Principles of work – ‘Leadership’

Dear Friends,

So far, in the mini-series of principles of work, we have covered the Rhythm of Work and Rest, Vision and Creativity, Partnership and this time around the focus is on Leadership.

I want to be clear to point out that the Leadership I am talking about is not the worldly version. The Leadership I will be referring to is biblical and Jesus-like leadership. With that said, let us bear the following points in mind:

• We can all be Leaders and still work in partnership. What this requires is that each person understands their area of responsibility. Each one is humble, puts others’ interests first, accepts when they make mistakes, and able to accommodate and forgive other’s mistakes. We can easily see why this would not work in the world because characters such as humility, forgiveness, and selfless service are not the usual makeup of worldly leaders.
• Men and Women were created to be leaders and rulers, and Christ-followers are going to rule with Him in the new world that is coming. The bible tells us right at the beginning that God created us male and female to rule the world. He created us in His image and likeness to rule over all creatures on the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). Several other scriptures reveal that those who are in Christ till the end will reign with Him in the new earth and the new heavens. Examples of such scriptures can be found in Revelation 5:9-10, Revelation 20:4; Matthew 25:20-21.
• Adam, Eve, and by extension all of us humans lost our right to rule as God ordained because we disobeyed God. Jesus Christ came to the world to show us how to live that life of obedience that we should and to pay the penalty for our sins so that we can regain everything that God had prepared for us. Jesus showed us how to lead in this world so that we can regain our leadership position in the age to come. When He has finished the work, God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church (Ephesians 1:22).
• All Christ-followers are called to emulate the life of Christ, to follow His examples in every way, and to be prepared to give up everything we have, including our present lives, to gain the eternal life of reigning with Christ. Being a leader for a Christ-disciple does not mean we have to be above everyone, or lord it over anyone, but rather it means we have to take responsibility for our work as our worship to God and that we have to lay down all our privileges to serve others.

We give up everything to win the crown

I hope, with the above points, you will agree with me that we can all take up leadership positions in our workplaces. ‘Leadership is influence’ and so we can all lead from anywhere in the organisation whether front, middle, or the back. In other words, you may be a Manager, Clerk, Cleaner, Driver, Security person, or indeed hold any position in the organisation, as long as you are connected to others, you can still lead from where you are.

The phrase ‘leadership is influence’ is something I learned as part of my attending the Global Leadership Summit (Network) over several years. This year, the conference is virtual and ‘free’ and dates are still available to book in November. I strongly recommend you check it out and book yourself in if you can http://bit.ly/bookgls

Because Leadership is influence, we all need to be thinking about what impact we have on others and ensure that as much as it is within our power, we leave a positive impression. At the least, those of us who claim to know God, and follow Christ, are to lead others in the world by setting examples as model employees and managers in the way Christ would have done if He was in our position. Christian leadership is so much needed in the world, especially right now when things appear to be going from bad to worse. Many people around us are looking for something different from what they previously depended on as everything is being shaken. This is the time for Christ-followers to stand up and be the ‘salt’ and the ‘light’ that God created us to be in the workplace.

I will therefore end this blog by reminding us of the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ when He described us as the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Some of the descriptions below are taken from the Leading the Way daily devotionals of Dr. Michael Youssef titled ‘Living Out the Master’s Manifesto’ (Part 1and 2) https://subspla.sh/ph4mqgq

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Jesus describes His followers as the salt of the earth which means we are to be the decay stoppers of the world. Jesus knew that the world is rotten and so He has positioned all of us in places where we can make a difference by bringing healthy interactions, promoting peace, and sharing the love and grace of Christ. Most importantly, we are in the workplace to preserve what is good, similar to what a block of salt can do within rotten fish. Our work as salt does not need to be done in the open, so it can be done in one to one interactions and prayers of intercession for our colleagues and the workplace.

Salt is for preservation

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Jesus also describes us, His followers as lights of the world and so we need to step up to our calling by being just that. Unlike our salt character, as the light of the world we need to be visible to show others how to do things, we need to guide those who need direction and we need to warn those who are lost and about to be destroyed. We cannot be secret disciples in the workplace if we want to be the light of the world. Rather, we need to be like the tall lighthouse, always on duty to warn and guide ships from crashing into the jagged-edged rocks hidden by the sea waves but with the dangerous capacity to tear the ships apart.

Be the light of the world

One consequence of our being the salt and light of the world is that people of the world will ask us questions about why we are different and they will glorify our Father in heaven because of the light they see in us. Some will open their hearts to receive Jesus because of what they see in us and that would be the best possible outcome. But those who don’t like to be shown the truth or to be warned of their errors will choose to persecute us. That is also to be expected but Jesus will be with us through it all according to His promise. Nevertheless, to be true disciples of Jesus, we need to keep uplifting Him as the only answer to the problems of the world – that is our most important leadership role in the workplace.

Please contact us if you want to talk through a particular scenario you are going through in the workplace and we will offer a listening ear and if possible share a relevant experience of others to encourage you. We are also happy to pray along with you or help in any practical way possible. Together we can bring God’s kingdom to all our workplaces.

I pray that everyone who reads this blog will resolve to do better in performing our leadership positions in the workplace, being the salt and the light of the world, signposting our colleagues to Jesus Christ and making His kingdom come on the earth. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

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God bless you and keep growing in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Adesina