5 Things We Can Learn from the Greatest Leader of All Time
I’ve always been passionate about the importance of servant leadership. In my book, Management Waste, I share many of my personal and business life experiences, each of which have helped me grow as I continue to strive to become an empathic servant leader.
We’re all leaders in some capacity, whether it’s at work, home, school, church, among friends or in our communities. Jesus is indisputably the greatest leader of all time. A humble man from a small town, He formed a team of 12 people and set about the mission of sharing God’s love and mercy with thousands of individuals. Following His death and resurrection over 2,000 years ago, His life’s impact continues to spread across the world.
There are many leadership lessons that we can learn from Jesus … too many to count! Here are five truths to consider today:
Jesus was humble and served others.
“...just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, NIV).
Jesus didn’t approach His position of leadership from a place of superiority but, rather, a place of servanthood. He focused on meeting the needs of His disciples and followers. Although He was God’s Son, He never had an attitude of entitlement and always operated with humility. He wasn’t an untouchable, unapproachable leader either. He was focused on serving others, even washing the disciples’ feet the night before He was to be crucified.
Great leaders see themselves as servants, available to equip, encourage and coach those they’re leading to help others realize their full potential. They genuinely care about the well-being of those they’re leading. At the end of the day, leadership is not about us as leaders; it’s about serving others.
Jesus valued and poured himself into His team.
“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach.” (Mark 3:13-14, NIV)
“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them.” (Matthew 5:1-2, NIV)
Jesus understood the importance of building a dedicated team of people around Him for the mission, so He recruited 12 apostles that He poured Himself into to train them for His ministry.
As leaders, we must make it a priority to train, prepare, and pour into our team. If we want to accomplish anything of significance, we must develop and value people who can help us fulfill the mission at the highest level. If we neglect to embrace the gifts, ideas and talents of other people, we’re limited in what we can accomplish alone.
Jesus was a great storyteller.
“To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables...” (Matthew 13:12-13, NLT).
When Jesus was teaching, He often used parables to illustrate an important lesson. He knew that by telling relatable stories, He would be able to communicate challenging truths in a way His listeners could easily grasp and put into practice in their daily lives.
Stories have a longer lasting impact than instructions, orders, or directives. Leaders can look at their own lives for stories that have relevant messages for their team. Turn your stories into coaching tools for future leaders.
Jesus loved people.
“...for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10, NIV)
“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. . . Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:9, 13, NIV)
During His time on Earth, Jesus was the ultimate example of love in action. Whether it was healing the blind man at Bethesda, showing mercy to the Samaritan woman, or casting demons out of Mary Magdalene, He showed love and compassion so they could move beyond their own circumstances and be encouraged to help Him with the mission.
If we want to be effective leaders, we must be fueled by a desire to help other people find success and grow. Leading with love means knowing and caring about what inspires and empowers our team members, and placing their interests ahead of our own. When we take the time to represent God’s love and demonstrate appreciation for others, our teams will want to follow and go the extra mile to accomplish the team’s objectives.
Jesus prepared His team to continue after His time on earth would come to an end.
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26, NIV).
“Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7, NIV)
Jesus prepared his followers to continue His ministry after His resurrection and ascension to sit at right-hand of His Father in Heaven. Notice the organization that Jesus started (the Church) went on to see its most significant growth and success after He ascended to Heaven.
It’s easy for a leader to think that their position will last forever. The reality is that one day, either because circumstances change, God calls you to a different position, or your time on this earth comes to an end, no leader lasts forever. Effective leaders would be wise to prepare their team for the leader’s departure, well before they leave an organization. That is one of the primary duties of a great leader.
Jesus was an extraordinary leader whose example can teach us a lot about being an effective servant leader today. These examples only scratch the surface of His remarkable life on Earth. He set the bar high, but He didn’t leave us without help. The Holy Spirit is within us to help us as we strive to embody the strength of character, compassionate love and humility of the greatest leader of all time.
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