With all of the dangerous hero worship – and hero denigration – going on these days, I thought it might be worthwhile to use a Thursday’s Thirst to meditate upon the One Christians are called to follow and emulate. His name is Jesus. Neither a politician nor a denominational spokesperson, “Christ be my leader by night and by day; safe through the darkness, for He is the way. Gladly I follow, my future His care, darkness is daylight when Jesus is there.” (LSB 861)
Jesus himself says it this way, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 12.8). And he expands upon this concept as he addresses his disciples (that’s us) in the Sermon on the Mount saying, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5.14-16) As Christ (THE LIGHT) lives in us, he shines through us making us to be his light to the world.
In my mind this means that everyone who calls themselves a Christian is called to be an influencer in this world … no sot much in the political world, but in sharing the truth of Christ’s redeeming grace.
I recently read a book by Tom Ziglar, the son of Zig Ziglar, a famous motivational speaker (now deceased). The title of the book is “10 Leadership Virtues for DISRUPTIVE Times”. With a 2021 copyright, he addresses our post-covid, AI world stating, “If any of the following have impacted you, then the future is already here:
- Tens of thousands of businesses and millions of people have discovered they can work from home.
- Millions of people have learned to use Zoom and other technologies to have online meetings and training webinars.
- Home offices by the millions have been created in whatever rooms could be easily converted into makeshift Zoom studios.
- The roller coaster of accelerating change and sudden stops to business as usual has created a remote workforce that is anxious, dazed, isolated, and longing for real connection. Today the term blended workforce means a workforce composed of traditional workers who work onsite, workers who work onsite two to three days a week, and full-time remote workers.” (p.5)
Then listen to his follow-up statements: “It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you8 handle what happens to you (a quote from his dad). As we come out of the pandemic and prepare for whatever the winds of change and challenge may bring, we can be certain about the following:
- We will learn and grow through the challenges ahead
- Business will never be done the same way again.
- We will always have a choice: either to fold up and go home or rise up and create a better world.” (p.6)
With that I will share with you the chapter headings that give us his list of the 10 Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times:
SECTION ONE: WHO DO WE NEED TO BE?
- Chapter 3: Virtue 1: Kindness (your automatic response to people regardless of the news)
- Chapter 4: Virtue 2: Selflessness (knowing that helping others helps you)
- Chapter 5: Virtue 3: Respect (to start new relationships and affirm old ones)
- Chapter 6: Virtue 4: Humility (when you hear ideas and learn new things as your curiosity leads to amazing new insights)
SECTION TWO: HOW DO WE NEED TO BE?
- Chapter 7: Virtue 5: Self-control (personal attacks handled with self-control elevate your leadership influence over time)
- Chapter 8: Virtue 6: Positivity (makes others feel better about themselves and the future)
- Chapter 9: Virtue 7: Looking for the Best (in every person and every situation)
SECTION THREE: WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW?
- Chapter 10: Virtue 8: Being the Light (in dark times and illuminating with clarity the way ahead)
- Chapter 11: Virtue 9: Never Giving Up (on them, their hopes and dreams, or the mission of the team)
- Chapter 12: Virtue 10: Standing Firm (with a warrior spine and an open heart regardless of the disruptions, challenges, and changes around you)
I seldom agree 100% with what an author has to say, but I think Mr. Ziglar is headed in a very healthy direction here … so I close with one last quote: “Taken together these ten virtues mean you are leading from a position of love. This love does something powerful: it creates an atmosphere that allows vulnerability to flourish. When you and your team are vulnerable with each other, there is no making, no excuse masking, and no need to hide what you did wrong or what you don’t know. Individuals and teams that do the best in times of disruption are the ones who will quickly admit they are stuck, don’t understand, or made a mistake. This rapid acknowledgement of the imperfect allows for rapid adjustments and accelerated learning, which advances the team and the mission.” (p. 198)
Amazing, is it not, how this all fits with this statement of truth: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong-doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends … So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13.4-8, 13)