Serving Leadership Foundational Concepts

Organizational leaders do not develop overnight; they begin the serving leadership journey by leading self—building character and competence—which leads to credibility and trust (Character + competence / Time = Trust). Trust gives organizational leaders the “capital” to lead others. They build trusting relationships with others (one-on-one), bringing those relationships into a team and building community, and finally they equip and develop their people to achieve effectiveness and unity around a common purpose (see Jesus’ repetitive prayer for unity in John 17:20-23 and the common purpose He had for all disciples in His famous last words—“The Great Commission” of Matthew 28:18-20). They never get off the journey but learn to lead at higher levels with self, others, teams, and the organization.

Leadership Framework (The Pillars of “Be-Know-Do” are sustained through Disciplines built on the foundation of Jesus Christ):

• BE refers to our character and competence...serving leadership begins in the heart with our motives.
• KNOW refers to our knowledge, beliefs and assumptions about serving leadership.
• DO refers to our actions and behaviors as serving leaders.
• DISCIPLINES are daily processes or habits we engage in to keep us on track as serving leaders.

The leadership framework helps us understand how to lead, love, and serve like Jesus at an organizational level. Senior leaders need to focus on the framework for themselves personally to effectively lead at an organizational level. Also at this level, leaders work with a “team of teams” and not just with a particular group or individuals. John 17:17-19 highlights Jesus’ desire for His disciples to be sanctified by truth as they go out and begin establishing a movement of the Kingdom of God in all the world.

The final foundational concept concerns the two roles of serving leadership:

1. Shepherding : Organizational leaders feed their flock God’s truth, protect them from false teachers, care for them in times of trouble and hardship, and guide them to accomplish His purposes.
2. Stewarding : Senior leaders manage and lead what is not their own, knowing that they will give an account to the Lord who is owner and ruler of all. Serving leaders are stewards who are entrusted with great responsibility to build God’s Kingdom.

[Next time we will begin to look at the BEING of organizational leadership with special attention given to the dynamics of fear and pride versus humility.