It’s been a very long time since I’ve sat down to write. I can use lots of different excuses, but the bottom line is, I simply didn’t make the time.
Yesterday, I attended the Leadercast 2014 conference that Love Inc. brought to the Albuquerque area by way of telecast. It was a full day affair, and speakers included Andy Stanley, Dr. Henry Cloud, Laura Bush, and many others. This year’s theme was “Beyond You” and every speaker addressed what their understanding of leadership was in the context of the theme.
Within the first few pages of the Leadercast workbook is a quote: “Effective leadership requires us to look beyond ourselves and consider the larger community around us–to focus outward, rather than inward.” Indeed, throughout the course of the day, this topic continued to echo in my ears. By late afternoon, I was rather convicted–I am terribly selfish.
Working in ministry, I’ve often convinced myself that that alone, is a sacrifice. After all, it isn’t good pay, the rewards are few and far between, it’s often very thankless, etc. Yet, there have been many occasions where I’ve done (or not done) things because I simply didn’t want to, because of discomfort, boredom, frustration, and inconvenience. I didn’t take the lead, because I wanted someone else to do the heavy lifting. I didn’t give my all because it wasn’t my “job”. I didn’t . . . You get the picture.
While this wasn’t a “Christian” event, the idea of servant leadership comes directly from the pages of the New Testament, whether the speakers realize it or not. Looking at the life and leadership of Jesus, there are endless lessons to be learned. One of the most interesting aspects, to me, is that he wasn’t even a “leader”. Let me explain:
He wasn’t the boss of the carpentry shop.
He wasn’t a political leader.
He wasn’t a military official.
He wasn’t even a religious leader.
So what made him a man worth following? We know clearly where his authority came from. Yet for his disciples, and the people with whom he interacted during his lifetime, he was the ultimate servant leader. He fed them, he healed them, he comforted them, he saved them! Contrast that to what we often associate with modern day leaders: We reward them, we idolize them, we excuse their bad behavior, we envy them.
I’m not a leader in title, but I’ve known for a number of years that the Lord has given me a measure of authority through my work at the radio, and through my writing platform. Sadly, there have been many times that my attitude has been one of complaining and excuse making rather than going forward boldly, imitating Christ as a servant leader.
I will make mistakes, and I will forget my own lesson at times, but I was reminded yesterday through this conference, that I can have a positive influence. I want to be different, and make a difference! I can speak and act in a Christ-like manner. I can stop making excuses. I can lead.
If you have a situation where you don’t like your boss or your workplace, your church or your circumstance, I want to leave you with a final thought as communicated through speaker Simon Sinek at the conference yesterday: “We must be the leaders we wish we had.” In my mind, that applies to every platform from the family home to the White House. We can complain all day long about the ineffective and corrupt people that hold positions of power. Or, we can start with ourselves asking, what we can do to make a difference.
This change will take time and patience. We won’t see the results overnight. Sinek went on to say, “Leadership is like going to the gym–you can’t see the progress on a daily basis.” It’s only through dedication and consistency that will we be able to look back and see the changes that have begun to shape us, and those we influence.
So who’s with me? I officially promote you to leader. Whether you are “just” a mom/dad/student, or run a corporation, you have been called to lead. No more excuses. Let us go forward together and become the men and women that Christ has called us to be. He will equip us to make the difference that we hope to see.
