Leadership lessons from the Leader

Hundreds of articles, research, and books have focused on the leadership style, model, and philosophy of Jesus Christ (Nsiah, 2009). From the mere few pages of the synoptic and John’s gospels, scholars, theologians, philosophers, researchers, and practitioners have produced a wealthy library of leadership theories, all revolving on Jesus’ few years of historic life. No other person has attracted so much attention from the academic, educational, and even business worlds (Roberts, 2012) – not because of what happened during Jesus’ short earthly life span, but due to the consequential aftermath that changed history. This article aims at focusing on the following leadership aspects of this great Leader.

He invested in people

The three years that Jesus spent in selecting and developing his leadership team were part of a formation program that transitioned into a succession plan (Gray, 2014). The verb “teach” appears some 60 times and the word “disciple” is mentioned 261 times in the four Gospels and the book of Acts (Foster, 2010). Not only did Jesus teach in words, but also in deeds, providing the ideal role-model leadership style that was expected of his followers (Gray, 2014). His teaching method was a common-knowledge process, using parables, examples, and relational one-on-one tutoring (Ward, 2012b).

Accordingly, Jesus earned the global title: “The Great Teacher” (Ward, 2012a). This recognition does not only come from his followers, but also from those who do not follow his teachings; even his foes. He invested in his people by ensuring that his vision, mission, and focus were transmitted regularly in words and works. His equipping and empowering style translated into a powerful movement that was hundred-fold more effective upon his succession.

According to Ward (2012a), this great teacher taught his followers using the following techniques:

1. He invited people to walk with him. He allowed his people to share his life, eating, socializing, and interacting with him. Teaching his people went beyond the formal setting and more towards informal learning.
2. He invited people to do and become something. He clearly invited his people to action and to glory. Working towards an altruistic goal made his people feel valued and worthy.
3. He walked with his people towards a changed lifestyle. He challenged the social structure of the time and accepted a humble, simplistic life. Living in humility with his people set a precedent to his followers and successors.
4. He felt compassion and expressed his feelings to his people. “He cut through formality and social distance to establish an intimate emotional bond with his learners” (Ward, 2012a, p. 10). Expressing his emotions brought him closer to his people.
5. He responded with care and respect to the people’s questions. He never turned away inquirers, seekers, or doubters. Listening to their concerns strengthened the bond with his people.
6. He put his people to work in active learning projects. He engaged in teaching and learning through doing things – a scholarly-practitioner model. Learning through experience and apprenticeship intensified the transfer of knowledge.
7. He reoriented his people in their cultural relationships. He established new platforms for intercultural reconciliation with the other communities. Enlarging the scope of accepting the other who is different globalized his teachings.

He organized his people

A closer reading of the gospels reveals an organizational leadership structure that the Leader has put in place. This is a rarity with charismatic leaders, as in the case of Jesus Christ, as such leaders tend to possess strong influential skills but lack organizational rigor. Evidence of Jesus’ charisma traces back to his astonishing encounter with learned men at the early age of 12 and throughout his three-year change mandate (McCulloch, 2005). Yet with his charismatic leadership and very short tenure (Low, 2010), Jesus was able to organize his people in a sustainable form.

The main purpose of this organizational leadership would be to establish a core group who would eventually be called to lead others (Sánchez, 2011). While most people identify the vital role of the 12 disciples, Jesus recognized various capacities within his team and organized his people accordingly. He also viewed people in terms of their needs rather than his own (Low, 2010). This enabled him to allocate roles and distribute responsibilities accordingly. Following are excerpts of his organizational skills:

• The 12 disciples: This constituted the core team that Jesus hand-selected, trained, served, and nurtured (Slear, 2009). They witnessed his leadership care and recorded his everyday behavior (Low, 2010). Eventually, they became the pillars of the mission and took over the mantle, including establishing a team-member succession plan with the nomination of Matthias in Acts chapter one.
• The inner circle: From within this team, Jesus entrusted a small group – Peter, James, and John – to bear witness to special encounters. In recognizing their capacity to go the extra mile, Jesus invested in these three individuals who would, in the succession plan, assume key leadership roles. Jesus acknowledged their value and motivation to serve his mission (Low, 2010).
• The base assembly: These were the appointed 72 (or 70) with a specific mandate mentioned in Luke chapter 10. They will later serve as the assembly to select a replacement disciple in Acts chapter one and in the organization of the early Church in Acts chapter six. Jesus was preplanning the potential growth of people to equip them for future responsibilities (Low, 2010).

Other formats of informal groups were organized around the formal structure, such as the group of women who were catering for Jesus and the disciples, the treasurer (Judas the Iscariot) who attended to the financial needs, and various community leaders who viewed Jesus’ mission favorably, such as council members Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea (John chapter three and 20). In organizing his people, Jesus treated them as equals although he was able to know and identify differences and gaps in capacities (Low, 2010). His earthly legacy represents the largest organization known to humanity today.

He never gives up on people

Effective leadership requires effective learning; “it is the process of pulling together old and new, tradition and innovation, the known and the unknown” (Covrig, 2011, p. 16). Hence, learning is an integral part of leadership. People are prone to mistakes and will commit many mistakes in this journey. The key is to learn from mistakes and move on, rather than become hostage to those mistakes. Followership requires leadership as well (Copeland, 2013); therefore, a reciprocal understanding is required.

