Insecurity can plague leaders because leaders are constantly evaluated and continually carry the burden of responsibilities. While it is natural for leaders to struggle with insecurity, leaders who live in insecurity bring great damage to the people they are supposed to be serving. While there are varying degrees of damage, insecurity leaves a wake of pain in its path.
1. People are not developed.
An insecure leader is hesitant to hand responsibility over to someone else. A leader’s fear of shrinking influence sidelines others from being developed.
2. People are neglected.
Insecure leaders long for applause, and thus, they lead for their approval and not the good of those they are leading. You can’t lead for both applause and the good of those you are leading. When applause is a leader’s primary aim, people are not.
3. People are manipulated.
An insecure leader is typically a control freak, and when the leader thinks control is being lost, the leader will manipulate in attempts to regain control.
4. People are used.
An insecure leader thinks primarily about himself or herself. Instead of using leadership to serve people, insecure leaders use people to advance their leadership.
5. People are abused.
As insecurity continues to fester in a leader’s heart, the insecurity can manifest itself in more painful ways. Leaders who verbally abuse others, who ridicule and tear down, are deeply insecure. They tear others down so they will feel “like the man” or be “the one on top.” An insecure leader who fails to repent is an abusive leader in the making.
Those who live in insecurity find their identity in their role or task. In pride, they feel an enormous pressure to prove themselves, to justify their existence, to show that they are worthy. All the while they hurt scores of people along the way.
