Leadership

If you’re ever going to a new place, you’ve probably turned to Google or Chat GPT and said some version of, “Tell me about _______.” San Francisco or Cuba or the best bone fishing spots (just me?) or whatever. You’re not looking for a deep dive. A deep dive can always follow if there is interest. Quite the opposite. Give me the big ideas, the things not to miss, a quick snapshot. It’s a primer. I’m taking that primer idea to a series of practical theological topics over the summer. No dissertation here. Just a Biblical door opening on a few different themes that touch our life and work. Enjoy.

If you’re talking about leadership in the Bible, you could go a million directions. Moses, the reluctant leader? David, who led “with a true heart and…skillful hands”? Deborah, who was as good a high-level strategist as you can imagine. Peter, the nobody turned front face of a movement (who keeps putting his foot in his mouth)?

Or you could go with the negative examples of leadership. Rehoboam, the king whose refusal to listen split a kingdom. Samson, whose personal flaws keep getting in the way of his potential.

Or why not look at Jesus himself, the perfect leader?

Like I said, you could go a million directions. Because, in the words of last generation leader Max DePree, “leadership is an art.” It can (and should) look different in different contexts. People are different, challenges are different, and leadership gifting and style is different. Leadership cannot be cookie cutter.

But my favorite spot to look in the Bible about leadership is with the Apostle Paul. And specifically, one of his letters to a church where he had some authority. 

Paul had founded a church in the thriving commercial center of Corinth, but after he left, he received reports of deep problems. Troubled, he wrote a letter that we call 1 Corinthians. It’s functionally a personal letter to a group of followers. Like an instructional memo from a CEO or a family meeting between parents and older children.

Paul knows these people. He’s led them; he knows their strengths and weaknesses and how far they’ve come. 1 Corinthians is not a letter “about” leadership, per se, but in the midst of dealing with issues some clear principles come out. Let me point out four.

Great Leaders have a healthy sense of selflessness.

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe.” –1 Corinthians 3:6

Make no mistake—Paul was not a passive, quiet leader whose personality made it easy for him to serve selflessly. He was as much of an all-green lights person as there’s ever been. But he worked on humility.

C.S. Lewis said the humble person doesn’t think about himself and Paul got that. He knew he mattered to his Creator. And because he knew he mattered, he didn’t constantly need the applause or praise of subordinates to tell him he mattered. That makes him willing to risk, willing to be critiqued, willing to say hard things, willing to go after the individual rather than the crowd. Willing to serve.

Great leaders will do what it takes to succeed—whether that’s sweeping floors or hiring the right person to sweep floors so they can focus on the tasks that only they can do. And not consider themselves more important than anyone else in the process. 

Great leaders don’t intentionally create messiah effects.

“For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere men?” –1 Corinthians 3:4

Do I need to be liked?

So often the qualities found in good leaders—charisma, a strong personality, work ethic, etc.—are the very same characteristics that cause employees to worship the leaders and put them on pedestals.

Entrepreneurs to pastors are notorious for building an environment that creates a messiah effect for them. Followers develop a fixation on the leaders’ strengths and personality while ignoring the leader’s weaknesses. When this happens, disillusionment is often inevitable and the leader ends up with more influence or power than he/she can handle.

Legendary Bama football coach Bear Bryant said, “Be aware of ‘yes’ men. Generally, they are losers.” Great leaders surround themselves with people, both inside and outside the workplace, that will force them to measure up, to constantly improve. Who are your people?

Great leaders see their leadership as one piece of a bigger process.

“The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose…”—1 Corinthians 3:8

Paul knew he played a key role, but he also realized he was part of something bigger than himself, a huge process that had begun at creation and seemingly kicked into hyperdrive when Jesus returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to the church.

Unlike some newly appointed CEOs, Paul didn’t try to discount or erase the work that had been done by the leaders who had come before him. Like Isaac Newton saying, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Nor did he have the false notion that his leadership would never end. That’s why he was so committed to developing young leaders such as Timothy.

Paul recognized that he was one link in the chain—an important link, to be sure, but only one link nonetheless.

Great leaders recognize there is a God component and a people component to all success.

“I planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”—1 Corinthians 3:6

Sometimes leaders perpetuate the belief that it’s their formula or plan that has caused their organization to grow.

But what about…

• Timing
• Market conditions
• Environment
• Staff team
• Financial inheritance
• Tech genius who moved to town because of his spouse’s job and you happened to run into at a coffee shop
• Another lucky break

Not Paul. He made a huge distinction between his role and the outcome, which was growth. He knew he could work as hard as he wanted but ultimate success depended on God. With other people in between.

Conclusion

For Paul (and I believe for all of us), ultimate leadership success required a changed heart. While he had some gifting for leadership (see his early career as a Pharisee), it wasn’t until God grabbed his attention and changed his heart that his natural gifting became what it was meant to be. In doing so, he had to put aside some things, like his desire to get ahead at all costs, and put on some things, like legitimate care for others.

In the same way, accomplishing these four principles isn’t something you can white knuckle to achieve perfected leadership. You’ll fall short along the way. But the changed heart does lead to changed leadership. You start valuing worthwhile goals and people more than self. And that’s the mark of a great leader.

View the other primers here.