Despite investing in and organizing his people, Jesus confronted a recognizable failure ratio at the end of the three-year formation program. Three separate incidents with three individuals put to question the effectiveness of investing, teaching, equipping, empowering, organizing, and developing people. And although only three incidents/individuals were recorded, there could very well have been others sharing the same dispositions. At the very end of his earthly mission, Jesus encountered a most disappointing setback from his entrusted entourage. This 25% failure ratio consists of the following 3-D perspectives: Disloyalty, Denial, and Doubt.

1. Disloyalty: After three years of loyal service in the team and as treasurer, Judas the Iscariot turned against the Leader and betrayed him. This disloyalty was stemmed by the human desire to establish an earthly institution with sustainable physical resources. Moreover, the love of money is the root of many evils. The price of disloyalty was 30 pieces of silver, worth buying a small plot of land.
2. Denial: After assuming many leadership positions within the team, a proactive member, always ready to take the initiative and the first to recognize Jesus’ deity, Peter, under pressure, denies knowing the Leader. This denial was caused by a reactive chain of events that reversed the initial objective behind the plan – to stay close to the Leader. Unable to protect the Leader, Peter’s denial added insult to injury.
3. Doubt: After bearing witness by 10 other members of the team, Thomas challenges the Leader and his team members by doubting His word and their eyewitness account. This doubting attitude originated from a pragmatic realistic-pessimistic stance and a drive to differentiate Thomas from the team, now that the Leader was no longer around. High standards of evidence were required to change this doubter’s decision.

How did the Leader handle these seemingly team-disruptive 3-D failures that occurred within a spam of days following years of team building? Jesus attempted to reconcile with each one of them. With Peter’s denial, John chapter 21 describes how Jesus reinstates Peter’s confidence and leadership responsibilities by asking him, three times (ironically, the same number that Peter is recorded denying Jesus), to take care of His sheep. With Thomas’ doubting, Jesus attended to his cognitive level (Low, 2010) and reconciled with him using his (Thomas’) preset standards, which were no longer necessary. With Judas’ disloyalty, Jesus was not given the opportunity to reconcile with him as he (Judas) took his own life in remorse.

Leadership implications

The most important lesson is not to give up on people, regardless of the gravity of their failures. Some organizations and their leaders cannot accept such behaviors among their team members, yet the leadership lessons from the Leader indicate that reconciliation is possible (Bergant, 2005). This Leader’s organization is based on the highest level of ethical values, humble leadership, and global reach, yet it provides the opportunity for a second chance by not giving up on people. This Leader exemplifies level-five leadership as demonstrated through his passion, vision, mission, goals, plan, and recruitment of the right people despite their weaknesses (Slear, 2009). Second chances are, therefore, legitimate and necessary for personal and organizational development.

Jesus was able to transform the 3-D perspectives from failure to success. He transformed Peter’s denial into an eloquent public speaker and champion of the mission; he transformed Thomas’ doubtful attitude into an evidenced factual proof of His claims; and he transformed Judas’ disloyalty into personal remorse, regret, and consequential events. With the exception of the latter case, people were always reconciled to the Leader and adopted His mission with the same rigor. Organizational leaders are asked to reconsider their policies and procedures when it comes to people’s behaviors. That is the main lesson from the Leader.

Conclusion

Jesus never gives up on people. He gave second chances to his people and continues to do so to date. Being humble, serving, and reconciling, Jesus was able to develop – not penalize – his people. According to Low (2010), “when your people see you as a cause instead of an effect, it would be easy to teach them to think the same way” (p. 61). Jesus did not present his people with a five-year plan or long-term objectives when he called them to drop their fishing nets and follow this man named Jesus (Copeland, 2013). He simply invited his people to follow his leadership model, a path he was willing to take before asking others to join. He never gives up on people; neither should we!

References:

Bergant, D. (2005). Follow the Leader. America, 192(1), 31.

Copeland, A. J. (2013). Why lead?. Christian Century, 130(23), 11-12.

Covrig, D. M. (2011). Lessons in leadership development from the master student. Journal of Applied Christian Leadership, 5(1), 13-17.

Foster, R. (2010). Discipleship in the New Testament. Society of Biblical Literature. Teaching the Bible.

Gray, K. (2014). Generation to generation. Jesus, formation and transitions in leadership. Health Progress (Saint Louis, Mo.), 95(4), 8-13.

Low, K. P. (2010). Moving Mountains – The Vital Art of Persuasion from Jesus. Leadership & Organizational Management Journal, 2010(3), 55-63.

McCulloch, A. (2005). Jesus Christ and Max Weber: Two Problems of Charisma. Max Weber Studies, 5(1), 7-34.

Nsiah, G. (2013). Leading as Jesus Led: Christ Models of Leadership. Open Journal of Leadership, 2(4), 103-105.

Roberts, D. B. (2012). A directed content analysis of the leadership of Jesus among his twelve disciples using the framework of the situational LeadershipRTM model (3536694). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text. (1318912124).

Sánchez, P. D. (2011). Lessons in leadership. National Catholic Reporter, 47(14), 23.

Slear, S. (2009). Jesus the Level-Five Leader. Momentum (0026914X), 40(2), 24-25.

Ward, T. W. (2012a). Developing Christ-like Leaders. Common Ground Journal, 10(1), 9-11.

Ward, T. W. (2012b). Facilitating Human Development. Common Ground Journal, 10(1), 12-14.