Holy Business Principle #2 requires reflection and acceptance on our parts. As we deconstruct the compartmentalization of our lives, we start to see how much we benefit applying biblical principles already in our day to day. I talk to leaders who frequently describe how they could never integrate their faith into their lives because their company policy does not allow that or they feel less than as a believer because they aren't in vocational ministry. What we can fail to recognize is what Romans 12:1-2 tries so hard to impress on us:
We need not speak only in scripture to model Jesus. As executives and owners, there is a key area for us to begin this investigation: the fact that leadership development and discipleship are...drum roll...the SAME THING.
Healthy leaders lead like Jesus. To lead like Jesus, we model Romans 12. To know what that looks like, we need only visit the life and ministry of Jesus in scripture for someWe get up, we move forward each day. We practice life the way he did in his leadership:
Engage. We should spend a significant amount of time with those we lead, understanding their pain points, helping them work through them, and sending them out to their own Romans 12 walks.
Encourage. Be clear about the value we see in our teams. Be specific in what they are equipped to do (and what they are not equipped to handle yet). Invest in developing those skillsets further. Allow our teams to become experts in their areas of gifting and build loyalty through giving ownership away to them as the organization grows.
Teach. Teach people to do what we do using words and methods they understand. Jesus taught the disciples in depth and took them alongside him. When he preached or engaged outside of that circle, he taught in parables to ensure they could understand his message at the level of knowledge they have. When we teach or train or cast vision, we have to ask ourselves, "How will I present this for this audience so they not only comply but they choose to commit to doing it well?"
Empower them. Empower means "to give (someone) the authority or power to do something." Jesus equipped his team with not only wisdom and understanding, he also made it clear they had the authority to heal, teach and spread the gospel to others.
Retreat. Take time alone with God. While Jesus lead the charge, he protected the times he got away to be with God. In Mark, we see Peter and others come to him and interrupt this time. He simply reminds them that they have trained to do the work and were equipped to do what he taught on their own. He then went right back to praying. We should build and develop people so well that we can coach and encourage them to run without you.
Rest. Model for our teams that rest is a part of success. Ensure burnout cannot take over what you have built together and celebrate those who demonstrate strong skills in preparation and hard work that are followed by rest and renewal to go hard again.
To grow our organizations beyond ourselves, we need to recognize our role is no longer making the product, service or idea happen- our goal becomes to develop others to do that and then to ensure they develop others to do the same. If we find ourselves doing anything alone once we reach this point, then we are wasting time and killing the opportunity for something to grow beyond us.
Healthy, faith forward leadership development and discipleship dictates we model the leadership of Jesus- we build something so it's reach is far beyond our capacity and we entrust the vision to others to reproduce it exponentially.
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