Yes, men are a dime a dozen.

Too often, we gravitate toward what feels safe…

Men who go with the flow, affirm our instincts, and avoid friction. Sometimes that comes from a good place. No one wants unnecessary conflict. No one wants to rock the boat.

But if everyone around you agrees with you all the time, growth is nearly impossible.

Real growth requires truth. And truth is rarely comfortable. When we surround ourselves only with people who affirm our choices, we remove the very feedback God often uses to course-correct our lives.

Then, when things don’t go our way, we get frustrated. We point fingers. We blame circumstances—or worse, we blame God.

Proverbs 15:22 says:

“Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”

Many counselors.

According to surveys, most men don’t have five close friends—much less “many counselors.”

I know I didn’t.

Sure, I had buddies. Guys who were fun to connect with, watch games with, grab a meal with. But men who would push back? Challenge my thinking? Call me out when I was drifting? That was a massive gap.

Through the growth of The Lion, God has placed a core group of men in my life who regularly speak truth into me. I honestly don’t know how I led without them. They don’t pull punches when my thinking gets off track. They help keep me—and the mission—focused instead of drifting into traps I might not even see coming.

Think about it: what if instead of reacting in the middle of the battle, we did the hard work before things went off track?

That’s where counsel matters most.

Consider football. Games aren’t won on game day. They’re won in practice. In film review. In the weight room. In the hours when no one is watching. Those environments build individual strength, yes—but more importantly, they build collective strength: trust, communication, shared vision.

That’s when things start to click. That’s when performance changes.

Life works the same way.

The middle of the storm is the worst time to start building relationships. Counsel is forged ahead of time—through intentional connection, shared commitment, and mutual trust.

If this is a gap in your life, don’t ignore it.

Reach out. Lean in. The Lion is full of men who want to support you, encourage you, and—when the fit is right—walk with you as trusted counselors. You might just find your personal board of advisors: men willing to say hard things, not to tear you down, but to sharpen you into who God is calling you to be.

Plans rarely fail because of lack of talent.

They fail because men try to go it alone.

Build the counsel now—before the battle comes.