When I consider what leadership means, a particular Scripture passage entertains my thoughts. This is what Jesus says in Mark 10:42-44:
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it
over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so
with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be
your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”
I also appreciate how J. Oswald Sanders describes leadership. He laments, “True greatness, true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. True service is never without cost. Often it comes with a bitter cup of challenges and a painful baptism of suffering.”
My philosophy of leadership starts here: Leadership is the decision to be humble, which in itself takes courage and heart, but also a willingness to do what others refuse or cannot, passion, and perseverance, to move others from where they are to where they need to be. I believe God is calling me to a life of discipleship - a disciple of Christ and a discipler to people. Presently, this is playing out in a church-based context, generally speaking. However, the principles I have stated can be applied to most any situation. Allow me to explain.
Humility is a character quality that I don’t think can be fully realized and actually lived out until one understands what Jesus has done for them. Let’s put it this way: how often do we hear of corporate-America talking about humility? Rarely. Why? Because it doesn’t know Jesus. Now, of course, there are Christians in the market place modeling vibrant, Christian lives, but because there are so few living this way, the voices of the humble are hushed. However, when that voice is heard, often it creates quite the clatter. What would our world look like if people were humble? It’s a frighteningly sweet thought I do believe. Humility starts when our desires, our schedules, our opinions, our stubbornness, amongst others, are surrendered unto the Lord.
Leadership, therefore, starts with open and honest hearts, remembering that God has the master plan and we just need to follow him. In the midst of this, leaders accept that they will need to do what others refuse, or are unable to do. In this case, we teach them. If God is calling us to one of his initiatives, why do we buck, or go at it reluctantly? Conversely, why do some people go after the seemingly impossible or ridiculous, in the name of Christ, with such joy, passion and excitement? Maybe the question then, is where are our hearts? My contention is that if we continue to hold onto the plans, people, and positions that motivate us so close to our hearts, it becomes difficult to let God meet us there and reveal his objectives to us.
Often the leaders’ job is difficult, even menial at times. On numerous occasions I can recall having to do some of the less-desirable tasks at my jobs in the past. I think of having to clean bathrooms, sweep floors, let people say whatever they wanted to say to me when their food didn’t arrive in a timely fashion, and so forth. It made me feel so small and insignificant, yet I knew that it was teaching me something about being a servant and about humility. Leaders need to be able to serve others before they can lead them. Leaders also need to learn to follow before they can lead others. Jesus never talked about leadership. He always taught people how to follow. And beyond teaching this, he modeled it himself. If we are not ready to be the example and to set the bar, we are not ready to lead. I find myself always having to come back to this. There are days when I feel that I’m on a roll in leadership, and it is usually at that point that I am humbled one way or another. This might look like a communication breakdown on my end, or not following through on a task that was assigned to me, or neglecting a responsibility.
Taking ownership of mistakes and responsibilities is also another key characteristic of leaders. I cannot count how many times I have seen managers, politicians, leaders, etc., justify their failures to avoid blame or responsibility. It is frustrating and says to others that maybe so-and-so is not really prepared to handle the responsibilities expected of them. So, maturity comes into play. Maturity gives leaders the ability to be decisive and get the job done, no matter the cost it may be to them. Should mistakes occur, being able to take the hit for not following through exhibits maturity and a readiness to lead.
Lastly, passion and the ability to persevere are a couple of the best motivating marks of a leader. Passion flows from the heart. Perseverance is a measure of the leaders’ heart. Recently, I heard of some pastors saying they think that preaching needs to become more heart-felt, rather than staying as “heady”. I can see this being especially important to the emerging generations. They have endless amounts of information at their fingertips. They want to see passion. It appears that one of the greatest challenges that leaders in the Church are facing today is capturing the hearts and minds of the younger generations for the Gospel. Considering how vast the information-age has become, let us also remember that much of the time, the attention and hearts of people are engaged by a cyber reality. When we say “real”, many people think of this in a completely different way than we do in the Church. Where is the passion on the human level? How do we persevere? I can’t offer too many suggestions here, except this: God is sovereign over all. Those who are called to leadership must remember this and be humbled by this always. Now, this is not to say we give up and let God take care of it (though we realize he could). Instead, let go of distractions, open our hearts and minds to what God would have us do, and humbly walk in tune with God’s plans. We can’t understand them if we’re not hearing them in the first place. No need to fear. No need to deviate. Simply, let God lead, and as we follow, then we will lead too.
