Lock-In When Others Check Out
How Leaders Finish Strong in Every Season
One of the things I’ve learned over the years is this. Most people start strong. Very few finish strong.
I’ve been in the same church for over four decades, and I’ve watched people start businesses, ministries, careers, and assignments with good intentions and a good heart. But somewhere along the way, many get distracted, grow weary, or simply check out.
That’s why I want to talk to you about a leadership principle that separates average leaders from high achievers. You have to learn how to lock in when others check out.
Life Is Made Up of Seasons
The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”
Notice the words season, time, and purpose.
Every season you are in right now has a purpose attached to it.
Life and leadership are seasonal. Seasons come, and seasons go. But if we don’t finish the season we’re in, we’re going to repeat it somewhere down the road. We may change jobs, change organizations, change cities, or change relationships, but unfinished lessons have a way of following us.
Learning and Winning in Every Season
I like to say it this way.
We are either learning and winning, or we are losing.
If I’m not learning anything in a season, then I’m not growing. And if I’m not growing, I’m stuck. Growth requires pressure. Potential comes out through resistance.
Just like muscles are built under pressure, leadership character is developed through adversity, difficulty, and responsibility.
Do Not Grow Weary in Doing Good
Galatians 6:9 tells us, “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint.”
Why would Scripture tell us not to grow weary? Because most people do.
Most people get tired of doing the same thing over and over again. They get tired of the process. They look for shortcuts. They chase perfection instead of progress.
But strong leaders understand this.
Progress is found in consistency.
Don’t look for perfection. Look for progress.
Disappointments Can Become Appointments
There are seasons that feel disappointing. Delays. Setbacks. Pressure. Things not working the way you expected.
But everything has an appointed time. What looks like a disappointment can become an appointment if we keep the right perspective.
Every season has opportunities. The question is whether we see our season as an obstacle or an opportunity.
Questions Leaders Must Ask in Every Season
If we are going to finish strong, we have to become self aware. Leaders grow through asking questions.
Here are a few questions I encourage every leader to ask:
How can I grow and improve through this season?
What lesson is God teaching me right now?
What do I need to change?
How have I responded to pressure and adversity?
What do I need to become to finish strong?
We don’t graduate to the next season until we pass the test of the one we’re in.
Becoming Before Doing
One of the most important leadership principles I’ve learned is this.
You have to be before you can do.
Finishing strong is not about where you are today. It’s about who you are becoming. Strong finishers develop the habits, discipline, and character necessary to endure.
So ask yourself this question.
What am I becoming in this season?
Lock In and Finish Strong
Life is seasonal. Leadership is seasonal. But leaders who lock in, stay teachable, and refuse to quit will always move forward.
Don’t check out.
Don’t grow weary.
Don’t abandon the process.
Lock in.
If you do, you will reap in due season.
And never forget this truth. God is for you.
Listen to the full episode of the Leadership Lifter Podcast on YouTube or on davidblunt.org