Leadership laid its foundation with humility and built its walls with the Incarnate Christ, wisdom, holiness, and discipleship. Leadership ended the year with relationships – refusing offense, resentment, and bitterness which can lead to estrangement from God or other people.

The basis of these 12 leadership reflections can be found in the expanded insights, quotes, and resources found in the rest of this article.

January – Humility is the Foundation of Leadership – Knowing Our Identity is Crucial

In January, I read four books on humility, then shared the summary of each author’s premise on how to grow humility in our lives.

Premise #1 Self-Awareness

In More Human than Otherwise – Living and Leading with Humility, David Berry asks, “What are the characteristics of a leader you would willingly follow?”

I summarize his premise as – Me, Myself, and I

• Start with self
• Increase self-awareness through trusting others – add a mentor, therapist, coach, or advisor
• Increase self-awareness through personal learning by learning in the community
• End with a better self – keep repeating the above steps and you will maintain personal growth

Premise #2 Awareness of Others – Service and Legacy

In Position Power and Humility – The Greatest Force on Earth, Dr. Sheila Murray Bethel encourages us to focus on others through our actions:

• Move from me to we
• Move from competition to cooperation
• Move from independence to interdependence
• Move from survival of the fittest to survival of the wisest through reason, understanding, participation, and strategic alliances

I summarize her premise as – Me, Thee, and We

• Know yourself
• Serve others
• Leave a legacy through collaboration and mentorship

Premise #3 Christ-Awareness

In Humility – The Beauty of Holiness, Andrew Murray pronounces,

“Jesus Christ took the place and fulfilled the destiny of man by His life of perfect humility. His humility is our salvation. His salvation is our humility.”

I summarize his premise as – Christ Alone

• Death to self – resting in Jesus’ death, resurrection, eternal life
• Pride is the root of every sin and evil; the loss of humility
• Christ is the embodiment of humility and holiness
• Humility is abiding in Christ’s love
• Humility is pure dependence on God – as a branch is dependent on a tree trunk or vine for life

Premise #4 Self-Awareness Leads to Christ-Awareness

In Humble Roots – How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul, Hannah Anderson announces,

“Humility is accurately understanding ourselves and our place in the world. Humility knows where we came from and who our people are. Humility understands that without God, we are nothing.”

I summarize her premise – Self-Awareness Leads to Christ-Awareness

• Apart from Jesus Christ, we are nothing
• Come and learn from Christ Jesus
• Exchange our heavy burden for Christ’s easy and light burden
• Exchange our pride and offense for humility, love, safety, and rest
• Exchange our exacting taskmaster for a kind and gentle master, vinedresser, teacher
• Flourish and bear abundant fruit by abiding, dwelling, and resting in Christ

The wisdom from January – true humility comes from knowing our identity rests in Jesus Christ.

February – Genuine Humility Provides Hope-Inspired Leadership

In February, I read two books on humility, then shared how their insights can assist us in cultivating humility in our lives.

Question #1 How Do We Humble Ourselves?

David Mathis answers this question in the book, Humbled: Welcoming the Uncomfortable Word of God.

“Humility is a posture of soul and body and life that acknowledges and embraces the goodness of God and the humanness of self.” ~David Mathis

How do we humble ourselves? We acknowledge the reality that we are not God.

How do we cultivate humility? We can cultivate humility by “humbling ourselves under the authority of God’s Word, obeying His words, and coming to Him in prayer and fasting.”

“Every new morning presents a fresh opportunity to bend our hearts toward humility – or re-calcify them in our pride. We can begin each day with the sound of God’s voice, the whispers of our own voice, or the words of someone else.” ~David Mathis

Question #2 What is the Power of Humility?

R.T. Kendall, in his book, The Power of Humility – Living Like Jesus, approaches being the writer of a book on humility with humor. I appreciate Kendall’s working title, Pride – The Sin No One Admits To, and his joke about the new title being, Humility – And How I Attained It. All joking aside, Kendall gets to the heart of humility by addressing our pride.

What is the power of humility? The power of humility is recognizing we are nothing in and of ourselves.

How do we cultivate humility? We acknowledge we are nothing in and of ourselves except by the grace of God and when we walk in the healthy fear of God.

