| Phillipians 2:3-8 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others mores significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours through Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. |
A Note: I really need to be careful with this article. There have been so many quality writings on leadership style by so many honorable men that I hesitate to share what I believe. However, I share with the hope and prayer that what I write will help someone break out of a stagnant life in leadership. I truly hope it will help someone grow.
Let me begin by getting the hard part on paper. The hard part is this: many leaders use the idea of "leadership style" as an excuse for their lack of leadership. They need to make an excuse for what they don't have—or what they don't understand—so they classify their own behavior as legitimate and call it "their style.” They would like to believe that their style is a different, yet still legitimate, form of leadership.This is just not true. While there may be different ways of living out one’s personality that can be considered style, the underlying leadership principle looks the same. To illustrate, I ask, Have you seen many different “styles” of humility? I don't know about you, but all the examples of humility I’ve seen have been the same. They all resemble an aspect of today’s scripture reading; they always look like Christ. When I watch a leader primarily focused on things that benefit others before themselves, I see a servant; I see Christ. Like humility, these examples of leadership are always the same; they always look like Christ.
Don't Carry Unnecessary Weight
You will hear excuses of “style” far more often in the ministry world than the business world. Why? Because pastors often believe that God’s call to preach the gospel often comes with the ability AND responsibility to lead and govern the congregation. Thus, pastors who adopt this view carry a weight on their shoulders that God never intended. As they bang their heads against the ceiling of their leadership ability, the weight of this burden makes them weary. As a result, many of them quit. This is the major reason the average American church has less than 100 attendees.
While business leaders can make the same excuse for their ineffective leadership, the stakes are not quite as high; business leaders don't experience the same kind of "eternal" weight. Notice I said "ineffective leadership,” not "unprofitable leadership.” Those who use un-Christ-like leadership can still make a ton of money.
Leadership is Often About the Skills You Don’t Have
Effective leaders are Christ-like leaders because they don’t focus on themselves; they focus on others. I am aware that my own ability to grow in business has more to do with what I lack than any aspect of my personality or style. The last two employees I interviewed have in them what I believe we current leaders lack. Thus, they are an important component for our future growth.
"I am aware that my own ability to grow in business has more to do with what I lack than any aspect of my personality or style."
Leadership 101 is not a choice of style; it is simply a choice. While the "art and science of leadership” is fairly complex, the first decision in a leader's life is very simple. Will you lead like the example Christ modeled, or will you lead with what the world tempts you with? You can find clues to the path you have chosen by examining 5 areas of your leadership:
- What you focus on as a leader
- Why people primarily follow and listen to you
- The quality of the work your followers produce individually
- Your impact on the people you lead
- The resulting attitude toward your leadership
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