Popular culture will beg for us to wield the power like a weapon.

Christian example will inspires us to wield power like a servant.

The Gospel of John records that on the Passover Feast before his crucifixion Jesus realized he was the most powerful man in the world with ALL things under his power, a power given by God:

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God

There is no other example of a man realizing more power, any power we may have is minute in comparison.  The real lesson from the most powerful man to ever live is what he did with that power…

…he washed his followers feet.

Imagine a newly appointed Chief Executive Officer walking into a conference room  with his sleeves rolled up and a towel over his shoulder as he kneels to untie the shoes of a subordinate, “Here Charles let me wash these for you.”  Outrageous!  It ’s far easier to imagine the that same CEO stomping into the room, firing the first employee he sees, then pounding his fist on the desk until people start to move.

The message to the Christian leader is not to literally wash your followers feet (even though it would have a profound and positive impact on them if you did) but to approach your responsibility as a leader with the same humble heart of a servant that Jesus did on that Passover:

…so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  ”You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 12:4-17 NIV)

Andy Stanley on his leadership podcast explains that leadership reverberation is what happens when you figure out a way to leverage your power for the benefit of others

If we leverage our power for our sake is to declare that Jesus didn’t leverage his power for his sake but I’m greater than Jesus, I deserve more honor, I’m in a more esteemed position than my Savior.  To do anything less than this is to declare consciously or unconsciously that you are greater than your master.

Stanley goes on to quote King George III who allegedly said when he learned that George Washington intended to reject the position of emperor of the United States of America , “If he does that he will be the greatest man in the world.”  The translation, if president Washington refuses to use his own power for his own benefit he will be the greatest man in the world.

Christ’s leadership lesson:

• Leverage power for the benefit of others
• Be an example to emulate
• Leader’s are teachers

“The beauty of empowering others is that your own power is not diminished in the process.” - Barbara Colorose

I hold that regular and moderate exercise helps me contend with the physical and mental demands I face.  When I get off of an exercise  routine (which is often) even for a few weeks the results are never positive.  Turns out I’m apparently correct.  Exercise influences a multitude of pysiological and phsychological factors including circulation of mood-linked neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine as well as helping  work off anxiety-producing adrenaline.  According to Dr Tedd Mitchell MD of the Dallas-based Cooper clinic reducing adrenaline is like “taking a dose of a tranquilizer.”.

New studies are showing that exercise may build a protective effect.  Animal studies suggest that long-term moderate exercise may cause a lessened response to stressful stimuli.  Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder are finding that lab rats who exercised on a wheel every day for six weeks reacted better to sudden stress compared to the sedintary rats.

These initial findings indicate the mental benefits of exercise last after effects of serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline reduction wear off.

New research is proving that what’s good for the body is good for the mind too. – Charlotte Huff

From “Mental Fitness” in Celebrate Living magazine

As a father of two teenage daughters I frequently hear their friends and them state somthing akin to “I just want to do something to be famous..”  I cringe every time I hear it because they envision a life of glitz, glamour, and glory….I see a life of discontent, decadence, and diversions.

Jesus was arguably the most famous person to live;  almost 2000 years later his name is kown throughout the world. We celebrate holidays yearly dedicated to his life and death (and ressurection). Fame itself is not the problem, it’s how we get there lately that’s wrong.

Too many young people are striving for fame for fame’s sake alone.  Fame for fame’s sake guaruntees one to never be content with enough fame. I’m convinced the famous will not be through seeking until they pass that one in front of them with more album sales, more money per movie, the most awards, wins….

Fame by the worlds standards, especially by United States standards is rooted in decadence. We have young ladies famous only for the devience they gained attention for.  They’ve reached a goal, but at what cost?  With the exception of very those obtaining fame through a narrow business or humanitarian niche the cost to the individual and our culture is just too high.

Oh, you want to be famous in order to influence others to Christ?  Consider how many have walked down that narrow path only to be diverted down a much wider way, swallowed quickly by the masses. Besides, seeking fame in this way is contrary Christ’s teachings on the first being last on earth and the last being first for eternity.

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Matthew 19:28-30 (NIV)

If you insist on fame may I suggest a different path?  .

Define God’s purpose for your life and make the pusuit of that purpose your life’s passion. Never let a cent of potential go unspent  You will find later in life that you will have achieved a position far greater than fame:  contentment, purity, and a laser focus on glorifying God. You might even gain some level of recognition that might be defined as fame by some.  When that happens you will know what to do with it….influence as many as you can to seek Christ and surrender their lives to a higher purpose.

Shalowm.

After finishing this post I read the following in the American Way Magazine article quoting American Ferrera:

“My hunger has never been to be famous or well known or to win awards. I’ve never been interested in whatever the industry-prescribed definitions of success might be…And it’s probably a good thing because I’m not the archetype of the Hollywood starlet. I’m Latino, and even now there’s not a huge range of roles for Latino actors. I’m not stick-thin. There’s probably a long list of roles I’m ‘wrong’ for because of who I am, but that rarely crosses my mind, because I’m always focused on creating a reality that will allow me to work hard.” (32)

Rentilly J. “America the Beautiful.” American Way March 1, 2010. p29-33

Franklin Covey

Arrogant [Eloquent] lips are unsuited to a fool
how much worse lying lips to a ruler! Proverbs 17:5-7 (NIV)

Truthfulness is an elusive habit for leaders.  We are assaulted daily by situations that beg for lies, half-truths, misinformation, deception, and withholding.  These situations arise at work from difficult communication, positions of disadvantage to us, and fear of retribution.  Within our families they arise from personal pride toward spouses, fear of children’s actions, and discomfort with admitting to wrong actions.