“What matters most of all? There is one thing – and one thing alone – that ultimately matters: God’s opinion of you and me.” ~R.T. Kendall

We must rekindle the fire of humility through genuine humility which recognizes we are not God and we are nothing without God’s provision of grace in our lives.

March – Leadership through the Lens of Humility

When we look at leadership through the lens of humility, we discover the depth of our foundation.

“A shallow foundation of humility leads us to be self-focused while a deep foundation of humility leads us to be Jesus-focused.” ~Lisa Blair

Let us allow the Master Builder to lay a firm foundation with Jesus Christ, and through the power of His Holy Spirit, let Him use us as living stones to build His living house to bring glory to His Name.

“So we need God’s grace—that is, His Spirit-supplied enablement—to clothe ourselves with an attitude of humility as we encounter different people and different situations throughout the day. And God promises us He will supply that grace, as we seek to walk in humility.” ~Jerry Bridges, The Blessing of Humility

April – Leadership Based on His Holiness

God is holy and the embodiment of holiness.

“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, The Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.” ~Revelation 4:8b NASB

Jesus Christ is the perfect example of leadership and holiness lived out upon the earth. Webster states a leader is one that “leads and guides” while holiness “denotes purity of heart, freedom from sin, and integrity of moral character.”

“Cultivating a lifestyle of holiness does not mean that we must draft a list of dos and don’ts to live by. We are free from the letter of the law which kills (2 Corinthians 3:6) and now live according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18).” [GQ]

“Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you everything you have.” ~Billy Graham

Holiness: God’s Plan for Fullness of Life

In Holiness: God’s Plan for Fullness of Life, Henry Blackaby speaks on our need for revival, “Revival is exclusively what God does to His people. Lost people cannot be revived because they never had life in the first place. They first have to be saved – awakened to their lost condition. God is shouting at His People saying, ‘It is not the lost who need to repent – it is God’s people who need to repent!’ We are the ones who have moved away from the Lord.”

“When I get my life right with God, my life becomes a highway over which God can go to convince and convict others of their sin. The highway of holiness is something God creates, but when God creates a highway of holiness He exposes sin like a refiner’s fire.” ~Henry Blackaby

The Fire of His Holiness

In The Fire of His Holiness, Sergio Scataglini shares, “The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction of sin (John 16:8). God speaks very directly and specifically and His Word is clear. He tells us what is wrong with our hearts, our thoughts, and our affections and [calls for] repentance from us. If we listen to His voice, He will change us. That is the work of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 7:10).”

People ask Scataglini what the key is for an outpouring of God, and his answer is, “I believe the key is availability. We did not hinder the work of the Spirit, but made ourselves available to God.”

The leadership of humility and holiness means we follow the Holy One and point others to follow Him wholeheartedly. ~Lisa Blair

God is Holy. Jesus in us makes us holy, and as we walk out His transforming life within us of humility and holiness, then we see His transforming power work through us as leaders in the lives of those we influence.

May – Training Disciples in Today’s World to be Authentic and Fruitful

Disciples are followers. A Christian disciple is a follower of Christ.

Mark Dever shares in Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus how we become Disciples of Christ, then as Christ’s disciples, we are motivated out of love and obedience to disciple others.

How do you disciple? Mark states, “You find someone. You establish goals. And finally, you just do it. And to do that, you have to pay the cost. The cost is time, study, prayer, and love.”

Daniel Lancaster shares in Making Radical Disciples how we can learn simple, reproducible tools that we grasp, then share with others. Lancaster models his five steps on the ministry of Jesus which he calls Follow Jesus Training.

Making Radical Disciples training has been researched and tested in North America, Africa’ and Southeast Asia and has been proven to be a simple and reproducible tool for training Christian leaders to be authentic in their relationship with the Lord and fruitful in training others to follow Jesus.

My simplistic answer to the question, “How do we train disciples in today’s world to be authentic and fruitful?” We point them to Jesus Christ. He is the greatest model of life-giving love and service to others.

June – Incarnate Leadership – A Remarkable and Surprising Life

Incarnate leadership is God in us or Christ living through us. Incarnate leadership is humble, God-centeredness coupled with other-centeredness.

We looked at three types of leadership: self-centered, other-centered or people-centered, and principle-centered or incarnate leadership.

