3 years ago when we were gearing up to start the church, I thought the secret to success in leadership was pushing through when you’re exhausted and emotionally sapped.  And sometimes you have to. Certain meetings have to happen. Certain tasks must be performed.

But when I’m super-depleted and I have the option, usually the best thing for me to do is lay low.  No major decisions.  Limited interactions.
It’s best for everybody really.  Knowing your limits as a leader and respecting them can prevent long-term injury.

Think about it like this:
When I’m working out, my trainer, Buck, usually forces me to push through my fatigue and complete another rep, whether I think I can or not.
But other times, if my old shoulder injury becomes inflamed, and he sees I’m in unhealthy pain, he’ll make me stop, whether I want to or not.
There’s no sense in pushing too hard, and missing 6 weeks of workouts because I refused to stop when my body was telling me something was wrong.

At times I have insisted on pushing through and producing when my soul needed rest, and have ended up making faulty decisions or doing relational damage that took me months to repair.  Not worth it.

There are times to push through.  There are times to lay low.
The leaders who last are in tune with the Spirit of God…enough to know the difference.