Leading by Faith, Not by Certainty

EP. 80  All 1N Moments: Leading by Faith, Not by Certainty

What happens when leaders don't have all the answers? In this conversation, Jake Fine and Braxston Cave introduce their "Power Five" principles for leading through uncertainty with faith rather than fear.

Leadership isn't about perfect knowledge - it's about consistent action. Jake explores how true leadership mirrors faith: both allow us to move forward confidently despite incomplete clarity. Drawing from Hebrews 11:1, the hosts discuss how faith fills the gaps where certainty ends, acknowledging that sometimes we don't understand why we're in certain situations until much later. These moments, they explain, are often divinely orchestrated to shape us into who we're meant to become.

The conversation takes a compelling turn when addressing vulnerability. Both hosts emphasize how admitting when you don't have answers actually strengthens leadership rather than weakening it. This parallels faith communities, where a judgmental "above others" mentality drives people away, while walking alongside others wherever they are creates genuine connection. The hosts share the wisdom that clarity often results from movement rather than preceding it, quoting: "God steers moving ships, not parked ones."

Perhaps most powerfully, Jake and Braxston contrast faith-based versus fear-based leadership. When we abandon faith, they argue, we attempt to micromanage everything - essentially trying to "play God." The best leaders surrender outcomes while focusing on faithful actions. The episode concludes with a reminder that growth requires discomfort: "We crave safety, but safety is comfort, and comfort is never growth." Whether in faith, health, or business, success comes from focusing not on distant goals or others' progress, but on taking the right next step in front of you today.

What's your next step? Share your thoughts on this episode and join our community of leaders committed to going all in, even when the path forward isn't perfectly clear.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Welcome back to the Go All In podcast.
I'm Jake Fine.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
And I'm Braxton Cave and on today's episode we are
titling this one Leading byFaith, not Certainty.
And, as you guys know, my fivebullets.
We've renamed them hot off thepress a couple of minutes ago.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
You're the first to know.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
We're going to call these the Power Five from my
point of view, so we'll keep itat that.
We're going to call these thepower five from my point of view
, so we'll keep it at that.
So, number one is the idea offaith.
Like leadership isn't aboutalways knowing everything.
It's about consistently showingup, learning and taking the
next step.
It's that seek to understandmindset.

(01:00):
It's, you know.
I believe true leadership isrooted in consistency and
courage, not control, and Ithink it's important to keep in
mind that, like you can leadconfidently, no different than
in your faith, you can walkconfidently.
Um, even when clarity ismissing.
We're never going to knoweverything.

(01:21):
But back to that consistency oftaking steps and learning as we
go, you know it's, it's theidea of like, it's not a fault,
it's part of the process, mm-hmm.
Number two faith fills the gapwhere certainty ends.
And, uh, you know Hebrews 11,one says faith is the substance

(01:43):
of things hoped for, theevidence of things not seen.
And to me it's like a lot oftimes God will call us into
situations or relationships orcircles or business
opportunities or whatever it maybe, and you don't know why
you're in those situations.

(02:04):
You know because we don't seethe full picture and you know
God will put you in positions toshape you, to mold you into the
person that you are to become.
And in those situations youdon't understand always why
you're in those until a latertime.
Three vulnerability doesn'tweaken your leadership, it

(02:27):
strengthens it.
No different than faith.
I think a lot of people aredriven away from faith because
at some point in time, like theywere made to feel lesser than
you know you're.
I like to use the word churchy.
Yeah, you know people.
People can really turn peopleoff when it comes to faith when
they have this, you know, aboveothers mentality because of

(02:50):
where they are in their faithjourney.
And it's not about that.
God never created it to beabout that.
It's about coming along peoplein the journey and walking side
by side with them whereverthey're at with them wherever
they're at.
It's also important in faith andleadership to admit when you
don't have all the answers.

(03:10):
I've been in plenty ofconversations with people and
faith comes up and you know,this is someone maybe who has no
faith at all will ask me a, youknow, a deep rooted question
that I don't have the answer to,and it's okay to be like I
don't know how to answer that,but let me go research it, Let
me go talk to somebody and I'llcome back to you with it.

