Jesus Christ is an incomparable personality in all human history. His birth, His life, His Ministry, His death, His resurrection and His ascension make Him a unique leader among all leaders that history has ever known. It is not contestable therefore, that Jesus is the greatest Leader of all time. He is the essence of leadership. From his humble birth in Bethlehem stable to His death on the cross, Jesus lived an exemplary life. He lived on earth for only 33 years and yet left an undaunted legacy that has remained unmatehablc to date. Before his crucifixion, Jesus preached, taught and performed many signs, miracles and even healed the sick. He trained and taught 12 common and ordinary men, who after receiving the Holy Spirit were empowered to take the gospel (good news) to all the comers of the world. Jesus was not only the Greatest teacher and the Redeemer of the human race, but the Ultimate leader. He is in a nutshell, the epitome of what a leader ought to be.
This article will examine briefly the 7 most significant principles of leadership that Jesus lived out and modeled for leaders of every generation to emulate. They are: Succession, Teamwork, Commitment, Mentorship, Humility, Selfless Leadership and. Uncommon Knowledge.
- Succession
The moment Jesus announced His vision; He began to recruit men who would succeed Him. Jesus did not waste time on the process of succession, when He saw the potential of Peter, James and John divinely. Jesus had begun to emphasize the brevity of His life and leadership (Mk. 10:45). If anyone aspires to become a great leader, he must start from the first day of service to search, recruit and train someone to take over from him. Leaders must search out for those who have character, courage, competence, confidence, faith and humility and yield power and authority to them. It should be noted that in many cases, relinquishing position of authority makes the leader to enjoy admiration, praise and honor, then when the leader remains in power.
- Teamwork
The second principle that Jesus exemplified was working with specific teams. Jesus basically divided His organization into groups of 3, 12, 70, a special group and the women group. The group of 3 was His inner circle -these were Peter, James and John. The second inner circle of Jesus was the 12. Then, there was the group of 70. Finally, and not the least was the special group of women who nourished and refreshed Jesus Christ. Each team Jesus appointed, He trained and gave them clear and definite assignment. He motivated and inspired them to work with Him to accomplish His vision. Today’s leaders can learn from this leadership style of Jesus. Teamwork is very important to achievement, but it should be noted that in every leadership team or group, there will be people of different personalities and behavior traits. The key thing is the courage and wisdom to appeal to their respective affinities.
- Commitment
Another key principle for effective leadership clearly exemplified in the life and leadership of Jesus was commitment to the heavenly vision. Jesus was a visionary leader, He did not only share the vision, He also got committed to its implementation. A leader must be committed to God and His vision and this may involve personal cost, self-denial and hard work as well as personal sacrifice. Sometimes, it involves paying ultimate price – death. In Christian life as in leader’s organizational life, total commitment to the cause facilitates success. A committed leader does not compromise or sacrifice the truth because of peer or political pressure. Commitment is not compromise but trust, loyalty and credibility.
- Mentorship
Although Jesus is infinite, yet He did not lead His movement on His abilities alone. As God in human flesh, Jesus could have done it alone but He showed today’s leaders that great leadership could not be achieved without training and mentoring potential future leaders. The disciples were men who had been intimately associated with him and who had responded to His teaching, followed His leadership and had been trained by Him. They were to continue the Ministry that Jesus had begun (John 20:21).
- Humility
Humility is the first secret to a great life and leadership success. Jesus was a humble leader. He taught His disciples that humility is not only the way to God’s heart but also the way up (Mk. 9:45, 10:35-40; Lk. 18:8-14). He used the example of His own willingness to humble Himself and to become a servant in order to redeem man. Humility is perhaps the first key to great leadership. A leader who consistently exhibits humility will not only achieve great success but will become a great leader.
- Selfless Leadership
The Savior’s leadership style was selfless. He put Himself and His own needs second and ministered to others beyond the call of duty tirelessly and effectively. One of the problems with manipulative leadership is that it does not spring from a love of others but from a need to use them. Such leaders focus on their own needs and desires and not on the needs of others. Jesus’ leadership emphasized the importance of being discerning with regard to others, without seeking to control them.
- Uncommonly Knowledge
It is necessary for the leader to have a strong knowledge base. There is no substitute for thoroughly understanding your product. You cannot be successful if your competitor knows more than you. The leader must be an expert. Jesus knew what His job was. He knew why He came to the world. He knew where He was heading to and He knew what the request of His work would be. Leaders must be fully knowledgeable in their field.
Conclusion
It has been observed that Jesus operated from a base of fixed principles or truth rather than making up the rules as he went along. Thus, His leadership style was not only correct, but also constant. It is also worthy of note that, his was a program of “do what I do”, rather than “do what I say”. He walked and worked with those He was to serve. His was not a long-distance leadership. He was not afraid of close friendships. The leaven of true leadership cannot lift others unless we are with and serve those to be led.
By: Pst. (Sis.) Dupe Abatan
