[This article is part of the “spiritual leadership today” study/discussion going on this year. For all articles in the series, click the Spiritual Leadership tab at the top of the page. To have them delivered, subscribe to The Brook Letter]
The best leaders are the best followers.
Some of the most dangerous leaders are those who think they know better than anyone else, who are interested only in their own inventions, and who relish the isolation of being out ahead of everyone else. Think of it this way: are you more assured by leaders who are alone at the leading edge, or if you know that they are respectful of the accomplishments of preceding leaders? The best leaders you ever followed did not learn leading by leading, but by following. How else could they understand their obligations to you as a follower? These follower/leaders don’t live out of the illusion that their best ideas are the ones that no one else has ever had before.
The most effective leaders value innovation, which does not mean trashing all prior ideas, but renewing the best ones (innovare: “renew, make new”). The best leaders make new things happen, knowing that this usually means renewing a classic idea, whereas insecure leaders always want others to believe they are the inventors of the brand new. Many a “brand new” idea has been stolen from someone else and given a fresh paint job. If we are building on someone else’s great idea, why not admit it?
The leadership of the first Christian generation began with a summons from Jesus himself: “Follow me.” And in obeying the summons the development of leaders began. This is the archetype of Christian leadership. The first disciples, who became courageous, remarkable leaders, are the foundation stones of every successive generation of disciples and leaders. They were follower-leaders. When they were naive and unformed they thought they were leaders, but only when the Spirit of God filled them did they realize that any authentic influence they would have on others would be the influence of the Spirit. And so for us, the only way for our leadership to be grounded in the divine is if we can connect the dots of leadership all the way back to Jesus himself.
“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him” (Matt. 4:18-20).
This “following” took the form of actual physical walking toward and then with Jesus. Feet on the ground, ears attuned, eyes focussed on Jesus. Peter and Andrew, James and John, did not sign up for a seminar. They really followed–literally. What this meant is that they entered into a relationship with Jesus in which they were fully exposed to both his words and his deeds, twenty-four hours a day. The formation of these leaders happened by what they heard, but also by what they saw–and by what they touched, smelled, and tasted, as was the case on a hillside in Galilee when Jesus fed the multitude with a few fish and loaves of bread. It was the taste of bread in their mouths that reserved a place in their minds to later understand Jesus as the bread of life, sent from heaven. Years later when the disciples performed feats of leadership that began a world-changing movement, they were able to look back on a total immersion experience of following Jesus. Even with him physically gone, they were following him more completely than when he had been present with them because now they knew by the Spirit of God just what following meant all along.
This following took the form of listening. But not merely hearing words, writing them down in a notebook, and letting the ideas superficially penetrate the brain. Leadership cannot be packaged in a three-ring binder, and we don’t become leaders by progressing through Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3. The listening of Jesus’ followers was a matter of question and answer, question again and answer again, scratch your head, screw up your face, walk away, watch what he does, come back for more, sleep on it, talk to your colleagues, test it on strangers, raise the question again, taste the truth, hunger for more, leave it alone knowing that there is a banquet to come back to. Jesus didn’t put his disciples on an assembly line–he took them on a journey. Listening is for a lifetime.
This following took the form of engagement and disengagement. The disciples learned from Jesus by going into towns or cities that he led them into, encountering the people there, healing them, confronting them, comforting them, sometimes being chased away by them. The disciples entered as heros following the Hero, and sometimes (as was the case in Jerusalem) by entering the lions’ den. And they followed him also when he wiped the dust off his feet and disengaged from people who rejected the message.
The question is, what kinds of forces are at work today that distract us from following Jesus? And do the people we lead see in us a heartfelt longing to be Christ’s followers before even thinking about leading others? Tough questions.
What do you think?
Another aspect of listening is important for leaders – listening to those new in the faith or new to leadeership themselves or any person in a new role. The questions they ask and the observations they make are significant learning opportunities for THE LEADER. Those “newbies” actually have “fresh eyes” and, therefore, fresh ideas and innovations can come from listening and acting upon what they have to say.
Often, these “newbies” need to be encouraged to ask questions and offer insights – they may believe what they are thinking and experienceing isn’t important because they are “too new.” In fact, their input may be essential to changes and growth in wisdom for leaders. When Jesus told His disciples to let the children come to Him, His directions also apply to the “young in experience and/or faith” – His children in the spiritual sense.
In my opinion ,listening, as described above, letting the words penetrate the brain, to develop into full understanding, is a most important part of leadership. How can one lead if he does not understand the issue. If he does not understand the issue, he may end up leading the wrong cause. It certainly behooves all of us to comprehend accurately all facets of the cause we lead. In other words, we must know the truth.
Mel,
I think you hit the nail on the head. Quite often, leaders in the church are often so focused on leading, that they forget to follow while they are leading. I loved the reminder to listen. I talk way too much. Listening is a discipline. Thanks for the reminder.
The other part I resonated with was the idea that leaders learn by doing, not by studying a quick-seminar or conference. And it’s not doing “church ministry”… it’s doing the acts of service to people in general that Jesus models for us.
Thanks for this challenge.