The number 1 leadership trait

According to Mark Toth of the global HR group Manpower:

What’s the absolute #1 leadership trait in the history of the universe?The correct answer is . . . humility.
That may seem 100% counter-intuitive when you picture today’s stereotypical CEO. But according to various workplace gurus (including Jim Collins and the research team behind the landmark business book Good to Great, as well as recent studies published in the Academy of Management Journal and Organization Science), it’s true.
Leaders who are truly (1) servant-hearted, (2) able to put others and the organization first and (3) willing to listen with humility to other points of view are the ones that people will follow. Thus, if you want to win in today’s hyper-competitive world of work you should (1) hire, promote and retain people who fit that description and (2) strive to fit it yourself.
So, I humbly suggest that you ask yourself this question today: Do others see humility in me? If you want to be a truly great leader, the answer should be a resounding “YES.”
(full article here)

Funny how the world sometimes catches up with the Bible:

Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3)
the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people (Daniel 4:17)
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:44-45)
Christ Jesus... being in very nature God... humbled himself (Phil. 2:5-8)

For more on Servant Leadership see Conversation Magazine just out in paper and e-format, and look out for the forthcoming Utumishi wa Yesu course.

Comments

10 things servant leadership is

Having cleared away 10 things servant leadership is not , here are 10 that it is. [Credit to Harrison Mungai for his help in observing many of these features and helping us to think through this really important area.] I used to think that all that was necessary in gospel ministry was faithful Bible handling. Preach the Word carefully and surely everything else should follow? But I was wrong. Sadly it is possible to have high quality expository preaching and ungodly leadership. It shouldn’t be possible but it is. And it’s a very ugly thing. Peter Mead has written on the danger that can be done to a church or ministry when appointment of leaders values ability over character. So here are ten aspects of biblical servant leadership, specifically in relation to gospel ministry leadership, from 1 Thessalonians, especially chapters 2 and 3: Servant leadership is, wherever possible, Plural . A lot of articles and books on leadership assume that it is a personal project. Search G...

Utumishi wa Neno taster

It's finally starting! We had our first taster day for the church-based Utumishi wa Neno preaching course on Saturday. It was great to spend a few hours with 14 or so brothers and sisters and just spend soak in the Word. One of the crazy things we did was to read through the whole of Philippians out loud. How long did it take us? 15 minutes. And all of us enjoyed the experience and heard things we'd never noticed before. More thoughts on the day here . And for those who asked for the notes, they're available to download here . If you're in Kenya and want to get involved in the on-going Utumishi training see more info on the iServe Africa website .

Too short a text?

I was a bit concerned recently when I found that a church I hugely respect had been going through the letter of 1 Peter for the last 7 months and were only just beginning chapter 5. It's wonderful to preach through the books and letters of the Bible. All that was said was true and helpful. But is there a danger in only taking three verses at a time? I think there is. You're likely to lose the flow of the letter. 1 Peter only takes 16 minutes (max) to read out loud. That is how the first readers would have heard it. That's how it's meant to be experienced. Certainly there's a place for more detailed study but there is a great danger we lose the flow, the themes, the life of this living letter. If you preach for 45 minutes on 3 verses you're likely to be bringing in all sorts of cross-references, lots of systematic theology. In fact the verses of 1 Peter itself are probably going to be only a small proportion of your content. So the great danger is that I...

Looking at Christ

Search This Blog