5 Ways Wise Leaders Prepare Themselves For Change

Philippians 3:12-14

Walk Out the Door and Come Back In

In 1985, Intel was in serious trouble. The company had built its reputation on memory chips, but Japanese manufacturers produced them more efficiently and sold them more cheaply. Intel’s profits fell from $198 million in 1984 to less than $2 million in 1985. The business that had created Intel’s success could no longer carry the company into the future.

Andy Grove sat with Intel chairman Gordon Moore and asked a searching question. Suppose the board removed both of them and brought in new leadership. What would the new leader do? Moore answered, “He would get us out of memories.” Grove replied, “Why shouldn’t you and I walk out the door, come back, and do it ourselves?”

That is what they did. Intel began moving away from memory chips and focused its resources on microprocessors. It was a painful decision because they were not merely changing a product. They were changing the company’s identity, structure, and direction. Yet their willingness to release the business that had built Intel helped prepare the company for an entirely different future.

Grove and Moore did not despise Intel’s past. They simply refused to let Intel’s past veto its future. One of the hardest things a leader will ever release is not a former failure, but a former success that has finished its assignment.

That is where change must begin. Before a leader can prepare an organization, ministry, staff, or congregation for change, the leader must first prepare himself. A leader can announce a new direction publicly while still resisting it privately. He can ask others to embrace a future that he has not yet accepted in his own heart.

Philippians 3 gives us a picture of a leader who refused to live in the past. Paul had a résumé worth displaying and regrets worth hiding. He had been a respected Pharisee, a disciplined student of the law, and a man known for his religious zeal. He had also persecuted the church and attempted to destroy the very faith he would later preach.

By the time he wrote Philippians, Paul had planted churches, trained leaders, endured persecution, preached across the Roman world, and seen God work in remarkable ways. Yet he did not live merely celebrating what God had already done. While imprisoned, he still reached, grew, learned, and pressed forward.

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after…” — Philippians 3:12

Not every change is wise, and change itself is not a virtue. Biblical truth must never be altered merely because culture has changed. Yet refusing to change is not the same as remaining faithful. Sometimes a leader’s resistance is based not on conviction but on comfort. He is not protecting biblical truth; he is protecting what is familiar.

Wise leaders do not change simply because something is old, and they do not preserve something simply because it is familiar. They ask whether God is still using it to accomplish His purpose.

Paul’s words give us five ways wise leaders prepare themselves for change.

1. Wise Leaders Recognize That They Have Not Arrived

Paul begins with an honest assessment of his own spiritual condition. “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect…” (Philippians 3:12).

Paul is not questioning his salvation. He knows he belongs to Christ. He is acknowledging that he has not yet reached complete spiritual maturity or final conformity to Christ. Although Paul had grown greatly, there was still more ground to cover.

That confession reveals the humility of a mature leader. Paul did not allow his past accomplishments to convince him that he had nothing left to learn. His knowledge did not destroy his teachability. His experience did not make him unapproachable. His position did not make him uncorrectable.

John Newton expressed that same spirit when he said, “Though I am not what I ought to be…I can truly say, I am not what I once was.”

That tension is healthy for every leader. We should be grateful for how far God has brought us, but we should never become satisfied with how far we still have to go. Confidence says, “God has used me.” Complacency says, “God has nothing more to teach me.”

Success can make honest evaluation difficult. When a method has worked, a ministry has grown, or a decision has been praised, leaders can begin to assume that their judgment is beyond question. They may stop inviting counsel because they have become accustomed to giving it. They may stop listening because people have become accustomed to hearing them.

Scripture gives a different picture of wisdom.  “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning” (Proverbs 9:9).

The wise man is not identified by his refusal of instruction but by his response to it. The more wisdom he has, the more willing he becomes to accept correction and keep learning.

Paul also warned, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

A leader becomes vulnerable when he starts believing that his experience has made him immune to error. Longevity can produce wisdom, but it can also produce rigidity when a leader stops examining his assumptions.

Wise leaders regularly ask themselves difficult questions.

When was the last time I admitted I was wrong?

When was the last time I changed my mind after receiving better information?

Am I still learning from people younger than I am?

Have I surrounded myself with people who tell me the truth, or only with people who confirm what I already think?

The leader who believes he has arrived has already stopped moving.

Preparing for change begins with the prayer of David. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Before asking, “What needs to change around me?” a wise leader asks, “Lord, what needs to change within me?”

2. Wise Leaders Release What Belongs to the Past

Paul continues, saying, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind…” (Philippians 3:13).

Paul was not describing the erasing of memory. He frequently testified about his past and remembered the grace God had shown him. Forgetting those things behind him meant he refused to let the past control his present pursuit.

