Leadership from a Different Perspective

Matthew 20:26-28
"whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

There are lots of books written on leadership and even some on servant leadership. But the question that the MERGE community wrestled with this month is how does servant leadership look in a workplace setting? We are inundated with the way the world wants us to do business. We need to continuously sharpen the way we need to do business God's way. The principles we are taught in church aren't just for church and families but for our work as well. 

So how does servant leadership work? Organizationally, we are set up in a hierarchy chart for top down leadership. We are given boundaries, span of control, and job descriptions to keep us in our place. While that is appropriate for how to do business, relationally it falls a part. Servant leadership, the model that Jesus provided, shows us how to be compassionate, come alongside, and lift others up.

This model becomes a way that we show Jesus to the world. We can be the bright spot in someone's world. When the people are stuck in their job, we have the opportunity to come alongside and help others see what God is doing, see solutions where others only see problems, and be the light to the world. 

What's this do for us? It takes our eyes off ourselves and what is really happening around us, not to us. We can trust that God will take care of us as we pay attention to what God is doing. It also increases our sphere of influence. The world as a whole doesn't do this, the world doesn't stop to help those around them succeed, fill in the gap, and be strong when they can't be.  We have more opportunity to breathe into other's lives when we humble ourselves and take the posture of servant.

In the story of John 15, where Jesus washes the feet of His disciples. It's interesting because He washes Judas Iscariot's feet, right before he betrays Jesus. We aren't just servant leaders for the people we like but also for those at work that we don't like, the ones sitting around our tables. We may be the only Christian in their life, the only way they may meet Jesus. We may be the kindness they need to change everything. Don't take offense by their harshness and miss the opportunity to be Jesus to others.

Take this month and pray about how God wants you to demonstrate servant leadership in your workplace setting. Read the gospels to see how Jesus modeled it. Let the Holy Spirit be your teacher to be amazing servant leaders.

Share your experiences by commenting on this blog.