Every now and then, I’ll spend a bit of time scrolling through LinkedIn, Facebook, or some other social media hellscape, and I’ll come across another masterpiece by a grinning influencer looking like they’ve cracked the ultimate riddle—and the answer actually isn’t “42”.

You know the posts I’m talking about.

Gorgeous photos, 47 bullet points screaming that everything you need to succeed is already inside you. 28k likes. Fire emojis.

And some days, you double-tap because you really want it to be true.

I want it to be true.

Except that maybe only half of it is true.

Yes, you have enormous potential. After all, God doesn’t make junk. On the contrary, you were fearfully and wonderfully made, and He knew you and called you before you were even in your mumma’s belly.

But the bit that’s poison…

It’s the part that says my capacity, my talent, my skills, my mindset, my, my, my…

me, me, me.

Self, self, self…

The polished lie, when you read those posts, is that all you have to do is unlock your potential, fix your mindset, do the “stuff” the influencer says you should do, and boom—success.

And you didn’t need anyone else.

But here’s the full truth… that’s not empowerment. It's isolation dressed in motivational quotes, and it shrinks your leadership to the size of your own capacity.

Take the exec who won’t delegate because no one can do it as well as him. He burns out at 38, company plateaus, and he wonders why his team resents him.

Or the pastor who responds personally to every 2 am crisis call because “that’s what shepherds do.” Compassion fatigue sets in. Then a moral slip. Suddenly, the flock he’s safeguarding is scattered.

The founder who views vulnerability as weakness? Her team never bonds. Culture remains shallow. And innovation dries up.

These might be made-up examples… but you and I both know there’s truth in the embellishments.

But you want a real example? Alright … here’s mine.

Did you catch a glimpse of yourself in any of those examples? If you want more content like this, let's stay connected—drop your email for the next piece straight to your inbox.

How about me being the leader of a Christian organisation and buying into the delusion that I had to be the one holding everything together? Like I needed to be the one person strong enough to carry the weight of the ministry because that’s what I was called to do (oh, and paid to do).

I fell for it. I believed the lie that real leadership meant self-sufficiency, stoicism, and lone-wolf competence… “I’ve got this” on steroids.

And it ground me into the dust.

Because, of course, admitting “I can’t do it all” and “I need people” felt like failure.

And the worst part? My approach to leadership ignored the deeper truth—still does, if I’m honest—that without Him I can do nothing.

God Made Us Weak on Purpose

Here’s the actual truth: we are not created or gifted to do life alone or in a vacuum.

That’s it. That’s the truth.

The work I do with teams as a GRIP+ facilitator makes it very plain … God wired every one of us to know exactly where we are strong, where we are weak, and who we need.

Our weaknesses aren’t flaws to fix with another mindset hack. They’re doorways.

Those doorways are hard-wired gaps that force us to ask, “Who has what I don’t?”

And the even deeper question, “Where in my life, my leadership, my vocation do I need God to show up because even my best is never enough?”

The Bible is full of exhortations on this subject.

Romans 12 urges us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, but to judge soberly, recognising that each of us is a part of “one body, and we all belong to each other.” (v5)

Ephesians 4 talks about the whole body joined together, growing as each part does its work.

We already know, instinctively, perhaps even supernaturally, that we’re built to submit, to serve, to sacrifice the “I” for the “we.”

That’s the part of those LinkedIn posts that are such a lie.

When you and I humbly accept that we have strengths but also weaknesses, and therefore need others… everything shifts.

Self-centeredness transforms into selflessness.

Dissatisfaction shifts to contentment.

Control gives way to surrender.

Pride bows to humility.

Scary, hey?

But that’s where freedom is … in the place where we are finally willing to say, “I need you” out loud.

And when you factor in God? Well, that’s where the real power kicks in.

The Holy Spirit equips, but He does it through community, not isolation. You abide in Him, and He builds through the connections you’re too stubborn to make alone.

Interdependence isn’t a nice-to-have. Your potential, as great as it may be, is nothing compared to the collective potential built into a community, with God at the centre. But it starts with leaning into our weaknesses, submitting to one another, nurturing vulnerability, and developing deep connections.

That’s where transformation happens.

In you. In your team. In your calling.

So, here’s the question the LinkedIn gurus will never ask you:

What are you still pretending you can carry alone that God designed to be shared?