Self-centered leaders are quick to blame others and avoid responsibility. [SG]

“He who thinks he leads but has no followers is only taking a walk.” ~John C. Maxwell

Other-centered or People-centered Leaders complete projects that help others find meaning, purpose, and quality of life. Other-centered or people-centered leadership builds teams that develop themselves and their organization for the benefit of others.

Other-centered leaders’ weakness is they rely completely on themselves to power through every action needed to be accomplished. The upside is great motivation, the downside is burnout.

“Identify your own strength, build on it, and surround yourself with people who are brilliant at all the things you’re not. What you’re left with is a team worth leading.” ~Simon Sinek

Principle-centered or Incarnate Leaders listen, learn, and then lead. [YG]

Principle-centered leadership or incarnate leadership takes other-centered leadership to the next level. Principle-centered leadership or incarnate leadership relies on the principles of God’s Word, the essence of God’s character, and the power of His Holy Spirit.

Bill Robinson summarizes in his book, Incarnate Leadership – 5 Leadership Lessons from the Life of Jesus, the leadership qualities of Jesus.

1. Jesus dwelt with those He led: Am I staying close enough to those I lead?
2. Jesus’ disciples beheld Him: Am I being transparent with those I lead?
3. The glory of Jesus was a reflection of His Father: Are my actions reflecting our mission or gathering personal glory?
4. Jesus led with grace and truth: Am I leading with grace and truth?
5. From the manger to the cross, Jesus sacrificed: What am I sacrificing for those I lead?

July – Wisdom Harnessed with a Unique Perspective

Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom.

“Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” ~Colossians 2:3 NASB

In The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus: Practical Lessons for Today, Charles Manz emphasizes of leading oneself before trying to lead others, applying the Golden Rule, and servant leadership.

Self-Leadership

“Careful self-examination and a sincere willingness to seek ways of improving ourselves provide the foundation for effective leadership.” ~Charles Manz

The Golden Rule

“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” ~Luke 6:31 NASB

Servant Leadership

“Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” ~Mark 10:43-45 NASB

I appreciate how Manz summarizes his book for us to be “more forgiving than judging, serving than being served, empowering than controlling, honoring than being honored, appreciating than criticizing, loving than hating and believing in what’s possible than declaring what’s impossible.”

August – Offense – To Be or Not to Be is the Ultimate Choice

Offense comes when we experience extreme displeasure over something said or done to us or someone close to us. The offense stands ready to take our hand and lead us down the path of destruction. Therefore, we must make an intentional choice to refuse offense if we desire to live unoffended and free.

In Live Unoffendable, Patricia King contends we choose offense or we choose to love, the two cannot dwell together.

“Love is the greatest power in the universe, and we will not overcome without it. When offense is in operation, then love is not. When love is in operation, offense is not.” ~Patricia King

Let us cultivate our hearts for love and kindness, and refuse the spirit of offense

• Let us purpose in our hearts to love
• Let us purpose in our hearts to live unoffended
• Let us purpose in our hearts to refuse resentment, bitterness, and every invitation of offense
• Let us choose to walk in the fruits of the spirit and sow seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
• Let us deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus

If we follow Jesus, we will live a life of freedom!

September – Moved by Compassion – 9 Powerful Ways Jesus Taught Us

Jesus ministered in compassion. All through the Gospels, we see Jesus ‘felt compassion’ or was ‘moved by compassion’ when He ministered to the needs of the people. We look at nine parables of Jesus which demonstrate His compassion.

• The Parables of Feeding the Five Thousand and the Four Thousand
• The Parables of the Unforgiving Servant and the Generous Landowner
• The Parables of the Healing of the Blind Men and the Leper
• The Parables of Raising the Widow’s Dead Son and the Good Samaritan
• And the Parable of the Prodigal Son

God wants us to remember Him by showing compassion to the weak among us. I pray these nine powerful parables which express Jesus’s compassion toward us and His call to us to emulate Him through compassionate acts were an encouragement to you today.

October – Famous Presidential Leaders Influence Our Perspective of History

Each of our first three presidents made great personal sacrifices to establish a nation founded on the principles of His Word. Yes, they were human and made mistakes. Yet, we can learn from each man’s strengths and weaknesses. Just as we prefer for others to highlight and remember our strengths rather than focusing on our weaknesses, let us remember the gift of leadership each of our first three presidents gave us.

