The Leadership Style of Jesusಮಾದರಿ

Day 6: The Secure Leader

Whenever someone assumes a leadership role, that person agrees, either verbally or tacitly, to expend his best efforts for the organization. As the apostle Paul put it, “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

An authentic leader cannot be insecure. He or she cannot be continually fearful of losing the leadership position. Leaders must be confident of God’s Leading in their lives and confident in the gifts and abilities God has given them. Insecure leaders tend to fear making decisions and frequently second-guess the few decisions they do make.

Confident leaders are decisive without being arrogant and secure without being smug. They act decisively and don’t obsess over decisions once they’re made. If it turns out that they made the wrong decision, then they correct the old decision with a new one and keep moving forward. That’s how secure, confident leaders lead. They have learned to follow the counsel of the apostle Paul:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

That kind of peace, confidence, and security comes from knowing who we truly serve, Jesus the Master. Leaders who live to please Jesus instead of pleasing other people have far less stress and anxiety to deal with. When we adopt the Leadership Style of Jesus, we feel secure knowing that we are servants of a Master who is gracious, forgiving, and accepting, a Master who understands us better than we understand ourselves.

Because we are secure in our standing before Jesus, we don’t feel threatened by competition. We don’t feel we have a position to protect or a reputation to defend. Jesus is our Protector and our Defender. We can leave everything in his Hands and feel completely secure.

Phil and Steve Mahre are twin brothers and retired alpine ski racers who competed in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Phil is the older of the two by four minutes. The Mahre brothers are regarded as two of the greatest American skiers of all time. During the late seventies and early eighties, they frequently competed against each other on the World Cup circuit, yet neither felt threatened by the other. They believed that competing against each other made them both better skiers.

In the 1984 Olympic finals, Phil skied before his brother and was holding first place. When Steve’s turn came, Phil got on the walkie-talkie and told his brother what to expect on the way down, including a treacherously slick patch near the bottom. Why would Phil help his brother—who was, after all, a competitor—and jeopardize his own gold medal? Because Phil felt secure. His ego was strong enough that he could compete against Steve while also being a friend and supporter to his brother. He genuinely wanted his brother to turn in his best possible performance, even if it meant that Phil would take home the silver rather than the gold.

When Steve skied, he finished just 0.21 seconds behind his brother. At the awards ceremony, they stood side by side, Phil wearing the gold medal around his neck and Steve wearing the silver. Phil later recalled, “After I received the gold medal, my dad congratulated me, then he said, ‘Half of that medal is your brother’s.’ And he was right.”

Spoken like a true leader. Authentic leaders do not have fragile egos. They are secure and confident, and they do not fear competition.