What I Miss Most About Senior Leadership By Alec Hill

Senior Leadership Reflections of a Retired President

A decade has passed since I left senior leadership. For the most part, my life has moved into a wonderful season of mentoring, teaching, and doting on grandchildren. I am very rich.

Yet, reflecting, I occasionally wonder whether I miss leading a ministry. The answer is complex – both “no” and “yes.”

What I Don’t Miss

I’m glad to be rid of several recurring tasks, such as navigating difficult personnel decisions, drafting budgets, performing annual evaluations, and being torn between board and staff loyalties.

Nor do I miss the hours and hours I spent in meetings. How did I ever endure so much sitting in conference rooms?

On a deeper level, I don’t miss the stress of carrying the ministry on my back. Far too often, I felt anxious that if I failed, so many would be harmed. While I recognize that sometimes I was trying to carry a burden that was not mine to hold, nonetheless, when I left the executive director’s role after 14 years, it felt like 40 pounds had rolled off my back.

I also don’t miss running to exhaustion. Though I eventually evolved into a rather strict Sabbatarian (which helped), I was constantly tired and distracted. Family relationships, which were often strained by my workload, are much richer and joyful now.  

What I Miss

I am surprised that I miss trustees and major donors so much. Over the years, many became special friends. Spending time in their homes and on mission trips together forged deep bonds.  

I miss the sheer variety of people, places, and activities inherent in my role. Barely a day passes without a fascinating person entering my life. I also miss the serendipity of vivid conversations about the global church, social trends, and the Lord’s provision.

But I mostly miss the joy of doing a mission with friends. There was something remarkable about a group of people covenanting to pursue a shared vision. It was truly an incredible experience to be so tight with such a disparate group of personalities.

There is a gestalt about senior leadership that transcends its pieces. While many parts of my job were difficult (or mundane), the joy of being part of a community that pulled in the same direction was often exhilarating.

An Illustration

When my InterVarsity leadership team felt called by God to plant more student and faculty chapters across the country, the challenge involved all of us. The vision was much bigger than we could have pursued alone.  

To move forward, chapter planters had to be recruited and trained, HR and IT teams had to be beefed up, major funding had to be raised, specialty ministries had to redirect their energies, and relationships with Historically Black colleges, Hispanic-serving universities, and Tribal schools had to be enhanced. 

As the Lord blessed the initiative, we watched hundreds of new chapters being planted over multiple years. What started with soft money became embedded in annual budgets. Organizational culture and language changed. Being labelled a “chapter planter” gained elevated status.

Even as I write this essay, I recall the excitement and joy of seeing the mission we had been called to move forward. While often exhausting, leading change in a strategic direction was tremendously rewarding. Seeing people, systems, and culture adapt was invigorating.

Final Thoughts

I advise those currently serving as senior leaders to enjoy the ride. There will come a time when you will look back and marvel at this special phase of your life. It won’t last forever.

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Alec Hill is president emeritus of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. He served for fourteen years as InterVarsity’s president and previously was dean of the School of Business and Economics at Seattle Pacific University. Alec holds a law degree from the University of Washington and has written for the Huffington Post, Christianity Today, the Aspen Institute, and Patheos. He is the author of Just Business: Christian Ethics in the Marketplace.

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