Leading With Humility

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Leadership can be a very “heady” experience. Our culture seems to elevate leaders in a way that may convince the leader to believe that he or she is essential, exceptional, and most of all, an elitist. We can be leaders of a non-profit, a for-profit business, or a local church. It does not matter what kind of organization we lead. We all need to lead with humility. It will do us well to keep in mind the words of a leader who led by example:

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT)

The apostle Paul’s charge is just as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. We must lead with humility. As I was doing research for my dissertation, I came across Kevin Harney’s book on leadership that underscores the dangers of leaders and organizations who lead out of pride and not humility. I’d like to share a few of his quotes that stood out.

“We are wisest when we have relationships and networks that fortify our lives as leaders. Healthy leaders not only practice self-examination but also move beyond reflection to invite others into the deepest parts of their souls . . . The best leaders will ask, even beg, others to show them where they need to grow, where they are broken, where sin lurks in the dark corners of their hearts. Where we have blind spots, those who are close to us, who love us, can identify areas in which we need to repent, change, grow.” Pg. 17

“As leaders, we must be sure we never grow to see the people we lead as cogs in a machine or pawns on a chessboard. We can’t let our hearts grow cold or distant. If we’re going to lead like Jesus, we must allow the dangerous power of love to fill our hearts. We can’t become like the nobles in Braveheart, who see the people as a means to maintaining their own position or even elevating themselves.

“In recent years, I have observed something I have never seen in the church before. I call it the Rock Star Syndrome. There is a new generation of church leaders who are treated like rock stars. They are elevated. They are exalted. They are the stars of the show. When people come to church and the Rock Star is not present, the ‘audience’ feels cheated. One senses that if this leader were to leave that church, many of the attendees would leave also. The crowds are not there to engage in the life of the body of Christ. They aren’t there to discover their gifts and faithfully serve. They have come to taste the flavor of the month.

“I worry as this phenomenon spreads, because these leaders seem to like and even encourage their ‘untouchable’ status. They build a moat between themselves and the people in the church. Often even their own staff can’t get to them for a conversation or for prayer. They are unapproachable.” Pg. 33

Harney, Kevin. 2007. Leadership from the inside out: examining the inner life of a healthy church leader. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

For those of us who lead, wherever we lead, may we lead with humility.

Leading with Quality in Mind,

Denny