Let’s Understand Leadership

I have a strange relationship with leadership. I am a pastor, a business owner, a dad, and a husband. 
 
So, I must be a leader. 
 
However, I have been led poorly by poor leaders, and the experience was so traumatizing that it made me want to never lead anyone else again. 
 
Leading in the pipeline of said poor leader also means I was a poor leader, making me never want to lead anyone else again. 
 
Heuristic Writing 
 
Do you know what heuristic writing is? It is writing in order to figure something out. You start a writing project to research what you don’t know…
 
And also what you know that you didn’t know you knew (writing is good for that!). 
 
I will write a series of posts on leadership, starting with my sermon post from last Sunday. 
 
Before I start this exploration, you should know that I am a nut for biblical stewardship. Before leading others, I know this: we are all called to lead ourselves as much as possible. 
 
Self-leadership is critical, but after that, how do you know when you should lead others?
 
And then how do you know how to lead them? 
 
According to Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility.”  
 
But someone recently sent me the unique book set I Am Leader by Chris Collins. He turned the phrase around, and my mind is still stuck on it:
 
With great responsibility comes great power. 
 
Great power. Why does someone need great power? 
 
Indeed. Why does someone need great power, especially power over other people? Just last week, I said we are to conquer nature, not men. 
 
I still believe that. So if leadership is not conquering men, what is it? 
 
Let’s start with Jesus. Forgive me if you already heard my sermon from Sunday. 
 
James and John wanted to be great. They wanted to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus. Jesus told them they didn’t know what they were asking. Then He said: 
 
42 …You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:42b-45 ESV) 
 
What strikes me is the phrase, “Their great ones exercise authority over them.” This is what I mean by not “conquering men.” Whatever leadership is, it is not exercising authority over others. 
 
But rather, it is serving. How so? Well, it means giving yourself…for many. 
 
So how do we give ourselves away like Jesus? He did it by dying on the cross; How do we do it? 
 
How do we avoid the trap of taking responsibility for another so that they become subhuman and do not take responsibility for themselves? 
 
“With great responsibility comes great power.” Great power is necessary if we are to accomplish great things which require the help of others. 
 
I’ll stop there for now. I covet your thoughts in the comments.