Who is your leadership idol? If you’re a leader, you probably have a leadership idol. Not in an idolatry way, but more in a model way. We all have a person (or group of people) we consider model leaders. Perhaps you’d consider Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington, or Mother Teresa as your leadership model. More recently, leaders try to mimic what they see in John Maxwell, Tim Cook, Sean McVay, Pope Francis, or Andy Stanley. There are plenty of great leaders from which to learn. If you are a Christian, I’d like to suggest placing Jesus at the top of our list. I know! This is a given. But is it, really? Growing in our Christ-likeness should be our primary leadership goal as a Christian leader. To do that, we must position Jesus as our leadership hero, and lead like Jesus.
Lead Like Jesus
Entering a world where might made right, Jesus led a powerful movement without leveraging power or positional authority. We rightfully think of Jesus as the Son of God and Savior, but he was a leader, too. Jesus knew that his time on earth would end, but the movement in his name would continue under the leadership of others.
During his three-year ministry season, Jesus loved, lived, and led.
Lead like Jesus – model these 10 leadership behaviors
1. Jesus always spoke the truth.
Truth defined the words spoken by Jesus. At times, this truth created trouble for him and his followers. At other times, telling the truth illuminated the path forward. Regardless of the consequences, Jesus spoke the truth.
Don’t think for a moment that speaking the truth is easy or problem-free for leaders. The truth can get you into trouble. It certainly did for Jesus (read about the crucifixion). Telling the truth makes people uncomfortable. Worse, telling the truth might make you look bad. Telling the truth means saying, “I don’t know” and “I was wrong.”
