During my career, there have been many people I have sometimes referred to as “bosses”. They were the people I reported to, who hired me, and if I didn’t do my job faithfully – they had the right to fire me. Fortunately, in most cases my “bosses” were also good leaders. But in the business and professional world, that’s not always the case.
What’s the difference? Speaker, author and consultant Tim Kite summed it up by describing how the “boss” perspective differs from that of a true leader. He said the boss mindset is, “The people I manage work for me. It’s their responsibility to do what I tell them to do.” However, Kite stated, the mindset of a true leader is, “I work for the people I lead. It’s my responsibility to give them the support they need to accomplish great things.”
This reminds me of Jim Collins’ classic business book, From Good to Great. The book is about the research he and his research team did on the most effective companies. They found that in most cases the top corporations were led not by famous charismatic personalities, but by humble people whose drive for excellence and success was balanced by a deep humility.
Reviewing the study, Collins observed, “Leaders who achieved outstanding results never wanted to become outstanding heroes. They never sought to be put on a pedestal or become unattainable idols. They were seemingly ordinary people who quietly achieved outstanding results”
As we read the Bible, we find people like this: Joseph, Moses, David, Nehemiah, and others in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament, the apostles Paul and Peter, and especially Jesus Christ, were all leaders who, to use Cait’s terms, saw it as their responsibility to lead the people they led with the support they needed to accomplish great things. Here are just a few of the many examples.
One of the best ways to lead is to present a vision for the work that can inspire everyone involved. Nehemiah did this after touring the ruins of ancient Jerusalem. “Then I said [to all who would be involved in the work]: “And I said to them, ‘You see the calamity in which we are; Jerusalem is desolate, and its gates have been burned with fire; let us go and build the wall of Jerusalem, and we shall not henceforth be in such humiliation.’ And I told them of the favorable hand of my God, and also the words of the king which he had spoken to me. And they said: “Let us build,” and they strengthened their hands for a good work” (Nehemiah 2:17-18). It was completed in a remarkably short period of time.
Ensuring the prosperity of those in your care. Instead of focusing on what people can do to accomplish their own goals, the best leaders seek to find ways to encourage and influence those who report to them to excel in using their God-given gifts, skills, and talents. “Do nothing out of curiosity or vanity, but in humility esteem one another as superior to yourselves. Do not look out only for yourselves, but also for others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
© 2024. Robert J. Tamasi has written “Ambassadors of the Marketplace: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship”; “Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace”; “Seeking Life with the Heart of a Shepherd,” co-authored with Ken Johnson; and “The Heart of Mentoring,” co-authored with David A. Stoddard. Bob’s bi-weekly blog: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.
Questions for reflection/discussion
- Do you believe that being a “boss” (or to use whatever term you prefer) is necessarily the same as being a good and effective leader? Why yes or why no?
- Think of someone you consider to be a true leader. What are his or her qualities that stand out and inspire others to emulate them?
- Why do you think some people (whether business and professional executives or politicians) are given so much attention, even if they don’t seem to have genuine leadership qualifications and qualities?
- Considering the life of Jesus Christ, Whose influence is still palpable today, 2000 years later, what made Him such an effective leader?
NOTES. If you have a Bible and want to read more, consider the following passages: Leviticus 19:18; Proverbs 28:2,16; Matthew 7:9-12; 1 Corinthians 10:31-33; Ephesians 6:5-9
Difficult task
You may hold a leadership position in your organization or have limited ability to lead others. Either way, take time to assess your leadership strengths and weaknesses.
You can find one or two trusted friends who will be honest with you about your leadership abilities. Then think about the steps you need to start taking to become an even more effective leader who puts the needs and interests of others first.