Leadership is not about you! Leadership is about serving. Godly authority serves people, not as a slave but with a desire to help them grow and develop.
God asks leaders to use His authority correctly by freeing people and being gentle. Doing those two things will result in leading correctly.
Servants Not Dictators
As a reminder, leadership is misunderstood. Godly authority serves people, but the world places the attention on the leader. That view of leadership is self-absorbed. That creates a bad leadership structure. If people aren’t doing what you want, you will become defensive and let them know you are the boss, the big man, and the leader.
When you try to prove you are the leader, most often you are no longer leading. You are a dictator; worse, you are reacting and responding, not leading.
Follow THE LEADER, doing what HE says is right and best | …and are not dependent on or trying to please followers or others |
Think about their relationship with God first | …and consider followers and others second |
Value followers enough to spend energy developing them | …and invite, encourage followers to self-governance |
Understand and share the Truth on which they are standing | …and relate or offer the Truth to followers and others who may decide to follow |
Focus on THERE, HERE and PATH | …and invite others to go THERE, see HERE, and walk (act, learn, adjust on) the PATH |
Leaders Don’t “Have to” Lead
Please do not miss this point: if you “should, must, have to” lead, you will create a big problem for yourself and the people you lead. At a minimum, you will decrease your energy to lead because you do it from obligation, not want. You will learn more about this in the freedom blogs like this one.
If you lead because you “have to,” then you will probably have a bad attitude and expect others to show their appreciation for what you do. Satan wants you to have that attitude because he knows you are focused on yourself, not others.
Godly authority serves people, and it is your choice to do that with your leadership, but do not lead because you think you “have to.”
Service Above Self
“The Army, with its emphasis on rank and medals and efficiency reports, is the easiest institution in the world in which to get consumed with ambition. Some officers spend all their time currying favor and worrying about the next promotion — a miserable way to live. But West Point saved me from that by instilling the ideal of service above self — to do my duty for my country even if it brought no gain at all. It gave me far more than a military career — it gave me a calling.” – It Doesn’t Take a Hero, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Paul's Leadership Style
Finally, here is a summary of Paul’s leadership style, as shown in 2 Corinthians 11. Notice how much it fits the idea that godly authority serves! I challenge you to study it further to see how his style fits Jesus.
- Cares deeply for and identifies with those he led (verses 1–2)
- Offers protection to & exhorts those he led (verses 3-4, 12-15)
- Unwavering and sober about abilities & position (verses 5-6)
- Defends position and ministry, but not himself; (defensive=about ME)
- Refuses to be a burden or dependent on those he led (verses 7–11)
- Speaks the truth, communicates clearly with those he led (verses 16-21)
- Suffers for those he led (verses 22-27)
- Boasts in and trusts God, not himself (verses 28-31)
Four Promises of a GR8 Leader
Passionately pursue THERE as a servant leader so, I will
Consistently practice the Results AND Relating principle, so I will
Constantly apply and teach the THP process (THERE, HERE, PATH), so I will
Daily focus on 3 Priorities – Self-governance, Clear Expectations, and Clear Consequences, so I will
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authority and submission, authority channel, authority is from God, leaders serve instead of getting served, Servant leadership, TV0070, value people
