by Dr. Richard Blackaby
Countless books and articles have been written on the subject of leadership. Leadership gurus often utilize metaphors such as comparing leadership to warfare (using terms such as strategy and tactics as well as phrases such as “rallying the troops,” “capturing the high ground” etc.), or a sporting contest (using terms like “winning,” “competitors,” “goal line”) or various other parallels such as terms from the jungle, evolution, medicine, or mechanics. Each of these images emphasizes particular aspects of leadership. I’d like to use a different metaphor with you. I would like to talk with you about leadership mathematics.
At the outset I must confess that I have been less than stellar in this particular discipline in my education. I escaped my senior year in high school with a shaky “D!” I did fine in the early years of learning mathematics, but somewhere between long division and algebra, I began to feel like I had been thrown into the deep end without my water wings. The only thing I was always confident in was my ability to add and subtract. As I have spent the last number of years speaking and consulting with people about leadership, I have increasingly become convinced that we need to return to simple math when examining our leadership.
Here are two simple, yet profound questions that could dramatically impact your leadership: First, what is one thing you could subtract from your character or behavior that would make you a more effective leader? Second, what is one thing you could add to your character qualities or leadership skills that would enhance what you are currently doing? The reality is that you may be one healthy decision away from being a much better leader than you presently are.
There is a fascinating dynamic found in John Chapter 13. We immediately recognize that passage as highlighting Jesus modeling servanthood as He washed His disciples’ filthy feet. But there are other important dynamics taking place in that chapter. Jesus had called the twelve disciples to walk with Him several years earlier. He had spent a great deal of time teaching and guiding them. Jesus had added much to these men’s lives over the course of their training. But by the time we find these men celebrating the Passover in the upper room, they had reached the end of themselves.
Beginning in verse 18, Jesus identified Judas as His betrayer. Despite knowing that Judas would one day turn against Him, Jesus had always treated him as lovingly as He had the other eleven. On that night, Jesus washed Judas’s feet with the same loving attention with which He had treated the others. Commentators speculate that Jesus must have placed his traitorous follower in a seat of honor at His right or left hand since He was able to pass him a piece of bread while reclining at a table. Jesus even made it clear to Judas that He knew what he was intending to do, perhaps so he might entertain second thoughts.
Jesus understood the crucial principle that spiritual leadership is grounded in character. If you have a small character, God generally will not assign you a large assignment (God of course can do whatever He chooses. He has made use of donkeys and unbelievers to accomplish His purposes, but this is generally a short-term solution and often done in the absence of a more sanctified instrument). A large assignment could overwhelm a small character. Your leadership can only go as far as your character can sustain you. When Judas began following Jesus, he had been a greedy thief. Over the next few years, he had been given the opportunity to preach and had been assigned to serve as the group’s treasurer. But now, at the conclusion of his time with Jesus, Judas was still a materialistic thief. Nothing had changed, despite his constant proximity to the Messiah. Judas had advanced as far as his character could take him. He inevitably encountered a temptation he could not refuse. Judas could go no further with Jesus apart from a radical change in his life.
Likewise, that evening Peter reached the limit to his character also. Despite his bravado, he suffered major weaknesses. He was proud, boastful and unashamedly ambitious. He liked to compare himself with others and cared too much about what others thought of him. These character issues would bring about his greatest failure later that night. Both men desperately needed for sinful attitudes and behaviors to be removed from their lives if their leadership was not to be derailed.
Of course, despite all Jesus did to reach out to him, Judas never addressed his greed and cynicism. Such neglect would cost him dearly. Conversely, Peter would be rudely confronted with his character issues later that night and suffered the most grievous failure in his life. Ultimately Jesus would restore him and remove the pride and boastfulness that had dominated his life. Peter would subtract sinful qualities from his life and eventually become a great apostle. Judas would not remove his sinful values and attitudes and would go on to commit the most infamous betrayal in history.
Oftentimes leaders focus too intently on what they need to add to their leadership tool kit to the exclusion of the important question of what they ought to subtract. They attend the latest conference, read the current leadership best seller, or adopt the latest fad. Yet if they harbor pride or lust or envy or unforgiveness in their heart, no amount of leadership seminars will enable them to overcome its downward pull on their life and ministry. Some leaders need to jettison their negative or critical attitudes. Others are hindered by fear. I know one worship leader who was fired by his senior pastor after he attempted to do something innovative. In his next position, this man did no more than required so he could avoid putting his family through another abrupt transition. By choosing to “play it safe,” this man was allowing fear to dominate his life. If the man were ever to advance as a leader, his fear had to be crucified. What these people must do is make their way to the holy altar and allow Christ to crucify their pride or greed or pettiness or fear so they are freed to lead at a higher level.
Organizations can face this same dilemma. They hold special meetings, reorganize their staff, and expand their facilities. Yet they are rife with prayerlessness or divisiveness or worldliness. They think that by ramping up their activity for God that they can overcome the debilitating consequences of their sin and dysfunction. They are like a cancer patient who hopes that by volunteering to serve on numerous committees and going on various mission trips that he can ignore the consequences of having a terminal disease. No amount of new responsibilities and activities we add to our life can compensate for that which we must subtract.
The second aspect of leadership math is addition. The truth is that there are skills, perspectives, and character traits you could develop that would greatly enhance your leadership effectiveness. There are numerous helpful books that could benefit you (I could suggest a few). There are conferences that could challenge you. There are people who could mentor you. There are scores of people who could offer you valuable feedback. And, preeminently, the Holy Spirit remains constantly prepared to transform you to be more like Christ as you lead.
But herein lies a dilemma. Despite multitudinous opportunities to better themselves, people in leadership positions often remain unchanged. There are various reasons for this. Some leaders battle insecurity. They cannot bring themselves to ask others for advice or feedback for fear it might rock their fragile self-esteem. Others are too lazy. They are unwilling to make the time or to forgo their favorite sitcom to read that challenging new book . . . I once met with a young pastor who led a church of twenty people. I asked him what book he was currently reading. He impatiently informed me that he was too busy to read books. I responded that if he did not find a way to read, he would not hold a leadership position for long. He didn’t, and he didn’t.
Others grow complacent. They feel like they are doing “good enough.” The truth is that ten years ago their leadership skills might have been adequate. But they aren’t now. Times have changed. New issues have developed, but these lethargic leaders continue to function as they always have. They are like the parent who did a great job with her preschooler. But now that child has matured into a teenager. Nevertheless, the parent has not grown in her leadership skills. She still treats her offspring like a small child. The leadership techniques that were successful with her preschooler are grossly inadequate for her adolescent. It may not be a sin to be where you are today. It is inexcusable, however, to remain in the same place year after year. There are too many resources available today for anyone to neglect to grow personally.
I find this particularly telling in how seldom struggling leaders will humble themselves and ask for help. I have spoken with numerous denominational leaders who bemoan the fact that ineffective or discouraged pastors often refuse to ask for assistance from others. It is all but unheard of for struggling preachers to invite colleagues to give them constructive feedback. Likewise, rarely will you hear of parents who are failing with one of their children who enlist the advice of parents who are enjoying success. Too many leaders of churches, families, and businesses would rather suffer mediocrity or failure than ask for help.
The truth is that often, leaders need only add a new perspective, or adjust their approach, or enhance their skills to enjoy greater success. The most effective leaders are those who are willing to pay any price to become better at what they are doing.
So the two crucial questions I leave with you:
What could I subtract from my life that would make me a more effective leader?
What could I add to my life that would make me a more effective leader?
Once you find the answers, what you do next is entirely up to you.