POSITION OR POWER?

“You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom” – William Wallace, Braveheart.

Who is a leader? And what lessons can we learn from the greatest leader of leaders? Position or people? What is the focus of healthy leadership?

When the disciples asked Jesus for position and titles, glory and recognition, authority and power, they showed that they completely misunderstood leadership. This prompted Jesus to explain to them, the heart of leadership: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Real leadership is influence, not position.

Some of history’s greatest leaders lead without official positions or titles. Consider the following people:

- David had no crown or throne, only a harp and sling, yet the people followed him, not King Saul (2 Samuel 5:1-3).

- Nelson Mandela freed South Africa from Apartheid with no title and no position. While his body was wasting away in a prison cell for twenty-seven years, his ideas were taking down a seemingly invincible government.

- Ghandi had no title and no authority, yet despite being incarcerated four times, his influence crushed the British Empire and freed India.

- Ninoy Aquino was in a Philippine prison for seven years, then in exile; all the while, his influence brought an end to the Marcos regime, though he held no official position, authority, or title.

- William Wallace, not the titled and landed nobles, led the Scotts in their fight for freedom from the English. His leadership lesson to the Scottish noble says it all: “Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don't follow titles, they follow courage.”

This confirms that, real leadership is influence with or without a title!

Real leadership is service, not glory.

Jesus’ disciples didn’t want to serve people; they wanted to sit in glory. But real leadership is not about the leader getting a plaque, a standing ovation, or some kind of temporal glory. It’s about service.

Servant leadership is what Jesus was trying to get his disciples to grasp (See Mark 10:43-45). “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves” - D.L. Moody.

Real leadership is guidance, not authority.

Authority over people — that is exactly how various people view leadership! Jesus went on to address this concept of authority disguised as leadership by saying: Not so with you. Whoever wants to become great must be your servant (Mark 10:43).

Leadership is more about guiding than demanding. Guides go first and set an example for others to follow. They do not push, pull, or drag. They simply lead. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Only Jesus had a better description of leadership when he said: Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all (Mark 10:43, 44).

Should the people serve the leaders? Or, should the leaders serve the people? That is the question we all must ask ourselves about our motive for leadership.

Source: http://www.everynation.org

2007 Shaques Publishing Inc.