Transactional vs. Relational Leadership

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:13

Many a book has been written about the servant leadership Jesus modeled.  He said in a famous verse, "...he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves." -Luke 22:26  But, what was so special about the way Jesus led His followers?

Ford Taylor is a leadership consultant who trains leaders of leaders, and is involved in community transformation in the state of Ohio.  He teaches something called "transformational leadership", which is basically developing a relationship with someone to such an extent that they actually want to do whatever it is the leader is asking them to do.  This is also called relational leadership.

Businesses and other organizations cite fewer problems, higher revenue, and much less turnover by employing his principles.  Building relationship as being primary in leadership isn't a new concept:  Josh McDowell, the well-known youth leader and apologist has said, "Sharing truth without relationship leads to rejection. Discipline without relationship leads to anger."
 

Do you think the disciples wanted to follow Jesus?  Nobody was making them follow Him.  In fact, Jesus didn’t even pay them.  Through His relationship with the disciples, Jesus was able to change their minds about a lot of things, including who He was.  He was king of the Jews, even though He wore no crown, had no castle, and had no horse to ride upon.  But, He developed such a relationship with the disciples that they would have followed Him anywhere, and they would have died for Him.  Many did die for Him, after they realized who He was and that He first died for their sins.  It really was quite profound.

Is relational leadership something you employ?  Think about ways you can motivate those you serve by being more focused on building relationship.

Stepping Into Influence

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Prov 3: 5-6  

My best friend got her Masters in Accounting and was looking for a job after she finished her degree. The job market was tough; not many people were hiring, and it was the second January after the big recession of 2008 hit.
 
She kept on applying to different companies and ended up with two choices. One was with one of the four big accounting firms; the other was with a smaller company that would be closer to home. The large company offered her a great package, but she decided to turn it down in lieu of the hours she would be working. The contact for this company called her back and said, "No, you absolutely must work here," after which she prayed, negotiated, and agreed to work there for a season. She knew that God had been orchestrating these events for her future.
 
During the job, it was very hard work and stressful, but she gained a lot of favor with the managers and other employees of the company. One in particular took special interest in her to mentor her along the way, and they developed a type of Elijah/Elisha relationship. Although the work was difficult and required resilience, God was definitely the wind in the sails of her life.
 
When we allow God to move us forward, we'll find ourselves in places we didn?t expect. Often these places will result in influence we weren't necessarily seeking. As we move forward in God, we need to make sure our hearts are open, so we don't miss the steps God has orchestrated in order to move us into greater places of influence. He desires we be in place of influence so that His light can shine before men. (Matt 5:16) He promises that we will be protected as we move under His authority for our lives.
 
Are you on a journey of stepping into influence?

Becoming a Servant

"Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant..." -Matthew 20:26

When I was younger, I worked at various restaurants as a server. At first, I was petrified. I used to have a HUGE fear of people. So huge, in fact, I was afraid to answer the telephone as a child!

Being a server, I had to come to terms with all of that. But, through it I learned to serve. I also learned to serve at the church I went to. Later when I got a job at Nordstrom, one of the visiting CEOs asked me where I had worked before. When I told him I was a server, he replied: "Hmm. Great training!"

If you want to have a bigger impact, find more people to serve. Solve people's problems, and you will have influence in their lives. Jesus was the best example of this: He went around solving people's problems, and people realized He was the Messiah that had been prophesied about in the Old Testament.

We shouldn't use influence to motivate people in the wrong ways, as in leading them to worship us or organizations. But everything we do can be used as a tool to draw them into relationship with Jesus and His kingdom.

We have the answer - the answer is Jesus. When we bring a solution into people's lives, this becomes an open door to share the gospel.

What type of problem does God want you to solve today?

Places of Influence

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ -Matthew 25:21

“Argh!  Church people suck!” said my fellow server one Sunday afternoon.

We all looked at him as he took the tract and the tip out of the check holder.

“Two dollars and a tract for a party of eight.  Do you really think I want to know more about your religion if you don’t even tip?”

I was saddened.  I said immediately, “Jake, (not his real name) I’m so sorry- not all Christians are like that.  In fact, a true Christian is quite the opposite.”

But it was no use.  There was no way I could battle the obvious as he walked away in frustration.  What made it worse was that my co-server was gay.  I’m sure their stares of disapproval only made things more disappointing.

There is no doubt that we have a brand problem in the Christian faith.  A brand is the perceived identity of something, whether it be a product or service, an organization or even a group of people.  It amazes me to think that this is where some of us are in the body of Christ today.  I’m sure the well-meaning folks at his table had the best of intentions – saving the soul is obviously more important than money – but from my friend’s perspective the $2 tip certainly didn’t help him think so.

We talk about being influential in culture so that Jesus’ life and light, his healing and his love for others can shine through us– but what about right here, right now?  Our worship director has said – “Do your best with what you’ve got in your hands now!”  Every encounter we have with others is “brand management.”  Are we who we say we are, especially when no one “important” is watching?  It’s not about being perfect or doing it for the sake of religion– it’s about the intention to really think about people and love them wherever we go, like Jesus did.  

In Matthew 23:11, it says, “The greatest among you will be your servant.”  How are you able to serve others today?  Only when we’re been faithful with our influence can God entrust us with more.