The first sign of sad stewardship is accountability avoidance. This is a disease that affects numerous organizations. A contagion, which when left untreated, cripples morale, cohesion, and the successful realization of objectives. It shows up as delegation of authority, when ownership is required. It shows up as side channel conversations in slack, teams, and other forms of informal communication methods when a concise email would suffice. It shows up as blame shifting when outcomes do not match the desired result. Accountability avoidance is a clear indicator of an individual who operates with faux authority tied to a title given, rather than by character established. 

I’ve seen this infection show up most in situations where an individual is unqualified to be in a position of leadership, and they know it. Titles like manager, officer, coach, and director are the most common grifts of gifted positional authority. And the most likely abused by sad stewards. The results tend to speak louder than the noise emerging from the lips of a careless individual. Unmet deadlines, missed opportunities, consistent attrition, and regular complaints, just to name a few. When a bully obtains authority but avoids accountability, the results are a bit more subtle however. They tend to restrict communications, obfuscate outcomes, and punish those who challenge their privilege to lead.

You’ve seen this play out in the real world. A high school basketball coach who blames the players for the losing culture that they themselves created. An executive who performs humiliation rituals because it helps them sleep better at night knowing that they are a high paid idiot. A manager who won’t ever put their name on a decision in email because their incompetence would be on full display in writing for all recipients to see. A law enforcement professional who is trigger happy with the taser, firearm, and verbal abuse because they lack influence and negotiation skills, and are unwilling to get the help they need. Accountability avoidance is a cancerous trait in leadership that must be eradicated. 

Insecurity has no place in stewardship. One cannot shepherd and lack confidence simultaneously. It does not work. Anxiety is one piece of the equation, it often is a result of confusion about what matters most; the past, the present, or the future. My position is if you want to operate from a place of peace, then the present is the only time that matters. Present thinking breeds confidence because it allows a steward to lead currently and assess the future when it arrives. The past can be a useful tool, but it is principally useless now. History is just information, the future is just a destination, but the present is the journey of today. 

Insecurity is a result of indecision. The inability to decide when enough is enough. Owning the responsibility of your authority is enough. Choosing to be confident today is enough. Abiding in present peace is enough. Resolving the issue at hand is enough. Due diligence is enough. Saying I don’t know, let me find out and get back to you when I have a sufficient answer, is enough. Acceptance of the result, good or bad, is enough. Doing the right thing at the right time is enough. The ability to possess clarity in any situation is the cure for insecurity. 

Ambiguity in leadership directives is like playing roulette with a revolver. There’s a one in six chance that the outcome will be catastrophic for you. It’s a dangerous game to play. Imagine if your first-born daughter is getting driving lessons from a driving instructor who likes to sip whiskey before work. The instructor arrives at your home to take your daughter out for her highway driving lesson. It’s 1pm on a Saturday, homecoming weekend at the university a few miles down the road. Your daughter is excited and the instructor is impaired. What are the chances that on this trip the instructor clearly articulates how to merge into oncoming traffic. How to signal, then check a blind spot before switching lanes. What is the probability that an impaired driving instructor puts your child at risk while having an emergency brake and secondary steering wheel within reach?

The thing about ambiguity in directives is that it violates the principle of accountability. If there is more than one way to interpret a directive then it’s not a directive, it’s an option. Clear directives increase the likelihood of a desired result being achieved. Unclear directives cause confusion, demonstrates fragility in headship, and signifies a leader who is inebriated by their own laziness. A steward is someone who carefully and responsibly protects what is entrusted to them. Stewardship is not erroneously giving directions that can be interpreted multiple ways. 

Hypocrisy is a perversity of character and conduct. It is a violation of trust in leadership. It is the prime example of a complete disregard for duty of care principles. A hypocrite is an oxymoron when applied to stewardship, one cannot be a steward and a hypocrite. If one claims to be a steward, or yet, one is assigned stewardship but performs hypocrisy, that one is no steward at all, they are a liar. 

Another sign of sad stewardship is partiality. Partiality, in my view, is preferential treatment of select individuals by an authoritative figure. To be partial is to be borderline wicked. It is the great sin of our nation which permeates all aspects of human life. From household governance to federal laws. Many of us acknowledge “male and female He created them” and “all men are created equal” as universal law statements, yet we are willing to accept the complete violation of said laws in the governance of our everyday lives. 

Partiality is unsuitable when stewardship of people is involved. Preference is good regarding sensory functions, personal leadership, and decisions that impact the individual. I am partial toward scripture, I prefer writing over drawing, I like the smell of fresh air over the smell of gasoline. But when I consider a decision on behalf of my household, I must carefully choose the path that greatly impacts the whole, over the one that might be more pleasing to me. Stewardship is about collective care, not personal preference. 

Deceitfulness is another sign of sad stewardship. A steward who engages in deception is like a domesticated crocodile. A hatchling is cute for a time, but once the beast is mature enough to maul you it surely will at the most inconvenient time. So too is deception in stewardship. The first instance of deception is shame on you. The second instance is shame on me. The third instance is a clear indicator of maliciousness and the best course of action to protect your peace is to eradicate the threat immediately. 

A deceptive steward is not only sad, but despicable. They are untrustworthy, poor in character, and spineless. They throw rocks and hide their hands. They sow division and plead deniability. They spew threats and move goal posts. They wear masks and submit to optics. A deceptive steward is a shapeshifter, double-minded, and predatory in all their ways. 

Pride goes before destruction and arrogance is the camouflage of insecurity. Prideful arrogance is undoubtedly the worst sign of sad stewardship. It’s arguably the most common character defect of modern culture. It affects not only the individual but also the very fabric of our society. It is the composite center of all the other signs orbiting it. And in stewardship it is the great cause of failed missions. Pride and arrogance are the cause of accountability avoidance because an individual who thinks being placed in a position of authority is enough is a fool nonetheless. Positional authority is the beginning of stewardship, not the reason. Arrogance is a disguise for insecurity and pride is counterintuitive to security. Ambiguity is a result of an individual believing the validity of words leaving their mouth, when in reality stewardship requires the kind of humility that ensures their directives fit the needs of the people they are positioned to serve. An arrogant steward cannot see beyond their pridefulness. More importantly, hypocrisy shows its ugly head as a result of stewards relying on what’s been given to them, as if it’s some type of badge of esteem, when in fact what’s been received was once given, and what is received must be sown again. An arrogant and prideful steward does not understand the principle of reaping and sowing but will inevitably reap their folly tenfold. Moreover, a sad steward is bound to esteem themselves above all others, denying the fact that all living beings were once born, and all human beings have esteem innately. The result is pride, arrogance, and an individual deceived by their own false sense of glory. Selah

James, SoR