How To Lead in an Environment of Entitlement
“How do you coach in an environment where the players feel like they owe you nothing and you owe them everything? -Geno Aurlemma, UConn Women’s Basketball Coach
This question resonates far beyond basketball. It’s a reality pastors, church leaders, and business professionals face daily. Whether you’re managing a congregation, leading a team, or building a community, the challenge is the same: navigating entitlement.
As a leader, you give your time, energy, and heart, but what happens when the people you lead stop contributing?
When they show up expecting you to carry the weight, how do you lead without burning out?
If you’re asking yourself these questions, you’re not alone. Let’s break this problem down into three actionable solutions.
Shift the Culture from Consumer to Contributor
In many churches (or organizations) people expect to show up, fill up, and walk out. They view leadership as a service industry rather than a shared mission.
Your job as a leader is to shift the culture from consumer to contributor.
Here’s how:
Create a Compelling “Why”: People need to understand the purpose of their contribution. Communicate how their contribution helps move the mission forward. A great vision motivates and activates.
Highlight Their Role: People want to feel like they matter. Be intentional about showing them where they fit in. From small tasks to large responsibilities, when people know their role, they step up.
Celebrate Wins Publicly: Recognition is a game-changer. When you celebrate contributions- no matter how small- you set the tone for others to get involved.
Show people their value, and you’ll see them shift from passive recipients to active participants.
Lead with Servant Sacrifice
Great leadership starts with service, but here’s where many leaders go wrong. Out of frustration, urgency, or emergency, they take on too much responsibility to compensate for others. The result? Burnout for you and dependency for them.
Instead:
Model Balance: Show what healthy leadership looks like. Serve with humility, but draw clear boundaries to protect your energy and focus.
Teach Sacrifice as a Value: If you’re a pastor, this one is huge. Following Christ means carrying your cross, not sitting in comfort. Regularly teach the cost of discipleship and the joy of contributing to something bigger than yourself.
Empower Others to Lead: Don’t do everything yourself. I repeat: don’t do everything yourself! Share responsibilities and trust people to handle tasks. Yes, at times they will mess up, but that’s part of the growing process.
Servant leadership isn’t about doing everything for others- it’s about inspiring others to take ownership.
Build Purposeful Partnerships
You can’t lead effectively without partnership. Whether it’s your leadership team, volunteers, or other members of the church, your success depends on building strong purpose-driven partnerships.
Here’s how to make it happen:
Communicate Your Mission Clearly: People won’t follow a leader if they don’t understand where they’re going. Be crystal clear about your vision and values, and tie every action back to the mission.
Build Relational Equity: Strong partnerships are built on trust and mutual respect. Invest time in your people. Learn their stories, understand their motivations, and build relationships that go beyond work.
Collaborate, Don’t Dictate: People want to be part of the process. Instead of dictating decisions, involve others in brainstorming and strategy. When people feel ownership, they’ll contribute more freely.
Purposeful partnerships don’t just lighten your load- they multiply your impact.
What You Need To Know/What You Need To Do
By fostering a culture of contribution, modeling servant sacrifice with boundaries, and building purposeful partnerships, you can create an environment where people step up, take ownership, and grow.
This isn’t about you owing someone something, or about them owing you anything. It’s about shared responsibility.
When entitlement fades, empowerment thrives.
See you next Saturday!
Eric V Hampton
Whenever you’re ready, there are 5 ways I can help you:
Coaching. Transform your core leaders into a high-performing team that increases creativity, productivity, and profitability.
ChurchLeaderOS. My leadership development “operating system” equips every member to become a high-capacity leader.
The Healthy Church Leader Annual Review. My annual review guides you from celebration (remembering past wins) to expectation (planning future wins) as you pursue your Christ-centered mission.
The Real MVP. I wrote and designed this book to invest in your leadership. Become a person of mission, vision, and purpose in 60 minutes.