The picture is that of a runner. A runner cannot run effectively toward the finish line while continually turning around to study the part of the track he has already covered. The runner remembers where he has been, but his attention must be directed toward where he is going.

Paul had to release both the pain and the pride of his past. He had persecuted Christians, imprisoned believers, and consented to the death of Stephen. Yet he would not spend the rest of his life paralyzed by shame. He described himself as one who had been “a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious,” but he also declared, “I obtained mercy” (1 Timothy 1:13).

Paul also had religious accomplishments that could have become a source of pride. Earlier in Philippians 3, he listed his pedigree, education, religious standing, and zeal. Then he said, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ” (Philippians 3:7).

Some leaders are chained to what went wrong. Others are chained to what went right. One is held by regret; the other is held by nostalgia. A leader can be held hostage by his trophies as easily as by his trauma.

Israel demonstrated the danger of living in the past while traveling through the wilderness. When the journey became difficult, they remembered the food of Egypt. “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons…” (Numbers 11:5).

They remembered the menu but forgot the chains. Distance had made slavery appear more attractive than it really was. Nostalgia often edits the past. It highlights what was comfortable and hides what was unhealthy.

Henry Blackaby wrote, “You cannot stay where you are and go with God.”

Following God always requires adjustment.

Abraham had to leave Ur.

Moses had to leave the wilderness and return to Egypt.

Elisha had to leave his plow.

Peter had to leave his nets.

The disciples had to leave the upper room.

God’s call repeatedly moved people beyond what was familiar.

Jesus said, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Wise leaders honor the past without worshiping it. They preserve biblical convictions, celebrate faithful people, and thank God for former victories. But they do not insist that tomorrow must look exactly like yesterday.

That requires asking an uncomfortable question: Am I protecting this because it is biblical, or because it is familiar? Is this a conviction that must not change, or a method that has become emotionally important to me? Am I preserving the mission, or merely preserving the way I have always carried it out?

The past should be a classroom from which we learn, not a residence in which we live.

3. Wise Leaders Reach Toward What God Has Placed Ahead

Paul does more than forget what is behind. He says he is, “…reaching forth unto those things which are before.” (Philippians 3:13)

The language describes a runner stretching his body toward the finish line. Paul is not waiting passively for the future to arrive. He is leaning toward it with intention, discipline, and expectation.

Releasing the past is incomplete unless a leader also begins preparing for what is ahead. You can recognize that an old method is no longer effective without developing a better one. You can know a transition is coming and do nothing to prepare for it.

Wise leaders look ahead. They pay attention to changes in their community, organization, culture, and people. They listen to those who are closest to the work. They ask what skills will be needed, what problems may emerge, what opportunities may open, and what should be built now rather than later.

The sons of Issachar were valuable to David because they “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).

They did not merely understand their times. They knew what action those times required.

Abraham Lincoln faced a nation torn apart by civil war when he told Congress, “As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew.”

Lincoln was not calling for abandoning principle. He was acknowledging that an unprecedented challenge could not be addressed by merely repeating the assumptions of an earlier season. The values had to remain, but the thinking had to rise to meet the moment.

Scripture repeatedly connects faith with preparation. Noah built an ark before rain fell. Joseph stored grain before the famine arrived. David gathered materials before Solomon began building the temple. Their preparation did not reveal a lack of faith. It revealed that they believed what God had said about the future.

“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” - Proverbs 22:3

Preparation is faith that takes God’s future seriously enough to get ready.

Wise leaders do not chase every trend. Something is not automatically useful because it is new. But wise leaders also don't ignore obvious developments just because they make them uncomfortable. There is a difference between being trendy and being prepared.

Preparing for change may require learning a new skill, strengthening a weak system, developing another leader, simplifying an outdated process, having a difficult conversation, or seeking counsel from someone with experience we lack.

A leader should regularly ask: What is changing around us? What will our people need in the next season? What problems can we prevent by preparing now? What do I need to learn before circumstances force me to learn it under pressure?

The future usually warns before it brings consequences. Wise leaders pay attention to the warning.

4. Wise Leaders Refocus Continually on the Mark

Paul writes, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).

Paul knew what he was pursuing. He was not running in every direction, chasing every possibility, or shifting his priorities to suit public opinion. His eyes were fixed upon the mark.

The word translated “press” carries the idea of earnest pursuit. It is especially striking that the same Greek verb is used in this chapter to describe Paul’s former persecution of the church and his present pursuit of Christ. In verse 6, his zeal drove him to persecute believers. In verses 12 and 14, grace has redirected that same intensity toward knowing and following Jesus.

Grace did not remove Paul’s passion. Grace gave his passion a new purpose.

