Two weeks ago I was asked, “What is the best book on
leadership you have ever read?” This got
me thinking not of a book, but of a who.
I began asking myself who is the best leader to have ever lived. To answer this I simply looked for who has
the most followers. Below are some stats
on the person I feel is the greatest leader to have ever exited:
·
2.18 billion people claim His name as a
follower.
·
More books, songs, and poems have been written
about Him than any other person in history.
·
2000 years after His death He is still having a dramatic
impact on the lives of His followers.
Jesus of Nazareth is the ultimate leader. He accomplished so much even though he was
raised in a rural town, never traveled more than 100 miles from home, never
wrote a book, never went to college, and never led a major corporation. On top of this He was born to teenage parents
who were not yet married; a clear set back 2000 years ago. Even during His life people questioned who
Jesus was. John 6:42 states, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?”
Basically saying, we know this guy how can He make the claims he
does. So how did this peasant from Nazareth
make such an impact? Jesus claimed to be
divine, and this is claim that I agree with. Obviously, being devine He will be able to
lead in ways that we never could, but there are six things that Jesus did and
we can emulate that made him a great leader.
Jesus Prepared:
It is widely believed that Jesus began His public ministry around the age of
30. In fact, there is limited knowledge
of what exactly Jesus did for the first 30 years of His life. One could infer that He worked a construction
job with His father. During this time
the Bible also tells us that, “He grew in wisdom and stature among men.” Simply put, Jesus was preparing Himself for
the public ministry to come. As leaders
we need to be willing to put in the time to prepare for the leadership opportunities
we will have.
Jesus Built Leaders:
Although Jesus taught to the masses He spent most of His time with 12
people. Jesus invested all of himself in
the team around him. After His crucifixion
Jesus gives the great commission in Matthew 28:19 saying, “Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations…” From this point on these 12 men (Judas being replaced)
went out and spread the news about Jesus and built more leaders to do the same. As leaders we need to invest in the people
around us. Like Jesus we need to be
building people up so that they can carry forward the vision and mission of our
schools, companies, or churches.
Jesus Was Mission
Focused: “When the days drew
near for Him to be taken up, he set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke
9:51. From this point forward in the
book of Luke Jesus is focused on going to Jerusalem where He would be
crucified. Every action and interaction
Jesus had fit into His mission. As leaders
we too must be focused on our missions.
Everything we do must tie back to the vision, mission, and goals that we
are trying to achieve.
Jesus Served:
Servant leadership is talked about a lot in leadership today. Jesus stated in Mark 10:45, “Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His
life as a ransom for many.” In
this verse we see that Jesus served and gave.
It is so powerful when leaders are willing to serve and give to those
they lead. Like Jesus we shouldn’t approach
leadership as a way to get things but instead as a way to serve and give back.
Jesus Was Connected:
There are several times in the Gospels that Jesus escapes the crowds and finds
time alone to meditate and connect with God.
As leaders it is important for us to find ways to step away from the
noise of the world and reflect. Before
Jesus made big choices like selecting His 12 disciples He made sure to find
quite time with God. Like Jesus, it is
crucial that we take time to connect with God prior to making big decisions.
Jesus Made the Tough
Calls: On the night prior to His crucifixion Jesus cries out to God, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless,
not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39. As we know the story, the cup is not allowed
to pass from Jesus and He willingly goes to the cross to die for the sins of
mankind. That is intense! Jesus did what needed to be done, he made the
tough call. As leaders we too must make
the tough calls. We cannot live in a
world of grey. If a decision needs to be
made we need to be willing to step up, make it, and take ownership of it.
Jesus prepared, built leaders, was focused, served others,
was connected, and made the tough calls.
We have all heard the saying, “What would Jesus do?” Looking at the life of Jesus the leader we
can begin to ask, how
would Jesus lead?
