Lincoln once said, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
When people have power (such as when I was a senior pastor of a large church) you eventually get to see their character.
In the case of some of us in executive leadership positions, our character is wanting when the going gets tough.
Here are three "quiet" ways leaders exercise great servant leadership:
1) They sacrifice first. When the church or ministry budget has to be cut (as many have the past several years), the senior leader takes the first and deepest cut. Always. I find it strange that churches and ministries are so hush-hush about the compensation of their leaders. Would we feel awkward or embarrassed if people knew our salary? If so I suspect something is wrong.
2) They deflect attention from themselves and onto the success of others. Lincoln did this the many times he acknowledged and honored the soldiers who had died on the battlefields of the Civil War. The war and the issues around it was never about Lincoln himself and him protecting himself.
3) They are generous in success and humble in failure. Lincoln said, "The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just." I do not know what is more challenging for a leader - success or failure. I have observed that when leaders are successful there is a great temptation to become their own "god," shutting themselves off from others' input. Rather than becoming self-effacing they can become self-absorbed and self-obsessed.
I personally know a few leaders who, at the moment, are sacrificing greatly for the good of their ministries and congregations. The vast majority of people do not even know of these leaders' sacrifices. That's how these leaders would want it - no fanfare, no applause. Just humble spirits who want to serve people with grace.
No comments:
Post a Comment