Case Study: Steward Leaders

Last week we looked at Jesus—the Good Shepherd—as a model for serving leadership. Today we will examine what he had to say about steward leaders. In light of the traditional pyramid of leadership, shepherd leaders cast vision from the top down. Steward leaders, however, flip the pyramid to lead from the bottom up in order to best steward the vision they first cast as shepherds.

In Matthew 25:14-30 we are given several insights on steward leaders by Jesus:

• Steward leaders are responsible to be productive in their calling and work.
• Steward leaders have been adequately equipped to do what they need to do with what they have.
• Steward leaders are not all created equal. Therefore concentrate on equal effort, not equal success.
• Steward leaders are working for something greater than themselves. In other words, as their title implies, they are accountable to a master and therefore serving versus self-serving.

In closing, consider the specific responsibilities of steward leaders in light of both:

• Vision and mission (Am I effectively casting the vision and empowering our people to accomplish the mission of our organization?)
• People and their welfare (Do I genuinely care for our people?)
• Time and opportunity (Am I wisely using my time and making the most of every opportunity to serve?)
• Assets and resources (Are these being wisely allocated and invested?)
• Energy and attention (Am I managing my energy for long-term impact, and, saying ‘no’ to the ‘good’ so I can say ‘yes’ to the ‘best?’)
• Reputation and legacy (Am I staying aligned personally?)
• Truth and teaching (Am I constantly learning and passing it on?)

[Next week we will discuss some great practices of organizational leaders.]