5 Leadership Mistakes That Keep You From Developing Leaders & Multiplying Impact

(And the Better Way Jesus Shows Us in Luke 10)

The Tension Every Leader Feels

Most leaders today are working harder than ever… but not multiplying impact.

You feel the pressure.

You feel the weight.

You feel the ceiling.

You want to develop more leaders, release more responsibility, and expand your influence but something keeps getting in the way.

I get it. Not because I’ve mastered it…

but because I’ve made every single one of the mistakes you’re about to read.

Each one has capped my leadership.

Each one has slowed my ability to multiply.

Each one has kept me carrying more than I should.

The good news?

These mistakes don’t have to be your story.

Jesus shows us a better way.

In Luke 10, He gives us a five-part leadership development model that built people, multiplied leaders, and scaled a movement.

When we flip the mistakes below into the model Jesus used, we step into leadership that multiplies instead of maintains.

Let’s dive in.

The 5 Mistakes That Stall Leader Development & Kill Multiplication

If you aren’t developing leaders or multiplying impact, you are likely trapped in one (or more) of these patterns.

But you don’t have to stay there.

Jesus modeled the opposite.

MISTAKE #1: Giving Tasks Without Vision

The problem: Your team is busy, but not aligned.

When leaders skip clarity, teams default to:

• Busy work

• Confusion

• Misalignment

• Frustration

If people can’t see the why, they won’t commit to the what.

Tweet This:

Activity is not fruitfulness. Clarity creates commitment.

• (Jesus began with vision: “The harvest is plentiful…”) *
  
  

Jesus’ Way (Luke 10:2):

He starts with the vision:

• The opportunity

• The urgency

• The dependency
  
  

The Better Path:

Give vision before giving tasks.

People follow clarity, not confusion.

MISTAKE #2: Empowering Without Expectations

The problem: People are trying hard, but guessing wrong.

When responsibility is handed off without clarity:

• People guess

• Confidence drops

• Results become inconsistent

• Blame increases

This isn’t empowerment, it’s abdication.

Tweet This:

Giving authority without instruction sets people up to fail.

(Jesus gave identity clarity, strategy, boundaries, metrics.)

Jesus’ Way (Luke 10:3–12):

Jesus gives:

• Identity clarity

• Strategy clarity

• Behavioral clarity

• Success metrics

• Boundaries

The Better Path:

If you want leaders to step up, show them what “stepping up” looks like.

MISTAKE #3: Refusing to Release People

The problem: You’re bottlenecking your own impact.

When leaders don’t release others because “they’re not ready,” it creates:

• Bottlenecks

• Burnout

• Stagnation

• A culture of spectators

People develop by doing, not by watching.

Tweet This:

If you don’t trust people, you’ll never reproduce people.

(Jesus sends the 72 with authority and autonomy.)

Jesus’ Way (Luke 10:3):

Jesus releases them with:

• Authority

• Autonomy

• Accountability
  
  

The Better Path:

Send people sooner than you think.

You can correct mistakes, you cannot correct stagnation.

MISTAKE #4: Never Evaluating or Debriefing

The problem: Your team keeps repeating the same patterns.

Without evaluation:

• Lessons are wasted

• Wins are forgotten

• Mistakes get repeated

• Growth stalls

Empowerment without evaluation is incomplete development.

Tweet This:

“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice with evaluation makes perfect.” — John Maxwell

(Jesus made them return and report.)

Jesus’ Way (Luke 10:17):

Jesus builds a rhythm:

• Return

• Report

• Reflect

• Recalibrate

  
  

The Better Path:

Schedule debriefs as intentionally as you schedule execution.

Reflection fuels acceleration.

MISTAKE #5: Coaching Skills but Not the Heart

The problem: Your leaders grow in ability but shrink in identity.

If you only coach behavior and not motives:

• Pride grows

• Insecurity deepens

• Identity drifts

• Longevity decreases

Skill development grows capacity.

Heart development sustains calling.

Tweet This:

Skill development grows capacity. Heart development sustains calling.

(Jesus affirmed, corrected, and re-centered identity.)

Jesus’ Way (Luke 10:18–20):

Jesus:

• Affirms their success

• Corrects their motives

• Re-centers their identity

  
  

The Better Path:

Coach both the hands and the heart.

Reverse These Mistakes and Multiply Your Impact

If you want to multiply leaders the way Jesus did, follow His pattern:

Clarity → Empowerment → Sending → Debrief → Coaching

This is how Jesus turned followers into leaders

and leaders into multipliers.

This is how movements grow.

This is how culture shifts.

This is how impact expands.

Your Turn, Leader

Imagine your team aligned around vision instead of confused by tasks.

Imagine leaders rising because you empowered with clarity.

Imagine your ministry or organization scaling because you released people sooner.

Imagine growth accelerating because you evaluate consistently.

Imagine a culture where identity is strengthened as skills grow.

Now imagine the alternative…

What happens if nothing changes?

The ceiling stays low.

Burnout increases.

Impact stalls.

And potential remains unrealized.

Jesus shows a better way,

and now that you see it, it’s time to walk in it.

If you want the full Luke 10 framework or the team implementation worksheet, reach out, I’d love to equip you.