When we talk about leadership, what better example do we have than the leadership Christ provided to his disciples? If you have ever been in a leadership position, you realize that even though you have a leadership style that you prefer to use, often different situations call for different leadership styles. Leaders have to be able to determine the right style to use given the specific situation in which they find themselves. Jesus shows us some great examples of adjusting his leadership style based on the circumstance.
In Matthew 16:20-24 when Jesus explains to the disciples that he is going to Jerusalem to die, Peter doesn’t catch the vision. He pulls Jesus aside and says that is not the way things will unfold. Jesus acts quickly: “Get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling block to me.” Jesus knew that Peter could not see the vision of what was to come, but neither could Jesus let Peter’s lack of understanding impact the achievement of that vision. Jesus acted quickly and decisively to get things back on track. Here Jesus used a very directive leadership style.
Jesus uses a different style of leadership in John 11, the story of Lazarus. Jesus gets word that Lazarus is sick, but he doesn’t act immediately. He wants a few days and then says to his disciples “let’s go to Jerusalem.” To which they reply—are you crazy? Just a few days ago they tried to stone you. In this situation, Jesus’ style is “selling rather than telling.” He assures them they will be traveling together in daylight, so they will be safe. He reminds them how much they love Lazarus. Finally, he tells them he is planning to raise Lazarus from the dead. Thomas replies, “Okay, let’s go.”
The leadership style most used by Jesus was a coaching style. Most of Jesus’ teaching happened in parables. He would speak to the crowd telling them a parable and then, as stated in Matthew 13:16
, he would take his disciples aside later and explain the meaning of these parables. Jesus did this to help the disciples grow and develop. He knows he would soon be taken from them and they would need to be able to grasp the vision and share it on their own (with the help of the Holy Spirit of course).
We as leaders also need to understand the importance of investing in and developing our followers. We will not always be able to be with them. We need to ensure they have the ability to grasp the vision and carry it out on their own.
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