(03:30):
No different than in business,right?
The worst thing you can do ismake something up and lose
credibility, because most timesyou're going to be wrong when
you just make it up off the cuff.
And so I think those two gohand in hand, you know.
So I think those two go hand inhand.

(03:54):
Number four clarity is often aresult of movement, not a
prerequisite for it, and so alot of us will wait until we
have the perfect plan, theperfect timing.
I just truly believe there's nosuch thing, um, whether that's
in business life, you knowyou're you want to start a
business, or you want to startworking out, or a health journey

(04:16):
, or start your faith.
Like there's never a perfecttime to.
The time is now start, whereveryou're at.
Um.
I love the quote.
You know God steers movingships, not parked ones, and that
just you know.
You have to be movement, youhave to be in the game.
You can't do anything from thesideline, regardless of what it

(04:38):
is.
And then the last one here toround out the power five is that
leadership without faithbecomes fear-based control, and
I think a lot of us get in thesemoments where we feel like we
have to micromanage everything,because what we do is the only
thing we can control.
And so, when you take the faithpiece out of it and you stop

(05:00):
trusting God, you start tryingto play God.
And I know two things.
I believe two things right Ibelieve there is a God and I
know I'm not him.
And so I believe that the bestleaders surrender outcomes and

(05:21):
focus on faithful actions.
Next steps, what is the nextstep in front of you?
Actions, next steps.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
What is the next step in front of you.
That's my five, quick and easyTo add to, I mean basically,
what you said.
You know the best leaders thatI've seen.
You know they don't.
They didn't fake certainty.
They admitted when they didn'tknow, like when you were just
explaining, and, but they madethe decisions rooted in like
values and not their ego.
Um, also, it's like you know Ilike hearing this too leadership

(05:53):
isn't knowing everything, it'sshowing up anyway.
Um, everyone wants to lead.
When the path is clear, uh,when there's a blueprint, when
the plan is laid out, everythingfeels safe.
But you know the realleadership that happens when
things are foggy, because everyday is not gonna go as planned,

(06:14):
when you feel the weight ofpeople depending on you and you
have to step forward.
You don't have all the answersto lead, you just have to have
the courage to move.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
So, just to add into what you're saying, it struck a
chord in me when you said theword safe, because I think any
time you're making a decision,the human aspect of it right.
Our brains are wired to keep ussafe and it's nine times out of
10, 10 the safe choice is thewrong choice, hitting the easy

(06:47):
button.
And so I've been going throughit myself with you know,
choosing my misogi for the yearright, my year defining event
it's.
You always want to picksomething that you know you can
do, know, know you can achieve.
It's like betting.
I tell people I don't take betsthat I know I can't win, but

(07:11):
that's not what challenges you.
And so you know.
I just believe that we cravesafety.
We want safety at all times,but safety is comfort and
comfort is never growth.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, I mean you lead by showing up and getting
uncomfortable, you know, bytaking ownership of your
mistakes, by setting the tonewith your actions and not your
title.
So but yeah, like you said,anybody can lead when it's easy.
Yeah, that's with everythingtoo.
You know it's just like workingout.
You know it's doing the samemovements every day, every week,

(07:53):
not changing anything, juststaying on the same thing, not
moving up your weight, justdoing the movement.

Speaker 2 (08:00):
And then wondering why you're not changing yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:03):
What am I doing wrong ?
Why, you know.
So.
It's even even when you eat.
You know, even though I eat thesame, I'm monotonous.
I eat the same thing over andover.
I already know what the macrosare, I know what I'm putting in,
so, but yeah, so I'll leave youguys with this.

Speaker 2 (08:21):
You know, regardless of whether it's in your your
faith journey, your healthjourney, business, take the next
step in front of you.
It's one step, Yep.
Don't think where you need tobe or compare yourself to
someone that's way further alongin the journey.
Just take the right next step.
That's right for you.

Speaker 1 (08:41):
Amen.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
That's it.

Speaker 1 (08:43):
We're out of here.
We'll for you.
Amen.
That's it.
We're out of here.
We'll see you.