Leading Through Criticism

In Episode 8 of Kingdom Insight, Dr. L. K. Leonard teaches how leaders can navigate criticism and opposition without losing focus.

Leadership often brings scrutiny, misunderstanding, and resistance. But strong leaders learn how to evaluate criticism, remain steady, and stay anchored in their assignment.

In this episode, we explore how to discern constructive feedback from distraction, guard your focus, and continue building what God has called you to lead.

If you are a pastor or ministry leader facing criticism or navigating leadership pressure, this conversation will strengthen and encourage you.

📖 Scriptures Referenced

Nehemiah 4:1–3
 Proverbs 27:6
 Nehemiah 6:3
 Galatians 1:10

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Kingdom Insight, episode eight, leading through crisis criticism. Welcome to Kingdom Insight with Dr. L.K. Leonard, raising thanks back to God through clarity, instruction, and spiritual authority. In episode one, we talked about why leaders adrift. And in episode two, we discussed reestoring alignment. In episode three, we focused on protecting ministry culture. And in episode four, we talked about garden leadership discipline. In episode five, we discussed leading without losing yourself. In episode six, we talked about when leadership gets heavy. And in episode seven, we discussed staying consistent even when you don't feel like it. But today, we're going to deal with something every leader will face when whatever they're in what kind of ever kind of leadership you're in, you're gonna face criticism. Every leader faces criticism. Because if you lead long enough, you will be criticized, you will be misunderstood, you will be questioned in your leadership, you will be talked about in your leadership. And if you don't know how to handle it, criticism can distance you, discourage you, and even derail your leadership. Today we're talking about leading through criticism. That's very important. A lot of times we don't uh leaders don't understand and don't know, and they don't realize that they're gonna go through criticism. You want to be perfect, you want to do everything right, but and no matter if you're doing it right or however, you're going to be criticized. Listen, first thing, criticism is part of leadership. Near my 4, 1 through 3. When Nearma began to build the wall, opposition showed up immediately. See, uh Nearmai wasn't doing anything, he just was rebuilding the wall. Sam by Sam Ballot mocked him, and and and others criticize him. And what this teaches us, and it teaches us something that progress attracts criticism. Listen, I you I need you to hear me today. That progress is going to attract criticism. If you're doing nothing, nobody says anything. And nobody's gonna say anything. They might talk about you, but they're not gonna say anything about what you're doing. But but when you begin to build, lead, and move forward, criticism comes with it. We must understand today that leaders when when leaders are leading, that criticism is going to come with that leading. Here it is. If you're leading effectively, criticism is not a possibility, it is a guarantee. I come to guarantee you uh today that, and no matter where you're leading it, that if you're leading effectively, criticism is going to come with it. Listen, listen, listen. Uh my wife had an aunt that I said, it don't matter if you do good or bad, people gonna talk. So let them talk. And so when you're a leader and you're doing great things and you're doing effective things, people are going to talk about you, they're gonna criticize you, they're gonna come up against you, they're gonna try to derail you, but you got to keep pressing because it comes with leadership. Listen, the second thing you need to know is that not all criticism is equal. In Proverbs 27 and 6, faithful are the wounds of a friend. Some criticism is constructive. We haven't learned, uh, we have to learn that some of it is constructive, it's it's good, it can help us, it's corrective, it can correct what we're doing wrong if people are criticizing us, and if some of it is necessary, other criticism is emotional, it's uninformed, it's destructive, it's trying to tear you down. Leaders, here it is, leader. You must discern the different, and a lot of leaders don't have the wherewithal to discern which the different, which one is constructive, which one is helping me, and which one is hurting me, which one is tearing me down, which one is correcting me, which one is necessary. And what most leaders need to learn that there are times that you have to take that criticism and be wise and build off of it. It can help you move forward, it can help you do something. Wise leaders don't reject all criticism, they evaluate it. Have you been evaluating your criticism? Have you been evaluating to see if it was good or not? Have you been? Do you have discernment? If you need discernment, you may have to ask of it from God. Number three, don't let criticism distract you. Nehemiah 6 and 3. I'm doing a good work and I cannot come down. Nehemiah refuse to pull away from his assignment. Listen to me, leader. Listen to me, leader, listen to me good. Nehemiah refuse to pull away from his assignment. Criticism often tries to pull your attention, drain your energy, and shift your focus. I think I need to say that again. Criticism often pulls your attention, drains your energy and shift your focus off of the assignment. And you cannot afford to let people pull your attention, drain your energy and shift your focus off the assignment that you have been assigned to do in leadership. But leaders must stay focused. You have to stay focused. You have to stay focused today. You cannot allow every voice to access that to have access to your focus. You can't have allow every voice that you hear have access to your focus. Because when they get access to your focus, then it's gonna take you away from the assignment that you're gonna. So you gotta keep your focus. You can't let it distract you. And that's why a lot of us leaders we fall off is that because we allow the distraction, we allow the criticism to get us off, and we we're no longer focused. So that leads me to my fourth thing is stay anchored in your assignment. Galatians 1 and 10 say, Am I seeking the approval of man or of God? Criticism becomes dangerous when it causes leaders to seek approval, second guess calling, and lose clarity. I think I better say that again. Criticism becomes dangerous when it causes leaders to seek approval from men and second-guess calling and lose clarity. If you begin to uh seek approval from men, you will be begin to do things that people say, oh, don't do this and don't do that, or do it this way or do it that way. And you're seeking their approval. But who gave you the assignment? And who are you gonna listen to? And what should you be doing? You start second-guessing what it is that you've been called to do. But when you hit an assignment clear, you know the path you have to stay, and so you can't lose clarity. But strong leaders stay anchored, uh, anchor, anchors everything. It it it it solidifies it, it it puts it, it can't help keep the holes in place, and so um you got to stay anchored in your assignment. When you know what God has called you to do, you don't need everyone to agree with you. I think I'm do you hear me? When you know what God has called you to do, you don't need everyone to agree with you. Some too many leaders are trying to get everyone and everybody to to to agree with them or to validate them uh or to to to to say that this that is what it is. But when you know what God called you to do, you don't need everyone to agree with you. You just need to know that God has given you the assignment and he's called you to do it, and you just have to know who you are, and you have to stand bold and stand tall in who you are. You got to stand on the wall, like Nehemiah says, I'm on the wall and I'm doing the good work. I can't come down. I know who sent me to do the assignment. I know the work that I must do, I know the calling that I have, and I can't allow all of this to take me off the course. I can't let it make me lose my focus. Because criticism will come. It's not, it's not if it comes or when it comes. I mean, it's when it's come. It's not if it's come, it's when it's come. It's gonna come. Criticism will come. You will be misunderstood because everybody don't understand the assignment that has been given to you. It was given to you the vision, was given to you, the assignment was given to you, and every you're going to be misunderstood. You're going to be questioned. Everybody can't understand. They're gonna question, and you will be talked about, but you have to stay focused, you have to have clarity, but don't let criticism stop you. Too many people let the criticism stop them, they let the criticism uh halt them, they let the criticism, a lot of dreams have gone to the grave, and and a lot of uh uh visions have gone to the grave, a lot of things have gone to the grave because of the criticism, and they let people stop them. Evaluate what is helpful, ignore what is not. Hear what I said? Evaluate what is helpful, ignore what is not, stay focused, stay anchored. Because leaders who stay steady under criticism continue building what God called them to build. This is kingdom insight, leadership, structure, and clarity.