John Maxwell says “Leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.”
I respectfully disagree.
Maxwell has written dozens of books and spoken hundreds of times on leadership, so I hesitate to be a critic. And this devotion is not really about him.
It’s just that most of what he writes, including the quote above, is designed to help people achieve “success” – personally and organizationally. And it sounds a lot like the world’s definition of success – efficiency, prosperity, happiness.
And influence. What I hear implied in most approaches to leadership is that leadership is getting other people to do what I want. It begins with the assumption that I know what’s best, and investigates the strategies and tools that get others to move in the same direction.
Jesus had a strikingly different approach to leadership. Here’s my paraphrase of Luke 22:25-26: “This world’s leaders elbow each other and their followers for the greatest influence. Even the best of them see themselves as benevolent dictators. Leadership in my kingdom is different. Always think of yourself as entry level. If you want to lead, serve.”
This is the sixth in a series on the humble church. The humble church is humble about leadership. Leadership is not about who has power, and it’s not about who can exercise the greatest influence – even for good.
If I could choose one word to describe leadership, it might be initiative – stepping out to do what needs to be done with the gifts, experiences, and opportunities one has been given. It’s initiative in helping others to believe, to serve, to witness, to hope, to meet needs, to solve problems, to love.
At the end of the day, I don’t want a pastor a successful church as much as I do a faithful church, a humble church.
How refreshing ! I have had people tell me about Maxwell many times as the hailed Guru of the “success formula” so to speak ? The whole American dream thing gets me in a tirade - and that is not to say Freedom is a wrong path - for we all have seen the effects of poor govermental ideals: Dictaorships and Communism ect… as it oppressed the people it was to liberate.
The problem in being a Christian in America and Jesus’ measure of success is so contratsed! Jesus calls us to serve and wash one another’s feet - to be great in God’s economy is too be the servant of all!
I always think of the simple gospel model: God became a man… No one can out do that humility - do we really grasp this truth ? God Amighty the Creator of all things who is Omnipotent became a man and submitted willingly to a cruel horrible torturous death for us! How can we ever get over so much love ?
Maybe Maxwell needs to go back to his pastoring days and take another look at the cross ?