One of the biggest barriers to forward progress is the mindset we possess as leaders. A perfect example of the potential fallout of our mindset can be seen in the Israelite town of Jabesh Gilead.

King Nahash of Ammon led his army against Jabesh Gilead. But notice how the men of Jabesh responded: “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you” (1 Samuel 11:1).

Then Nahash replied with his own demands: “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel” (verse 2).

Not only does that sound gruesome, but it sounds completely unacceptable. But the elders of Jabesh apparently thought otherwise. They said, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you” (verse 3).

What strikes me about this situation is the mindset of the Jabesh elders. With almost no resistance to King Nahash, they essentially gave up. The elders assumed a posture of apathy and defeat.

These leaders essentially resigned themselves to have their right eyes gouged out and become the servants of Nahash. And yet, when Israel was made aware of this, Saul mobilized an army of over 300,000 men from Israel, and 30,000 men from Judah, and launched a surprise attack and slaughtered the Ammonites.

Leaders have a responsibility to do what’s best for those they lead. While the elders of Jabesh may have secretly thought, “Saul will save us,” their response to King Nahash was anything but courageous. And if anyone in the town got wind of this response, they most certainly would have been disheartened by their leaders’ defeatist mentality.

Attitudes and emotions are contagious; therefore, do everything in your power to avoid a fear-based, defeatist mentality.

Fear is contagious, and if leaders don’t learn to face their fears and lead with courage, they’ll lose all moral authority to guide the people God has entrusted to their care.

King Ishbosheth — son of Saul — is another example of fear-based leadership. When he heard about Abner’s death at Hebron, “he lost all courage, and all Israel became paralyzed with fear” (2 Samuel 4:1, NLT). Simply put, when the leader loses courage, it becomes a ripple of fear that spreads among the people with paralyzing effect.

How do we keep ourselves from sinking into a defeatist, fear-based mindset that paralyzes us and the people we lead? Embrace four keys before, during, and after the problem arrives.

Before the Problem

God is good, and every great and perfect gift comes from Him. He’s also the God of victory, and His track record throughout Scripture proves this out. Therefore, we must choose to act and lead from a place of victory.

We should see God for who He truly is and anchor our thinking in the reality that the Lord is able to do more than we can think, ask, or imagine.

One way to anchor your thinking to the ability of God is to create a “daily declaration” filled with Scriptures about His nature and capabilities. By repeating the declaration each day, you’ll fortify your thinking with faith-based, victory-centered truth. Doing so before problems arrive prepares you for when problems arrive.

Arrival of the Problem

Problems have a way of creating an emotional chain reaction, and as leaders, our emotions are contagious. Therefore, our first response to problems is paramount. Our initial response will create either calm or chaos. Therefore, we must immediately greet the problem with the proper perspective.

The right perspective removes the problem’s power (over us and the people we lead). In other words, rather than seeing the problem as permanent and pervasive, we must see it as temporary and solvable. Any other perspective gives the problem authority over our lives and in our leadership.

During the Problem

Some problems are too big to overcome alone. That’s why leaders need teams filled with “possibility people,” who generally share three attitudes: positive, problem-solving, and proactive.

Positivity keeps the team from spreading negativity throughout the organization. Problem-solving orients the team around finding a solution. And being proactive keeps the team from slipping into paralysis by analysis.

Combined, those three attitudes enable teams to see the problem correctly, seize a solution quickly, and set the ministry up for success.

After the Problem

Once the problem is solved, perform an autopsy on the issue and your response to it. Reflect on what happened, how it happened, how you responded to it, and the ultimate outcome.

From your reflections, harvest lessons you can apply in the future. This evaluation process will help you get better and lead better.

Attitudes and emotions are contagious; therefore, do everything in your power to avoid a fear-based, defeatist mentality. In the end, the people you lead will thank you for it, and the ministry you lead will thrive because of it.