Leading like Jesus

THE influence of Jesus Christ is undoubtedly great and felt even after millennia He left the earth. He had unique traits and principles he applied as a leader. Our columnist Jonah Nyoni (JN) engages Apostle Judge Dube (JD) who is an author, former banker, speaker, and founder of Wealthy Word Ministries on the lessons learnt from Jesus. Find excerpts below:

JN: What are the fundamental lessons we learn from Jesus as a leader and how are they relevant to the environment we live in?

JD: We see the lesson of love. Jesus demonstrated his love towards God and this is (or was) very important. This is the reason why the first commandment says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-39, KJV). Jesus demonstrated this and it is also applicable to our environment. If people can love, serve and surrender their lives to God genuinely, you will realise that a lot of things will not be the way they are today. The love for God will make us operate in the fear of the Lord. And the fear of the Lord will make us do certain things in a way that is honourable, respectable.

The second thing is that Jesus loved people. This world will be a better place if we would love one another, unconditionally. This is a lesson that Jesus demonstrated. As a leader, you realise that you lead people and it is easy to lead people that you love. That environment of love makes things blossom. The environment of love makes things glow. Therefore, this is a lesson from Jesus, that He was a man of love and he loved the people he led.

Forgiveness

The other lesson that we learnt from Jesus is forgiveness. Even when he was on the cross, they were nailing him, He says, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34, NKJV). This world, (the corporate space, countries and businesses) will be a better place if we can learn the lesson of forgiving one another. As leaders, we are supposed to understand we lead human beings; and people on their way to greatness, they will make mistakes. So, you must learn to forgive and build them. This world needs people that have the heart of forgiving.

Purpose/ Assignment

Jesus also focused on his life assignment. He focused on fulfilling what he came here to do on Earth and this (or that) is a lesson to all of us; we must focus on our life’s assignments. It helps us to achieve great things because we will be focused not only on doing what is good, but what is right. If it is business, you focus on it. If it is education, you focus on it. You become intentional about it, and you will progress greatly. If we are not focused, we find ourselves everywhere, at the end of the day; we are not able to actualise what we came on earth to do.

Humility

From Jesus we also learn great humility. You might be a leader or a non-leader, but the way up is what the Bible says. The Bible says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10, NIV). If you want elevation, the secret is in being humble. There is no greater blessing as compared to having a leader who leads in humility. Someone who does not have it, has a stinking attitude, a bossy attitude, and a ruling attitude. A great leader is humble, approachable and Jesus was an approachable leader. With all the powers and the influence he had, he was not a difficult person to approach. We need leaders that are approachable and accommodative. Such leaders go far because they can get even ideas from people and from unlikely sources. Sometimes the people who have a solution to what you are dealing with might be people whom you do not really expect. So, if your door is closed as a leader, you might not get that kind of assistance from people.

J.N: What were Jesus’ guiding principles as a leader?

JD: Jesus had a variety of guiding principles. Shared Vision

Point number one, Jesus had a principle of shared vision, mission and values and these were very clear to the people he led. It is important as a leader, that the vision, the mission and values become clear to those around you. These must be vocalised, most of the time. Jesus became married to his vision. In other words, his vision became him. A successful leader is a leader who is not separable from his vision, mission and values. The brand that he is (or was) becomes easy for anyone to follow.

Exemplary leadership

Jesus led by example. As a leader, you are a role model to those you lead. Remember, actions speak louder than words. Jesus’ model is clear. What he had come to achieve; his intentions were very clear. He practically resolved problems as they came. It is the responsibility of a leader to handle conflicts, to have the wisdom and to resolve problematic situations in an organisation. Now and again, conflict and challenges will arise, and Jesus would rise to the occasion with a solution.