Category: Book Summaries

Matthew 20:25-28:  Jesus called them together and said, “You know the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.   Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant…”

Wow…that’s a bold title, especially in many of today’s politically correct organizations…and it would be in my organization as well.  Blanchard & Hodges allay those concerns when they point out:

“If your organizational culture doesn’t easily let you talk about Jesus, don’t worry.  Just behave as He did and become a great servant leader.  Then when people are attracted to the way you lead and ask you about it, you can share with them whom you follow.  When people look at you, let them see Jesus.”

Their book, Lead Like Jesus is a tool to help you take God beyond the spiritual compartment of your private spiritual life and to give Him free rein in all your daily actions and relationships, especially your leadership roles.

Click here to learn about the Heart, Head, Hands, and Habits of a Servant Leader (like Jesus)

In Mark 9:35, Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last and servant of all.”

Today, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus…the Christ…and my Lord…let’s stop and reflect on Charles Manz’s perspective about the Leadership Wisdom of Jesus:  Practical Lessons for Today.

Manz describes four major themes found in Jesus Christ’s leadership.  He starts the same way I started my Out of This World Leadership blog this year…with your most powerful leadership tool (click here to see my first blog post).  Manz claims, “the first step to becoming an effective leader is to look in the mirror.”

 

Clean Mirror Image

Master the art of leading yourself and you will lay the foundation for helping others do the same.  Manz points to Matthew 7:5, which says, “First take the log out of your eye, then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.”

Optimal leadership requires that we keep our insides (our self-leadership heart) as well as our outsides, clean.  Jesus is more concerned with honesty & integrity than he is with our “professional image” or “executive presence”.

To learn more about the other three themes from Jesus’ leadership, click here.