Matt's Muzings
Going for the Roots of Leadership
We have a red hibiscus hedge all around our backyard. And in one section, there is a creeper that grows up through the hedge and covers the outside of it. I spent yesterday afternoon trying to get it. There are two ways to try and remove it, pull it off the outside of the hedge, which is easier, or track it down to it's primary root and cut it out.
I was down on my knees, fighting branches at the bottom of the bushes going for the roots. When I found the roots, I pulled them out killing a whole section of the creeper that was growing all over my hibiscus hedge.
I am going for the root of problems in leadership. I don't want to deal with the external symptoms, I want to dig deep and remove the roots.
I am writing about humility. I believe it is one of the least understood attributes of leadership. It is also the most important one.
FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH
God is the most humble being in the universe. He does not look down on us and demand us to humble ourselves before him as in some way this makes him feel more powerful. He is not insecure or power hungry. He is humble. He humbles himself to see what is happening in our world. When he asks us to humble ourselves it is to join him in his humility.
HOW DOES HUMILITY INFLUENCE LEADERSHIP
One of the key areas of leadership that humility influences is our "eyes". God tells us that the 'eye is the lamp of the body, if it is clear, our whole body will be full of light. If it is not, we will be full of darkness'. This is significant because we are called to let our light shine and to be the light of the world. If there is no light in us, then we have nothing to offer the world.
Our eyes play an important part in leadership. One of the primary definitions of a leader is someone who is a "seer".
A leaders 'eyes' helps him or her to be:
- Someone who can see the big picture. A leader needs to know what is going on and see how everything is fitting together.
- Someone who can look at people and see their potential. A leader needs to see how to put people in the right place at the right time to do the right thing.
- Someone who can see what is wrong and deal with it. A leader needs to see through all the details and fuzzy gray areas to know what is wrong and can fix it to keep on track.
- Someone who can see what are the right priorities and focus on those.
A leader knows there are a 1,000 things to do, but sees what needs to be done to keep the course.
TO THE DEGREE WE ARE HUMBLE, TO THAT DEGREE DO WE SEE
Humility is the willingness to see things as they actually are. Jesus talked about humbling ourselves and then he talked about the Pharisees. Five times he called them blind guides. If we were to put it simply, it is this, humility is linked to our ability to see the world.
This sounds funny because we grow up in a physical, concrete world and we measure everything by what we can see, feel, touch, taste and hear. We all can see the same things. But Jesus is not talking about the physical eye. The hardware, the physical eye that can be put under a microscope and analyzed. We know that what we physically see is only part of the process. The major part of it is how we interpret it. Two astronauts go into space, one is in awe of the handiwork of God at work, the other sneers, he doesn't see it.
The Pharisees saw the same world as everyone else, but they interpreted it differently. This is because the heart and mind, plays a key part in our interpretation of the world. Jesus was so frustrated with them because, in essence they could not "see" anything. They were blind guides. They could not interpret the world properly. Their leadership did not represent God.
When there was an opportunity to bless the nations, they only saw a loss
to the Jewish nation in Rome. We will lose our place in Rome.
When there was forgiveness offered, they only saw a harlot caught in the act
as a way to trap Jesus. She was caught in the act, what should we do?
When there were miracles they only saw a violation of a law. It was the Sabbath.
When confronted with their own sin, they only saw their own righteousness.
We are Abraham's children.
How is it that we all see the same world and yet do not interpret it properly?
I believe that there is a direct link between humility and our view of the world. Humility is like a pair of glasses. It is the attitude that puts things in perspective that focuses, clarifies, and reveals things as they are.
If this is true, then we must understand humility. God says in James and I Peter, that He is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. We don¹t deserve to know God, intimately, and to see ultimate reality as it is. We live in a dark, rebellious world and don't deserve to know what ultimate reality is. But God is willing to reveal it to us. To the humble that is.
Zeph. 2:3 Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the LORD'S anger.
It is not something that just happens. We must seek it.