That is important for leaders facing change. Change becomes confusing when the leader is uncertain about the mark. If he does not know what must remain central, he will either chase every new idea or defend every old method.

For Paul, the mark was not a larger platform, greater recognition, or an easier life. The context of Philippians 3 is knowing Christ, being conformed to Christ, sharing in His sufferings, and ultimately standing complete in His presence.

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings…” - Philippians 3:10

The ultimate goal of Christian leadership is not organizational survival. It is faithfulness to Christ.

The gospel must not change. The authority of Scripture must not change. Biblical doctrine, holiness, worship, discipleship, and the Great Commission must not change. But the structures, schedules, tools, assignments, and methods we use to carry out that mission may need to change.

Paul used another racing picture when he wrote, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain” (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Hebrews 12:1-2 gives the same emphasis, and says, “…let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”

The Christian leader does not fix his eyes on the past, the pressure, the critics, or even the change itself. He fixes his eyes on Christ.

When the mark is clear, methods can change without the mission becoming confused.

Every proposed change should be brought under the authority of that mark. Does this help us obey Christ more faithfully? Does it strengthen our ability to teach truth, reach people, develop disciples, care for those we lead, and steward what God has entrusted to us?

The right question is not merely, “Is it old?” or “Is it new?” The right question is, “Is it biblical, wise, and useful to the mission God has given us?”

Methods are servants. Christ is the Master. Never become so loyal to a servant that you resist the direction of the Master.

5. Wise Leaders Rely on the Christ Who Has Taken Hold of Them

Paul’s pursuit was not rooted in self-confidence. He said, “…but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12).

Before Paul took hold of his assignment, Christ had taken hold of Paul. The risen Lord had met him on the road to Damascus, saved him, called him, and redirected his life.

Paul’s security was not found in knowing every detail of the future. His security came from knowing he belonged to Christ.

Many leaders struggle with change because their role has gradually become their identity. Their sense of worth becomes tied to a title, position, ministry, program, platform, or level of influence. When that role changes, they feel as though they are losing themselves.

But Paul’s identity was not ultimately “apostle,” “missionary,” “church planter,” or “prisoner.” His identity was “in Christ Jesus.”

Positions may change. Responsibilities may change. People may leave. A season may close. Health may alter our pace. An assignment that once defined our days may end. But Christ does not change.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” - Hebrews 13:8

Paul had already written, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

The same Christ who began the work will continue it. Paul did not have to control every circumstance because he trusted the One who had called him.

That does not mean wise leaders refuse to plan. Scripture commends planning, counsel, preparation, and diligence. Faith is not carelessness. But planning must never replace dependence on God.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” - Proverbs 3:5–6

The leader who knows he is held by Christ can loosen his grip on everything Christ may choose to change.

You may not know exactly what the next season will bring, but you know the God who has already entered it. You may not control the transition, but you can control whether you enter it prayerfully, humbly, and obediently.

The deepest security in change is not certainty about circumstances. It is confidence in the character of God.

Walk Out, Kneel Down, and Move Forward

Andy Grove understood that he needed to walk out the door mentally and return with fresh eyes. He had to look at Intel without allowing emotional attachment to the past to control the decision.

Christian leaders need something even greater than an outsider’s perspective. We need God’s perspective.

Perhaps the question is not merely, “What would a new leader do?” The better question is, “Lord, if You examined my leadership without my pride, fear, habits, and emotional attachments, what would You tell me to stop preserving and start pursuing?”

We should not finish this lesson merely admiring Paul’s determination. Paul said, “This one thing I do.” He did not merely consider it, discuss it, or agree with it. He acted.

Before this day ends, take a piece of paper and complete five sentences:

“I need to admit that I have not arrived in…”

“I need to release…”

“I need to prepare for…”

“I need to refocus on…”

“I need to trust God with…”

Be specific. Do not hide behind broad language. Name the method, fear, wound, habit, weakness, conversation, or decision that God has brought to your mind. Then determine one action you will take before this week ends. Make the call. Begin the conversation. Seek counsel. Study the issue. Delegate the responsibility. End the outdated process. Learn the needed skill. Take the next obedient step.

Prayer without action can become delay disguised as devotion, while action without prayer becomes confidence in the flesh. Wise leaders kneel before God, listen carefully, rise humbly, and move obediently.

Now rise from prayer and act. The future is not ours to control, but obedience is ours to choose. Yesterday may explain where we have been, but it must not command where we go next.

Christ has apprehended us. The mark is still ahead. The calling is still high. The race is not over.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 3:13–14

Wise leaders thank God for yesterday, surrender themselves today, and follow Christ courageously into tomorrow.