Who da Boss? Leadership Questions, Part 2

I continue to wrestle over how to articulate the connections I see between what I'm reading about Jesus’ leadership in the Gospels and modern lessons in leadership from the corporate world. It's been frustrating, to be honest, because I know the connections are there, but when I try to get the words out, everything gets jumbled. It feels a little like Marlin from "Finding Nemo" getting his "exit instructions" from Squirt. I am speaking, but nothing makes sense. 

What I do know is, these concepts are connected, and not just theoretically. My wrestling is based on experiential knowledge; I am seeing God transform virtually every area of my life. 

For various reasons, I felt disqualified for leadership for much of my life, which seems counterintuitive for someone who chose to study leadership at the doctoral level. Or maybe it is very appropriate because I have so much to learn…

The funny part of all this is, I was still leading, just not very well. And I was frustrated! That may be part of the reason the words in Matthew 7:28 and 29 struck me; I've been leading "without authority," like the scribes of 1st Century Israel. I have seen and experienced the confusion such leadership creates, especially when I've been the one to create it! 

As I acknowledge, understand, and then embrace God's calling on my life, I am learning to lead with confidence, not because I am so amazing, but because Jesus is! The changes are coming, not from having an intellectual awareness that God "qualifies the called," but actually embracing the promise of that at a heart level. Another example of affective theology at work.  

Embracing how God knit me together was the first step. Functioning as a “not detail person” in a detail-centric world, I was ashamed of my struggle. That shame kept me from embracing learning opportunities, which kept me from growing. Only recently have I come to learn that I am a big-picture person and that being able to see the big picture is good! As a result, it has been much easier to find ways to compensate for my struggle with details. Most of all, I am no longer ashamed! The freedom has been incredible.

The second step in this wild adventure was built on and potentiated by escaping the shame that held me for so long. If it is okay for me to be a big-picture person, then I can embrace the gift detailed people bring into my life! Rather than feeling insecure and withdrawing when I miss a detail, I can ask for help! It has been revolutionary.

The third step, something I’ve begun to experience in just the last few months, is built on the foundation of the other two steps. It is having properly placed confidence.

As I explained above, I’ve been learning to embrace how God knit me together. In doing so, the stage has been set for finding my value not in my performance (which has always been lacking) or in my appearance (which changes with the passage of time), but in my identity as God’s image bearer. It is hard to calculate how much energy I’ve wasted on internal conversations stemming from my insecurity or lack of confidence. With security in my identity growing daily, I am experiencing more freedom to be who God designed me to be; it is impacting everything I do.

So, what does this have to do with corporate leadership culture and Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount?” Here is where the lines get fuzzy…

Consistently, the leaders I’ve been interviewing have said that clear communication, up-front correction, and a commitment to shared growth over time can create an environment where people have freedom to fail. Freedom to fail leads to lessons and innovation, which ultimately leads to overall improved outcomes. In secondary research, article after article on how to create healthy corporate culture has the same message – healthy corporate culture, where people can flourish, is fostered by confidence and security.

In the end, I think healthy culture, whatever the context, is created when people feel secure in their relationships. Whether with co-workers, employers, or spiritual leaders, healthy, secure relationships matter. It makes me think of Bryant Myers’ definition of poverty and the significance of relationships there.[1]  

With the Sermon on the Mount, what if the reason the people listening to Jesus teach on that hillside in Galilee were astounded was because of the confidence and authority Jesus had from His secure relationship with His Father? What if the reason Matthew thought it was worth mentioning, years later, was because of the contrast between someone who fosters security and those who can’t give what they don’t have? What if the biggest leadership lesson from Jesus isn’t about how to lead, but how to be a leader? And what if the main part of being a leader is not as much about leadership strategy as it is having the confidence in your own identity to instill confidence in others?

Still looking at what feels like the underside of a cross-stitch, what I know is, as I grow in confidence, I am leading with more confidence. It seems to be contagious; the people I’m working with are more confident, we’re operating better together, and our outcomes are improving.

The connections may feel a little murky. The dots may not (obviously) connect yet. But I really do think that Jesus’ confidence influenced the authority with which He spoke, and what was astonishing was less what He was saying or how He said it and more about how His confidence fostered security in the hearts of those who were listening. And I think it all relates back to imago Dei, but that is something I’ll have to unpack in future posts.

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[1] Myers, Bryant. Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development. Orbis Books, 2011, p. 143.