Rosette Marine Akuc
In the high-octane world of executive leadership, the narrative is often “beautified.”
We are sold a vision of leadership that looks like a destination, a reward for years of grit, a place of prestige, perks, and final say. But the reality is far more demanding.
Real leadership is not a trophy room; it is a grueling, lifelong journey that relentlessly tests your patience, reshuffles your priorities, and demands every ounce of your time.
The most dangerous pitfall on this journey is a psychological trap I call “The Payback Mindset.”
After years of toiling under various leaders, some visionary, some toxic, there is a subtle, subconscious temptation to view one’s ascent to the C-suite as “payback” for the years of sacrifice.
This mindset shifts a leader from servant leadership to self-serving leadership. It transforms the team from a garden to be nurtured into a tool for personal ego.
When we lead from a place of “it’s my turn now,” we stop leading and start merely ruling.
To find the true North of leadership, we must look beyond modern corporate jargon and toward the most radical act of authority in history: Jesus washing the feet of His disciples.
In the ancient world, this was the work of the lowest servant, yet the leader of leaders chose this path. Crucially, this wasn’t an act of weakness or a loss of stature.
It was a practical, visceral display of how leadership actually functions. It was a message that the higher you climb, the lower you must be willing to reach.
When a leader reaches for the basin instead of the throne, they acknowledge a fundamental truth that many miss: God does not give you the team you desire; He gives you the team you are called to serve.
We often spend our nights wishing for a “dream team,” a group that is perfectly obedient, hyper-productive, and flawlessly respectful.
We want the finished product. However, divine leadership recognizes that you are often gifted with the “deviant,” the “strong-minded,” and the “confidently immature.”
I look back at my own journey with deep gratitude because I was once that “difficult” talent.
I was a deviant, strong-minded, and fiercely confident young lady who thought I knew it all, despite having everything to learn.
I didn’t need a boss who would crush my spirit or engage in a power struggle; I needed leaders who had the wisdom to see my potential beneath my immaturity.
I am the leader I am today because they chose to groom me rather than dismiss me. Navigating the “career killers” is easy when you have those who admire you.
It is a divine calling to lead those who seem positioned to destroy you.
In every organization, some individuals feel like “career killers” professionals who challenge your authority, question your vision, and test your resolve.
Even Jesus led people who would eventually plot against Him. He viewed their opposition not as a personal affront to His ego, but as a symptom of confusion, immaturity, and a lack of divine wisdom.
What no one tells you in business school is that engaging in ego-driven confrontations with the professionals placed under you is a deviation from your calling.
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When you fight your team, you aren’t winning; you are losing the very people you were commissioned to build.
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So, how does a leader navigate a team that feels unprofessional or resistant?
It requires a shift from policing behavior to enhancing potential.
• Audit the resistance: Distinguish between a character flaw and a lack of clarity. Often, what we perceive as “unprofessionalism” is actually a mask for frustration, fear, or a lack of proper tools. A servant leader digs deeper to find the root cause.
• The strength inventory: Every team member has a “superpower,” even the ones who drive you crazy. Your job is to identify what they are naturally good at and exploit that strength for the good of the organization.
When people work within their giftings, their friction with authority often evaporates because they feel valued and effective.
• Know the person, not the position: You cannot enhance what you do not know. Spend time understanding their “why.”
A leader who knows their team’s personal aspirations can align those goals with the company’s vision, turning a “difficult” employee into a dedicated partner.
• The power of divine guidance: Remember that you are a steward of their careers. Use the knowledge and wisdom you gained during your “toiling years” to nurture them. Your experience wasn’t just for your promotion; it was for their preparation.
A self-serving leader views the team as a means to an end, demands respect based on title and “payback, reacts to opposition with defensiveness, and sees “difficult” talent as a threat to their legacy.
On the other hand, a servant leader views the team as the primary mission, earns respect through sacrifice and character, and sees “difficult” talent as a development project.
To the leader in the storm
To the leader currently struggling with a defiant team, feeling drained by the constant testing of your patience: Do not grow weary.
The weight you feel is not the weight of failure; it is the weight of the responsibility to groom the next generation. Your current frustration is the forge in which your character is being tempered.
That difficult employee isn’t there to end your career; they are there to expand your capacity. Leadership is the art of seeing the “best version” of someone before they have the maturity to see it in themselves.
Love and divine wisdom conquer the confusion of the immature. When you are tempted to fight for your “right” to be respected, remember the basin.
Your legacy will not be defined by the power you wielded or the battles you won against your subordinates.
It will be defined by the people you transformed through your patience and your willingness to serve.
Keep leading. The journey is long, the test is real, but the reward of seeing a soul transformed under your guidance is the greatest “payback” you will ever receive.
The writer is a marketing and communications consultant
