“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” 

How are you going and showing the way to the people in your charge?

In Part I of this series, we looked at utilizing the Bible as our leadership guide. In Part II we look at Apostle Paul and the impact he made demonstrating leadership to followers.

The example of how to resemble Christ’s leadership is found in Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV).

These words, coined by Paul while in prison should remain the standard for leaders to live by to help keep them on that narrow road.  Depending on what is deemed acceptable, ethical and moral, this road seems to widen as leaders search for meaning and direction.

Our current realities of a divided nation could take a lesson from Paul’s journey. Leaders have an opportunity to change direction, make wrongs right, and lead from a position of compassion and understanding.

Apostle Paul demonstrated great leadership qualities even in the face of adversity. He was a living example of a Christian leader. Paul teaches in Philippians 3:17 and in 1 Corinthians 11:1 to be imitators of Christ’s example.  This is a far cry from his former self, Saul of Tarsus, a man who once persecuted Christians.

On the road to Damascus, Saul became Paul. A man who adjusted his focus by coming out of the darkness and into the light. A man who led by example and showed his followers that when you lead as Jesus led, with a loving, humble heart, followers will do the same. The end result is unity and cohesion.

The words of Paul are powerful reminders for leaders to consider in a world where top leaders, Christian, or other have fallen from grace.  Leaders who have a humble heart and show love to others even in the midst of adversity or uncertainty create an environment that looks and feels unified. Unity has the opportunity to motivate, increase and deepen relationship, and have a positive impact on performance and satisfaction rates.

Envisioning the Future

By creating a learning organization to include coaching and mentor programs, the organizational environment can align and support individuals more fully. Through advancing self-awareness, as well as knowledge, skills, and experience transfer, leaders have the opportunity to expand their thinking and take action.

Leaders who seek to grow their leaders and followers allow them to have a greater knowledge base of differences in the workplace and use them to their organizational advantage. Understanding differences will allow organizations to develop and enhance workplace communication, policies, and retention while becoming competent in cross-cultural awareness practices within organizations.

In many of Paul’s letters, he instructs a call to action, a promotion of group cohesion and unity. As leader, his messages emphasize togetherness. He charges others to be a role model through the behaviors set by Christ, not as separate members of different classes.

Diverse organizations that operate in unison add value as higher performance is achieved though an expansive knowledge base within the organization.

Diversity is about embracing and developing a global mindset, and although friction may be encountered, knowledge becomes a powerful tool and leads to a better work dynamic and a powerful competitive advantage.

Up and coming leaders need to be more diverse in both thought and experience; working with gender, nationality and age differences.  This means that leaders must learn to effectively manage, but also work with HR to develop programs that identify organizational needs and implement programs based on those needs.

The most confident organizations are those who tailor their development programs to the needs of their employees and spend the money it takes to make that programming happen.

How does your organization measuring up with the call of the times? Leave me a comment below!

Stop back for Part III of Leading Through the Eyes of Jesus.

Until next time, keep doing great things!

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