Leading Like Jesus
It’s hard to critique a leader of whom others said “he does all things well.” How do you select out what made Jesus great? He was perfect! Everything about Him is great!
Yet, when I think of Jesus’ leadership, what impresses me most are two things. He was a leader who brought value to those who interacted with Him. And he was a leader who developed other leaders to the point where they were able to lead in His place.
Jesus did many things in His ministry: redemption, the founding of a new movement, selection and development of leaders for this movement, a compassion ministry to felt needs, etc. But one thing seems to be consistent in all; Jesus brought added value to the lives of those He touched. He left people feeling grateful for His presence or interaction with them, whether a brief encounter or a ministry to them of several years.
I want my leadership be one where those impacted feel that there is added value because of my intervention in their lives. As a leader, I am called to add value (i.e. vision, motivation, encouragement, assessment, counsel, resources, development, etc.) to the lives of those I am leading. I want to leave those with whom I interact being desirous of more time together, rather than feeling grateful that I’m finally gone. They will want more if there is a sense that I add value to their lives.
Secondly, Jesus selected and developed other leaders to continue on past His life on earth. All leaders have a ‘life span’ of power and influence. This will quickly pass. What is it that will last when our leadership is finished? I desire to leave behind a new generation of leaders who will carry on long after I have left the scene.
Some call this “leading with a developmental bias.” We always lead with a eye on the next generation, seeking to identify those whom God has gifted to lead the work for that generation. We then begin to build into their lives, helping to develop them to their potential in Christ, so that they are well prepared to lead when we are gone.
Bringing value to the lives of those He led and developing the next generation of leaders is what made Jesus a great leader.
Developing Kingdom Leaders - Tom Yeakley 