The mad boss asks, “Who made this decision?”
The Christian brother states, “I’m only flirting with her, I can control it.”
The inefficient employee asks, “Am I doing ok working for you?”
The spouse demands, “Where did all of our money go?”
Your child asks, “Where do babies come from?”

A Christian Leader’s response:

1.  Just tell it. The benefits of truthfulness outweigh the costs in the long run as your boss learns to appreciates your trust and candor, your spouse loves the open communication, and your children model.  Warning, blunt truthfulness will mark you as a jerk and harm your ability to influence.  Use gentleness and patience to form your communication in a way that creates an environment of appreciation.

2.  Demand it in return. My initial briefing to new employees has always included the requirement of truth.  My nature I am a trusting person, tell me something and I take it to the bank until that something is proven false.  Once you lose my trust it’s hard to get it back.   My daughters were raised with the same requirement.  I marvel at parents who severely discipline children based on honest disclosure.  Since birth we have demanded truth and lessened discipline with it.  The result, open communication… something seemingly rare in today’s youth.

To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful. Edward R. Murrow

Committed in relationship
Seeking mutual purpose
Influencing connections and direction

Action and transformation in the world
Demands personal transformation of leader
An arduous path that calls for

Life-time commitment
Sometimes agony
Sometimes exhilaration
Always risky

This personal stretching requires
Courage, commitment, sacrifice,
All in service

Transcending comfortable preferences
Balancing limits
With counterpoint skills
Interpret the situation

Influence the others
Work for the good of the whole.

M. L. Menikheim

1. Be clear on what you expect and recognize those who meet or miss it
2. Be available when and where it matters most
3. Be an advocate for your subordinates without being an enabler of bad behavior/excuses.  Be prepared to say “no” when “no” is warranted.
4. Be informed.  Track details two levels down
5. Be a leader.  Don’t expect subordinates to adjust to the leadership style you’re comfortable with, adapt your leadership techniques to gain the most influence.

Of course leadership is more complex than just five things,  but when taking over a new position it’s easy to get disctacted with all of the information and decisions required.  These five things provide the new leader with a framework to build on future success as operations start to syncronize and get into a rythmn enabling them to build on what they initially established.

For more on this read Motivation 3.0 for the Christian Leader

As I read Daniel Pink’s book Drive:  The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us it struck me that we have built a church, family, and work culture based on an inferior motivational model.  In a sense, our churches are stuck in a 20th century when such practices were the norm, but fall short with today’s generation.   Because we were raised in this environment most of today’s leaders are just modeling what we know.

Pink presents a compelling case for a deeper method of personal, peer, and subordinate motivation.  He contends that human motivation has evolved from a basic needs model, to a “carrot and stick” model, and as he proposes, a more stable intrinsic motivation model.  In modern vernacular he labels these models in the style of a progressive human operating system upgrade:  Motivation 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0.

Motivation 1.0 (biological survival):  The original (ancient) motivation was based on the drive to survive, pushing humans to seek food, water, shelter, protection, and procreation.

Motivation 2.0 (reward and punishment):  As more sophisticated societies developed and human desire became more complex (and distant from God) human drive developed to seek reward and avoid punishment. Motivation 2.0 was used exclusively through the 20^th century in the workplace but was also invoked during the “hell, fire, and brimstone” gospel meetings of my youth.  Sin you go to hell, don’t sin you get to go to heaven. Pink identifies people motivated through external factors (1.0 and 2.0) as Type X (for extrinsic)

Motivation 3.0 (intrinsic): Intrinsic motivation is based on the inherent satisfaction received from autonomy, mastery, and purpose.   Satisfaction is our reward.  Those driven by internal factors are labeled “Type I” (for intrinsic) and are driven by three components:

• Autonomy – the urge to direct our own lives (faith)
• Mastery – the desire to get better at something that matters (Holiness)
• Purpose – The yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves (God’s will)

Jesus preached motivation 3.0 in his “sermon on the mount” recorded in Matthew chapter 5 when he spoke of internalizing the Motivation 2.0 laws of Moses.  He taught that instead of not murdering (Type X) to not even be angry (Type I) and instead of not committing adultery (Type X) don’t even look at someone else with lust in your heart (Type I).  He went on to describe Type I attributes relating to oaths, divorce, enemies, prayer, retribution, worry, and discernment.

Perhaps the moment that best illustrates the coming and monumental change was when the Pharisees (the masters of Motivation 2.0) asked Jesus about the commands that were important.  When he answered he established that unless we love God from within, there is no power in obeying the laws.

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22: 34-40 (TNIV)

Jesus has called us to be Type I Christians, motivated by the autonomy of our faith (that is, a faith that is our own, not of our ancestors), mastery of God’s will in our lives, and the purpose of glorifying Him for eternity.  Our task as Christian leaders should be to use the example of Christ to motivate and influence our family, church, and subordinates intrinsically.

“Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.” – Stephen R. Covey

Gerard J. Arpey Chairman and CEO of American Airlines in American Way magazine January 2010