

I’m rooting and praying for you!

P.S. – Pastor, when people arrive at the church you lead, your chest can swell with pride. When they leave, it can feel like your chest is getting stomped on. We receive phone calls from pastors every week who ask: “Is pastoring worth the hassle?” We believe leading men and women is ultimately worth it, but requires understanding of, among other things, many of the ideas presented in our new book, Putting the Good in Goodbye: A Healthy Conversation About the Comings & Goings of Church People. You can pick up a copy here