A meeting ends, and one person on your team looks frustrated. Someone else has missed a deadline. Another employee may need help but is hesitant to ask.
What do you do?
A title or leadership role may give you responsibility, but it does not automatically make you a good leader. How you treat people matters.
Look at how Jesus led
Jesus taught crowds, welcomed people, and served those around Him.
He even washed His disciples’ feet. That was work normally done by a servant.
Then Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve. The Son of Man came to give his life to save many people” (Mark 10:45).
That gives Christians a very different picture of leadership.
You may supervise people at work, lead a class, serve at church, or guide your family.
In each of those places, ask yourself: How am I treating the people around me?
Leadership at work
The workplace gives you many opportunities to lead through service.
You may be responsible for a team, a project, or just your own work. You can still influence the people around you.
Reply when someone needs an answer. Keep your commitments. Share useful observations. Help a colleague who is overwhelmed when you are able to.
And give people credit for their work.
If you manage others, learn what helps them succeed. One person may need clearer instructions. Another may need encouragement. Someone else may need you to address a problem directly.
Serving people does not mean avoiding accountability.
There may be times when you need to say that work is late, the quality is not good enough, or a behavior needs to change. You can do that clearly and respectfully.
You can also ask yourself whether you are making someone’s work harder than it needs to be.
Do people know what you expect? Do you answer their questions? Do you follow through on decisions?
Those things are part of leadership too.
Listen before giving advice. Follow through when you say you will help.
You can also give other people opportunities to contribute. Ask someone to lead part of a meeting, take responsibility for a project, or share an idea.
And try not to assume that your way of doing something is the only good way.
Be humble and clear
Sometimes you need to address a problem.
When that happens, ask the person for their perspective and how they see the situation. Explain the concern clearly from your perspective. Give the person a chance to respond.
Then talk about the best way forward.
You can be direct and still be kind.
You also do not have to do everything yourself.
Ask other people to help. Share responsibilities. Take a break when you need one.
Jesus served people, but He also stepped away to pray.
Your leadership will probably be better when you have time to pray, think, and rest.
Three simple practices
Here are three things you can try.
First, pray for the people you lead by name. Ask God to help you know what they need and how you should respond.
Second, do something useful that you normally might expect someone else to do. Just make sure no one will feel intruded upon by what you do.
Help a colleague finish something important. Clean up after an event. Bring food to someone going through a hard time.
Third, read Scripture before making a difficult decision.
Ask what Jesus would want you to value in that situation. You may need courage. You may need patience. You may even need to change your mind.
Leadership can involve conflict, disappointment, and delays. That comes with working with people.
Let service point people to Jesus
People often remember how a leader treated them.
Did you listen?
Did you thank them and express appreciation?
Did you keep your word?
Did you make time for them?
Did you treat them with respect when there was a problem?
Your leadership may happen much closer to home. You can encourage a colleague, guide a child, support a friend, or help a new person feel welcome at church.
Keep looking for ways to serve.
Ask God for wisdom. Keep prayer part of your leadership.