Leadership, Life & the Sermon on the Mount-Part 1

I want you to know that at 2 AM I am deeply skilled at Spider Solitaire. I’m just saying.It’s in the crucible of marriage that my skills deepen – I’ve been driven from my bed by the melodic, light snoring of my beloved. Normally, this doesn’t keep me awake, but since my attitude began to slide towards decidedly uncharitable ends, I decided to get up and write what I was dreaming about. See, I went to bed early, driven by my need for quiet (noise was getting under my skin, a pattern?), and I decided to read my Bible first. I consider the following thoughts to be a gift from God for choosing an edifying endeavor over yelling at my family to be quiet (My tongue is in my cheek). :)

I was reading the Sermon on the Mount and “flashed” on how applicable it was to leadership. [Note: I once read the Sermon on the Mount and “flashed” on how it could be read through the sieve of 1 Corinthians 13 at almost every point – that was profound for me, such a practical lesson on what love looks like day to day. But I digress.] I love how Jesus’ words are so completely applicable to our everyday living, and to be challenged by them in the context of leadership is awesome, so here goes, my thoughts on leadership and the Sermon on the Mount. I’ll probably write this in parts, beginning in Matthew, chapter 5. Verses will be noted in parentheses. I’d love your thoughts on the various applications of these verses, so please feel free to share!

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM MATTHEW 5

1. Lead By Example (15-16). “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”. The light in you, the gospel of Jesus, is something that is meant for others. It’s meant to be seen, visible in you. So, "who is in your house”? Who is in your everyday life that needs the light?Your life is meant to be an influence to others, to be a living example of Jesus, a light lifted up for all to see. The light becomes VISIBLE through your good works, because that is what people can SEE. Just do it for Him, give Him the glory as His light shines through you. It’s all Him, baby.
2. Integrity Matters, Practice What You Preach. (19-20). There are two kinds of people here: Both are teaching and leading others, but one breaks the law, the other obeys the law. If we are going to be a light to others, we need to be living in that light ourselves. We can’t point others towards something that is not applied in our own lives – what hypocrisy. Leaders gotta walk the walk. Let your life be a living example.
3. Leave No Man Behind: Reconcile offenses whenever possible (21-26). In the course of our day we are going to have times when life gets ugly, hurtful, confusing, etc. Offenses happen. When we recognize that somehow we have offended someone, don’t leave them hanging – as a leader, go after them! Jesus said that if He had 100 sheep and one was lost, He’d go after it. Don’t leave a team member swinging in the wind, cut them down! It requires humility in a leader, but you can do it! Reconcile quickly: Don’t ignore problems or gloss over them – they’ll bite you later!
4. Get Rid of Bad Apples – they’ll spoil they whole bushel (27-30).Sometimes we have a team member who is hurting the team and efforts to reconcile them have proven fruitless [pun intended]. Their bad attitude or negative actions are going to begin to rub off on others. Sometimes we have to cut off the offending member. I know this can be painful for all involved, but it’s necessary. We are charged with bearing good fruit that remains. If we allow the bad to spoil the good, the harvest may be unnecessarily lost. Really, it’s negligent to allow this to happen. Try to save and restore, but when that fails, cut off the spoiled fruit.
5. Infidelity Breaks Relationships (31-32). Lack of faithfulness, broken promises…infidelity is a tearing of trust in a relationship. On our teams we need to trust each other to fulfill our roles, accomplish our tasks, support and help one another. Be faithful in your dealings as a leader, or your team members will go elsewhere. You’ve worked hard to build relationships on your team, and your follow-through will help retain your members. Build trust by fulfilling your role faithfully.
6. Leaders Keep Their Word – Integrity (33-37). “Let your yes be yes and your no, no”. Our church is familiar with this story. When our middle child, Nathan, was about 9 years old, we found ourselves in the van after a Sunday meeting, heading to lunch. We had promised the children we’d go to McDonalds for lunch, but when the time came, my husband and I would rather have gone to In-n-Out Burger. We told the children of the change in plans and it got quiet in the car. Then, from the back seat came a quiet, and respectful, voice. “Dad, let your yes be yes and your no, no”. Gulp! We immediately turned around and went to McDonalds for our special combo meal of crow and humble pie. Your team is going to remember what you have promised, so follow through!

That completes thoughts for chapter 5. What has been your experience in these areas?