Presidential Profiles

George Washington – First US President

George Washington is known for his courage in leading our nation through its birth pains into nationhood.

George Washington – A Revolutionary Man of Courage (Presidential Profiles) – Strength with Dignity

John Adams – Second US President

John Adams is known for his integrity. Adams was admired as a great intellectual and was regarded as a remarkable political philosopher.

John Adams – An Uncommon Man of Tremendous Integrity (Presidential Profiles) – Strength with Dignity

Thomas Jefferson – Third US President

Thomas Jefferson is admired for his ability to simplify intellectually complicated philosophies into understandable truths for the everyday man. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Jefferson assisted in revising the laws of Virginia. He founded the University of Virginia and wrote its curriculum. And Jefferson gathered the teachings of Jesus into a book to aid in the evangelization of the Indians. He called it, The Philosophy of Jesus, but others refer to his rendering of the Gospels as The Jefferson Bible.

Thomas Jefferson is greatly esteemed for his intellectual contributions to Virginia and the United States, his magnificent architectural influence in our nation’s early years, and his foresight to buy land from Napoleon known as The Louisiana Purchase which doubled the United States’ size.

Thomas Jefferson – Remarkable Author of the Declaration of Independence (Presidential Profiles) – Strength with Dignity

November – How to Process Your Social Prodigal, Estrangement in Relationships

We look at this new cultural epidemic – estrangement – now affecting our relationships. Especially since our society has shifted from giving counsel for reconciliation to giving advice for quick, harsh, and complete estrangement for every discomfort one feels.

Notable November – Strength with Dignity

Recommendations:

Offense – To Be or Not to Be is the Ultimate Choice – Strength with Dignity

References:

Anderson, Hannah. Humble Roots. Narrated by Carla Mercer-Meyer. 5 hr 40 min

Bethel, Dr. Sheila Murray. Position, Power and Humility – The Greatest Force on Earth – The 30-Minute ‘New Breed of Leader’ Success Series. 32 min

Berry, David. More Human than Otherwise – Living and Leading with Humility. Narrated by David Berry. 4 hr 37 min

Blackaby, Henry. Holiness: God’s Plan for Fullness of Life. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2008.

Bridges, Jerry. The Blessing of Humility. Published by NavPress, 2016.

Is Being Holy Even Possible, Since Only God Is Holy? Published by Got Questions [GQ]. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from Is being holy even possible, since only God is holy? | GotQuestions.org

Coleman, Joshua (PhD). Rules of Estrangement – Why Adult Children Cut Ties & How to Heal the Conflict. Harmony Books, eBook, 2020.

Dever, Mark. Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus (9Marks: Building Healthy Churches). E-book ed, Crossway 2016.

Grant, Yanique.[YG] Self-Centered vs. People-Centered Leadership. Published on LinkedIn on February 28, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2023, from (22) Self-Centered vs. People-Centered Leadership | LinkedIn

Gupta, Sanjana.[SG] 6 Signs Someone is too Self-Centered. Published on VerWellMind on May 22, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023, from Self-Centeredness: Signs, Causes, and Coping Strategies (verywellmind.com)

Kendall, R.T. The Power of Humility – Living Like Jesus. Narrated by Shaun Grindell. 5 hours 49 minutes.

Lancaster, Daniel B. Making Radical Disciples: Easily Make Disciples that Follow Jesus and Multiply in 60 Days or Less (Follow Jesus Training Book 1). E-book ed., Lightkeeper Books, 2014.

Manz, Charles C. Leadership Wisdom of Jesus: Practical Lessons for Today (Third Edition). eBook edition. Published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2011.

Mathis, David. Humbled – Welcoming the Uncomfortable Work of God. Narrated by Josh Childs. 1 hour 58 minutes.

Murray, Andrew. Humility – the Beauty of Holiness. Narrated by Robert Grothe. 2 hr 11 min

New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Robinson, Bill. [R] Incarnate Leadership – 5 Leadership Lessons from the Life of Jesus. E-book edition, Zondervan, 2009.

Scataglini, Sergio. The Fire of His Holiness: Prepare Yourself to Enter God’s Presence. 2015.

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