Read Hebrews 3:12-14, Read James 5:16
Week Four provides an overview of contemporary leadership. We will see that ideas like decentralization, empowerment, servant leadership, transformational leadership, and even Spirituality in the Workplace are embodied in the biblical idea of covenant (or community). Covenant involves the notion that “we’re all in this together” and is based upon heart level relationships, first with God, and then with others in the body of Christ. In Workshop Five, we’ll see this idea carried further in terms of the need for confession, accountability, and encouragement. As followers of Christ, we were not meant to walk through life alone but rather with one another, pointing each other to Christ and our eternal home as we fight sin and live lives of victory.
Of course, all of this talk of community is not to say that we can always have the same depth of relationship with people on the job and people we lead. But if we live as full-orbed human beings—people capable of loving others and people healthy enough to admit when they’ve made mistakes—those around us will have a better understanding of the hope that is within us.
Confession and exhortation are a fine art—nurtured by faith in God and Christ’s complete work in us. It takes faith to realize that if “the One who knows us the most loves us the most” we can be more comfortable walking in the light with one another as children of God. It takes faith to fully accept God’s unconditional love and acceptance of us through Christ, and in turn, it takes faith to be freed from the bondage of impression management which is fed by the need of affirmation from others.
Leaders, in turn, need to feel comfortable being open about mistakes and, above all, to receive feedback from followers about key decisions. Though leaders are often more adept at seeing the big picture than their followers, followers are more adept at seeing the details and, in particular, how key decisions will impact their part of the process. Therefore, it’s more than just an act of humility to open up channels of communication with followers; it’s an act of wisdom. And this goes back to a central premise both of covenant and the Gospel: we are not in control.
We may like to be in control, but life is bigger than us, and the same is true of what goes on in any organization. Leaders may feel the temptation to have absolute control and to make decisions without getting some insight from followers, but in doing so, leaders discover that whether they like it or not, their decisions are often misinformed and ill-fated. True success comes when we are willing to let go of the reins of control to some extent; it is not enough to acquiesce the need to convey and instill vision, but enough to let others help us shape the vision and its implementation. Again, ultimately this takes faith to trust that above all, God is in control and will bless us when we are humble and service-oriented.
Consider these questions as you prepare to engage in the devotional:
- What makes confessing sins, mistakes and shortcomings so difficult to do? How does focusing on God’s unconditional love and grace through Jesus Christ make it easier to be more vulnerable with others?
- Have you ever been in a leadership position where you needed to listen to the advice of followers and you didn’t? What was the outcome of not doing so?
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