Leaders always take responsibility for the situation in which they find themselves. They never blame someone or something else for the situation. This means that leaders always tackle whatever the situation is like and change it. If one does not do that, one is not yet a leader. Leaders never say, “if the system would just change, or if the Bishop hadn’t done that, or if the previous pastor hadn’t messed up, or if there weren’t so many controllers, or the population is shrinking,” or my favorite “the people are too busy.” Leaders say, “now that I’m faced with this situation, what do I do to change it.” Two things are usually involved in leadership – risk and conflict. The amount of risk often determines the amount of success. The amount of conflict is often determined by how well the leader handles people (I did not say handles the conflict). Of course there are always those situations that no matter what a leader does the conflict or the problem does not go away and nothing changes. When this happens, leaders always move on to another situation rather than sticking it out in a bad situation that no one, not even Jesus, could change, and there are those spots. What I don’t understand is why someone would stay in that kind of situation unless they aren’t yet a leader. A leader has to lead, and that involves risk. How much risk are you willing to have in your life?