I talked a couple of days ago about how people want their conversations about Jesus to be real. Especially younger adults want their Christian leaders to be real. They don’t want hype. Or leaders who say one thing and then do another.
Taking this discussion into a more general leadership area, people whom you are trying to lead value your being real to them.
A friend told a story about an old-line manufacturing company. It was highly structured as those companies tended to be. Built by engineers who think hierarchically and structured, the company featured separation of people according to rank. For example, there was an executive dining room, a supervisors dining room, and an employee cafeteria.
A man bought the company. He abolished the tiered dining areas. Everyone ate in the same area. The new owner would walk through at lunch time and chat with anyone. He broke the barrier.
People responded. Treat people with respect, show your real side, and they will follow your lead.
Searching the scriptures for an example, my attention suddenly focused on Paul, the apostle. This guy was a fantastic leader. We don’t usually talk about that. He’s known as an evangelist (persuasive speaker), theologian, and writer.
But he founded or shepherded several churches. His letters to Timothy offer great leadership advice.
Think about his communication to the churches that he had relationships with. He had not seen some people for years. He wrote to them. He laid it all out. He wrote about his passions, his background, his troubles, his physical ailments. He was a real person. He wasn’t a preacher who hid behind an office and administrative assistant. He didn’t get up, preach with emotion, and then go live life a different way.
With Paul, what you saw was what he was. It worked. People responded. They will for you. Try transparency, build trust, show yourself as a person.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 