I have been reading through the book of Joshua lately – a book that is filled with leadership lessons. Despite the number of times you read something, each time provides new insights. And sure enough, this read has provided many of those insights. The book starts with a “hand-off” of leadership from Moses to Joshua. Moses has departed and Joshua is the known successor. The book of Joshua begins with a conversation between God and the new leader, followed by a conversation between Joshua and the people. At the end of the first chapter, following Joshua’s first ‘sermon’, it appears the people are prepared to fully follow him.
And that should be enough… Once the God chosen successor is in place, people should follow. They should understand who the leader is and simply follow. The selection process for this leader has been long – around 40 years. There’s no question about who is the replacement for Moses upon his “retirement” – Joshua is the known candidate. AND, he’s already been leading people for some time! The board members are behind him. But more importantly, God is behind him. So…he should be the leader.
But, just when you think you think it all makes sense, God says the most unusual thing. “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites” (Joshua 3:7 – NLT). “I will BEGIN…”? What is that about? God is going to BEGIN to make Joshua a leader? I thought he was the leader! I thought people were suppose to listen since he was the chosen one! I thought that the people had already committed to following. What is this all about…?
The truth is, position does not make someone a leader. A title is nothing more than…well, a title. LEADERSHIP IS A PROCESS…NOT A STATE. For Joshua, the beginning of his leadership took place at the moment he served his people in a way that brought significant change to their lives. Our leadership doesn’t start until we actually serve people. It grows the more times we make a positive impact on those around us. Each “piece of land we take” with people further enhances our leadership. If we are to gain a following, we have to be willing to take people places that better them. We have to be willing to bring them into the land of THEIR inheritance, not ours. We have to serve their needs. We have to have a win or two under our belts.
I realize that despite my leadership title, I am constantly “becoming” a leader. While past victories and acts of service will sure help in the leadership journey, people expect new victories and new acts of service every day. People never simply just sit and say, “He is our leader”. Instead, they are constantly looking for leadership actions. And in those moments…we BECOME.
I think that I can relate to what you are saying Jeff. Most of the youth that I work with could not care less about the title of “Youth Outreach Worker” or for that matter “Reverend”. They just want to know what I can do to make a difference in the day to day lives. They will constantly test me to see if I really do love them, or if I will live out the principals of Gods word that I claim to believe in. One youth who comes to our Art group told me that he hates church and would never go there. I asked him if he liked the Art group and said that it was his favorite part of his week. I told him that if likes the art group, than he likes the church. I said the way that we run this group, the way that we treat you, and the way that you feel when you are here, is all based on Gods word and the way He wants you to experience life. After some thought he said “I guess I do like the church.”
Just like Joshua, we have to earn leadership by being there for people even when they are in the midst of crisis, or in a situation where we feel uncomfortable. Otherwise they will never see that our faith has any value.
“Expect great things from God! Attempt great things for God!”
Thank you for sharing! Leadership IS a process, thanx.