Think On Your Feet…
Think on your feet...But don't trust your first thought.
Why some of the biggest leadership mistakes start with our quickest reactions.
I've always had a lot of ideas. With ADHD, my mind never seems to run out of them. The real challenge is having too many. Most of them show up with the same thought:
"This is brilliant."
Not just brilliant, but totally doable. Maybe even world changing. If everyone just got behind my idea, things would be incredible. Others can think the opposite. When I spot opportunities, they spot obstacles. Where I see potential, they focus on what's practical. When I imagine an exciting future, they think about the likely costs.
I can excitedly share a new idea, ministry plan, business opportunity, outreach, or project, and within seconds people can start asking questions like:
· How much will that cost?
· Who is going to run it?
· Is it sustainable?
· What happens in six months?
· Have you thought about the long-term commitment?
· Do you actually have the time to do this?
Honestly, I used to react pretty badly. Really badly. My first thought was usually something like:
"Why are you always so negative?" OR "You've completely missed how good this idea is" OR "Stop being such a faith killer."
The funny thing is, none of those thoughts were true. People aren’t trying to shut down my idea. They aren’t being negative or lacking faith. It’s just a different perspective and a different way of processing things.
A different first thought.
While I naturally focused on what could happen, others focused on what needed to be considered. As much as I hate to admit it, others were usually right. My ideas weren't bad (well, not all of them). Others just saw things I missed. Their questions make me slow down, check my assumptions, consider the consequences, plan, and add some accountability before jumping into another "life changing" idea.
Looking back, I realised something important: Other people aren’t the real issue.
It was my first thought about their feedback!
I assumed that just because my first thought felt true, it had to be true. But it wasn't. My first thought didn't show what was really happening. It was revealing something about me. And I've come to believe many leadership mistakes start right there. It's not about bad intentions, poor character, or a lack of talent. It's about trusting our first thought too quickly.
Leadership often requires us to think on our feet.
A volunteer resigns.
A complaint arrives.
A budget changes.
A difficult conversation catches us by surprise.
An idea is challenged.
We don't always get the chance to reflect for long.
But I've found that my biggest leadership mistakes didn't happen because I was too slow to think. They happened because I trusted my first thought too quickly. Leaders often think they're reacting to reality. But more often, they're reacting to their own interpretation of reality. That experience has taught me something I've seen again and again in leadership, relationships, and faith: the fastest thought isn't always the wisest.
James 1:19-20
"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires."
I've become more interested in first thoughts, because they often show us something about ourselves. They can reveal fears, assumptions, insecurities, disappointments, and patterns we didn't even know were shaping us. What if our first thoughts aren't instructions, but clues? A clue isn't something you just follow. It's something you look into.
Your first thought might not tell you the truth about what's happening, but it often tells you something about yourself.
This week don't just pay attention to what happened. Notice your first thought about it.
Ask yourself:
1. What was my first thought?
2. What emotion followed it?
3. What might that reveal?
4. Is it actually true?
You might find that your first thought wasn't wisdom. It was just your habits and experiences speaking up first.
As leaders, we're often expected to think on our feet. But we should also learn to think twice. Our first thought may reveal our formation. But what we do next shapes our transformation.
Ps Chris Williams