If you know me much, you know I’m not a very fear-based person. I mean, from time to time I do feel anxious. But I think, on the whole, less than a lot of people. I deal with lots of other negative emotions- guilt, regret, etc., but fear is low on the list.

This has a negative side, in a strange way. And actually, I think in a way that translates to a lot of other leaders. I have a tendency towards impulsive decision making. I can get excited about an idea, or get negative toward something, and without thinking it through, make a large, life-changing or institution-changing decision.

In church planting circles, we call it “don’t be an idiot.” We often tell people that they can make it in church planting as long as they don’t do one of two things- quit, and be an idiot.

“Being an idiot” can consist of just about anything. Sudden changes- firing a leader unnecessarily, making a huge change in Sunday services, putting a new person in charge of something they aren’t ready for. It often comes when a planter feels discouraged or tired and thinks they just found the silver bullet that will make church planting easy or risk-free.

So- next time you are tempted to make a snap decision but some inner voice wonders if you should think it through a bit more- consider listening to the inner voice. Now- I fully recognize there is an opposite danger. Depending on your personality, being frozen by fear might be more dangerous than impulsivity. But- I have even seen people be impulsive based on fear- because thinking through options brings up so much anxiety, they try to avoid the anxiety by just choosing suddenly and randomly.

One other note on this. Once you have made an impulsive decision and it’s having negative consequences- get advice fast from someone outside the situation. You started digging yourself into a hole of trouble and its likely you can’t see clearly enough how to get yourself out. Sometimes the impulsive response to an initially bad impulsive decision multiplies the damage even more.