It's been a tough week.

We've had a series of changes at the office and this past week's changes were hard - real hard.

I didn't sleep much and found myself waking up in the middle of the night, making coffee, praying and thinking. My journal got a workout.

Many of our staff probably wonder what I'm thinking and what's been going on. While I've been talking to a few, on Monday morning I'll address them as a group and be as honest as I know how. They've given up a lot to be at Adventures In Missions and they deserve leaders who try to be authentic.

I'm most comfortable talking about vision and future-oriented stuff, but probably a lot of our staff are asking questions that pertain to the changes going on around them.

• Why?
• Why now?
• What do you stand for?
• Where are you taking us?
• How are we going to get there?

Maybe the biggest unspoken question is "Why should I trust you when I may not agree with these changes?"

The alternative to leading is following. Good leaders do both, serving their subordinates in their area of authority. But they have to have clarity about those five questions.

And while it helps to regularly address them when things are normal, a good leader will especially speak to them during times of change.

I'll have my opportunity tomorrow and then every day thereafter. If you're a leader, when did you last address these questions in a way that built trust in those following you?