Sunday is Father’s Day and I can’t help but think about lessons Dad has taught me. Particularly about leadership.
Dad’s been a pastor all my life. I’ve watched him learn how to influence people, lead through tough situations, take unpopular stands, and shepherd others in the Truth of God’s word. Perhaps, the greatest lesson I’ve learned as I watch him is about the quality of humility.
As a pastor, Dad never holds his position over people. He could care less that he’s the man in charge with the “pastor” title. He cares for people. His heart is to help his flock mature in Christ. And he does it well.
When he makes mistakes, he’s quick to apologize. Publicly. He’s not wrapped up in his own reputation.
I think many men feel like they’re giving away their authority if they admit they’re wrong. So they find something or someone to blame. A way somebody wasn’t properly submitting. But Dad doesn’t do that. I’ve watched him apologize in front of congregations when he could have played politics, keeping his mouth shut and chin up.
And here’s why this impacts me so much:
That kind of humility isn’t developed the moment we’re placed in leadership. Neither do we become arrogant and political head-hunters as soon as we are given authority positions. It happens long before the public eye turns to us for direction. It happens in our youth.
If you and I are not developing the habit of acknowledging our wrong when we are young, we will develop the habit of pushing blame and using our power to eliminate those who threaten us when we’re in authority. If our title is what gives us significance today, we will abuse our authority tomorrow.
Becoming a great leader isn’t about becoming great, it’s about learning to greatly care for others.
I’m a pretty competitive person. Growing up, I hated coming in second place and I didn’t like doing something I wasn’t good at—I couldn’t stand the thought of looking dumb.
Unless I harness my competition with character early on in life, I’ll carry it into my marriage, parenting, and relationships with co-workers and church family. Ultimately, I will carry competition into my leadership. I’ll care more about myself than others, and when I have done wrong, the pride of competition will keep me from being willing to go back and make public apologies.
Humility is one of Dads greatest assets as a leader. It’s what makes him a great pastor. And I’m grateful he modeled it for me.
One of the best things you and I can do to prepare for leadership is develop this same quality now. Instead of doing things for what gets us ahead or makes us look good, let’s do things that serve others and adds value to people. If we make a mistake, let’s humbly acknowledge it.
Learning humility means being teachable, changeable, and serviceable.
