Transformation

The hiddenness of true leadership

I’ve never seen him make a demand. And come to think of it, he doesn’t really even get defensive. How is that?

Because it’s not like he doesn’t share, doesn’t open up. On the contrary, he regularly shares in a way that most would consider quite vulnerable.

Maybe he’s right about the things he says, or maybe he discovers that he’s questioning what he initially put out there. Even though you can be sure that what he put out there he also put good thought and study into.

I’ve not seem him seek a position.
Or recognition.

He carries no title.

What I have seen him do is listen to others.

No, I mean actually listen: the kind of listening that says you care not just about the person, but about what they care about, too.

When you’re around him, you matter. Even when you disagree.

Especially when you disagree.

It doesn’t phase him.

And I recognized it today: this is the leadership that Jesus told us about…

This is the kind he urged us to emulate.

This is the kind of leadership that reflects Jesus’ kind of leadership.

It’s the kind that over time makes you a better person because of the consistent, seemingly insignificant moments together—the kind that most skip past. But none of it is insignificant to him. He has made them all matter because to him, you always matter.

As I continue to grow, this is the example of leadership I want to emulate. And if I’m 100% honest, I think it’s the kind Jesus wants us to emulate more than the others.


Someday my friend will read this and he may or may not even realize it’s him I’m speaking of. What I hope is that we as followers of Jesus in the West embrace communities where people like this have the opportunity to contribute equally, and in consequence, truly build the body up better than any amount of teaching and doctrine could.