Leadership Isn’t About Style—It’s About Fighting in the Trenches
Spoiler Alert: The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
By David Sena | BoldLeading.com
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
— James 5:16 (NIV)
Leadership isn’t a carefully curated aesthetic. It’s not the right words at the right moment or a perfect leadership framework. Neither is it about credentials and experience.
Leadership is about getting in the trenches with your team and fighting for something that matters.
As leaders, our job is fourfold: to cast a vision, to protect our teams from unnecessary chaos, to help streamline their work so each member can work effectively and with focus, and to challenge them to take bold steps—even if that involves failure.
But here’s the tension: these responsibilities often collide. The drive to fulfill our mission and vision can cause us to grip the reins too tightly. Or, we might be tempted to let go completely and give our teams the freedom to find their own way forward. How do you craft and drive a vision for your organization that allows room for others to grow and use their gifts?
And when facing big challenges—the need to grow, the threat of closing, or a seemingly impossible project—how do you know which step to take next?
The After Party Principle
I’ve always believed the best moments happen at the after party. Not during the celebration itself, but in the moments that come after a gala or event—when the work is done, and the people who made it happen gather to reflect.
Being in the room after the party means you were part of work that mattered. And it’s where the honest conversation, evaluation, and insight are shared.
When I was in my early twenties, desperately in need of mentorship and help, I attended a national conference for street preachers. What impacted me most wasn’t what was shared in the main sessions. What I remember is what I learned in the evening after the conference ended, when the speakers discussed what went well and what didn’t.
The conversation centered on things the speakers and coordinators could have done better. Mistakes made. Opportunities missed.
But there was something more that filled the air: Hope. Humility. And a childlike faith that God is writing the story.
I learned something crucial during those exhausted post-event conversations: You have to be close to the action to be mentored by community and experience. Real leadership formation doesn’t happen in comfortable coffee shop conversations. It happens in the fatigue after great endeavors, with people who’ve actually done the work.
I brushed shoulders with people who had been in ministry for decades and were still passionate about Jesus. Not perfect, but purposeful. Those moments gave me insights I still treasure today.
I want that to be true of the teams I lead and am part of today. I want to nurture that small-team culture—where we bond over wins and losses, share the weight, and then do the after party together.
But, there’s more to the picture. The more difficult part….
The Enemies We Face
Every good, worthwhile effort will have enemies. And resistance.
As a nonprofit director, you know this is true. You’re well aware of the battles you face.
Each day you’re protecting your team from unwise decisions and efforts from outside influences. Discerning and guarding against extra responsibilities and projects others would have you to take on. Navigating board micromanagement. Pushing through lack of focus. And the temptation to do too much all at once.
There are these and other “external” enemies organizations face. Like financial troubles, staff dysfunction, and political shifts or policy changes that directly impact your work. These are fairly easy to recognize.
But what about the unseen enemies? Those are the ones that could destroy you.
Those quieter, insidious adversaries? They’re the confusion about next steps. Paralysis when you need to act. Competing voices all claiming to have the right answer. The subtle shift from “we did this” to “I did this.” Even our own frailty and the constant, jockeying demands of our personal and professional lives.
These enemies must be fought. Sometimes with actions or words. Sometimes with groanings too frustrated or bewildered for words. And always: with prayer.
Building Structure That Makes Room for Prayer
Some leaders resist creating systems because they fear structure will quench the Spirit. I used to think that too.
But when we built a Ministry Playbook at an organization I used to lead—a clear framework for our mission, values, and decision-making—something unexpected happened: it created more space for prayer, not less.
The playbook gave our board clarity on decisions. It gave our team shared principles instead of personal preferences. It gave our staff boundaries and priorities.
Suddenly, our leadership wasn’t reactive—it was reflective. We finally had room to ask: “God, what do you want us to do?” instead of “How do we please everyone?”
It gave us filters to help decide what truly mattered:
Does this align with our mission and values?
Does it serve the people we’re called to help?
Are we uniquely equipped for this?
Does it strengthen or strain our culture?
Structure didn’t replace dependence on God. It deepened it.
As Paul wrote,
“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
A healthy playbook reflects that peace in your leadership culture. (Read more about why every executive director needs a playbook here.)
But the playbook was only half the answer.
The Impossible Engine
Prayer is the impossible engine.
We can write a better policy. We can create efficient processes and build talented teams. These things matter.
But prayer is the most critical play in your playbook. I learned to pray in the bathroom. In the car with quick, unfocused, shotgun cries for help. Alone in conference rooms with longer, more intimate conversations with God. In elevators and in the middle of meetings, with a quick cries of, “Help, Lord!”
Because the warfare we face in our work—and especially in ministries where the Gospel is preached—is not against flesh and blood. It is of principalities and powers far beyond our own strength. Prayer has to have its way.
Prayer brings clarity when you’re stuck. Purpose when you’ve lost direction. And God’s provision when you’re facing the impossible.
The “impossible engine” that has brought clarity and success in my past work, and that has brought me to a place of leadership and insight today, has always been communion in prayer with a God who understands frailty and enjoys being strong on our behalf.
The Paradox We Live
Leadership is a paradox.
We provide vision while making room for others’ vision. We protect while we empower. We challenge people to fail while building systems for success.
And underneath it all, we fight battles that business journals never mention.
This is why prayer isn’t a nice addition to your leadership toolkit—it’s the foundation. Because when you face enemies you can’t see with weapons you can’t measure, you need power you can’t manufacture.
So yes, write a better policy. Build a talented team. Create efficient processes. Build your ministry playbook.
But do it on your knees first.
Because the enemies you face aren’t just budget shortfalls and strategic missteps. They’re confusion and pride. They’re the principalities and powers that want to steal vision, kill momentum, and destroy teams.
Find your community. Build your after-party culture. Share the credit. Embrace the exhaustion of great endeavors with people who get it.
Fight in the trenches. Pray hard—short prayers and long ones. Alone, and with your team. Trust the impossible engine.
The fight is real. But so is the victory.
Because God understands your frailty and enjoys being strong on your behalf.
Final Word
Your best leadership strategy won’t be found in a leadership book. Structure and strategy are important. But your best tools and true power are found in prayer: those bathroom prayers, those shotgun cries in the car, and those intimate moments alone with God in conference rooms.
Lead with courage.
Protect your people fiercely.
Streamline where you can.
Challenge your teams to fail boldly.
But never forget the invisible work—the work that happens on your knees before it happens in the boardroom. The groanings that precede the breakthroughs.
The clarity, purpose, and provision you need? They’re found in communion with the One who’s already got this.
About Bold Leading
For more than 10 years, Bold Leading has helped nonprofit leaders develop strong teams, establish healthy principles and processes, and grow their capacity in marketing, fundraising, and strategy—so they don’t merely survive but thrive in their mission to serve and share Jesus.
If you’re ready to move forward with confidence—or could simply use a fellow leader to pray and think with—we’d love to talk with you.
Dave Sena
Dave is a Christian nonprofit leader and consultant who equips faith-based, Gospel-centered organizations to serve with excellence. As an ordained minister, former non-profit CEO, and Air Force Academy graduate with a BS in Computer Science, Dave’s passion is to help ministry leaders share the message of Jesus with clarity and confidence.
Contact: dave@boldleading.com
Visit: BoldLeading.com
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” — James 1:5 (NIV)