Brett October 26, 2020

The best leaders are consistently humble but never insecure.

Insecure leaders lead through the social mirror, fixing their self-worth to the praises and criticisms of others. This kind of approach can be very detrimental. Either the leader will be overwhelmed by an unhealthy emotional roller coaster or he will attempt to grasp for power and authority in the absence of authentic influence.

Insecure leaders lead through the social mirror, fixing their self-worth to the praises and criticisms of others. Click To Tweet

Humble leaders, on the other hand, do not live their life through a social mirror. They are confident and sure of themselves but not arrogant. The best leaders remain teachable, gracious and eager to serve. They might want others to think well of them but the final say on their dignity and worth comes from God alone. Humility isn’t thinking less of oneself; it’s thinking of oneself less (thank you Clive).

The best leaders remain teachable, gracious and eager to serve. They might want others to think well of them but the final say on their dignity and worth comes from God alone. Click To Tweet

Secure, humble leaders are meek but never weak. Meekness is not the same as weakness, it means strength under control. Powerful but humble.

Secure, humble leaders are meek but never weak. Meekness is not the same as weakness, it means strength under control. Powerful but humble. Click To Tweet

Consider the scene when Jesus raised a little girl from the dead as a model of perfect humility and meekness. You can read it in Mark 5:35-43. It is the scene where Jesus raised a little girl from the dead.

In those days, wealthy families hired additional mourners to attend funeral events, giving the impression that the loss had a bigger impact. These hired mourners were the ones who ‘laughed at Jesus’ when he suggested the little girl was only sleeping and not dead.

If Jesus were looking for an audience, he had one. The entire family and many more were gathered. But the first thing Jesus did was put everyone out of the room except the parents. He was not seeking congratulations from the crowd or any praises of the people. He was only looking to serve – in power and humility.

Jesus was never seeking congratulations from the crowd or praises of the people. He was only looking to serve in humility. Powerful, yes, but always for the sake of others. Click To Tweet

Jesus’ humility kept Him focused on the needs of the grieving mom and dad. He dismissed the crowd, rejecting the temptation to a public spectacle. He reserved the fullness of His presence for those in need, something every leader should do regularly. If you ever get invited into the depths of someone’s suffering and say to yourself, “I don’t have time for this” you might want to consider your motives for leading in the first place.

If you ever get invited into the depths of someone’s suffering and say to yourself, “I don’t have time for this” you might want to consider your motives for leading in the first place. Click To Tweet

Jesus took one of the girl’s cold hands in His and tenderly said in her Aramaic tongue, “Talitha Koum,” which means little girl, arise. Jesus was quick and to the point. His whispered words were another expression of His meekness – strength under control, powerful but humble.

An insecure leader would have created a lengthy, drawn-out show to keep the focus on himself. An insecure leader would have turned up the volume of his voice to demonstrate power and authority. Jesus was quiet, barely whispering, but utterly confident and secure in the Father. Real authority does not need to yell to establish itself.

Insecure leaders turn up the volume of their voice to demonstrate authority. But Jesus was meek and humble of heart. Real authority does not need to yell to establish itself. Click To Tweet

Quickened by His word and touch, the dead girl revived, gazed on the face of her Savior and exited the bed. Jesus commanded her astonished parents to refrain from publicizing the miracle. Another expression of His meek and humble heart. It was also intended to guard them against the temptation to speak unnecessarily about the miraculous event. He was inviting them to humility and meekness too.

When Jesus requested that food be given to the resurrected girl, He revealed how practical He was and how He honoured natural law. He subjected His miracle to something less than miraculous – food. Jesus was deflecting attention on His supernatural power to a biological need for sustenance. “I have no food for her, but you do. Feed her.” He who created natural law, in humility, subjected Himself to it. Leaders should never live above the laws of their organizations.

Jesus created natural law but in humility, subjected Himself to it. Leaders should never live above the laws of their organizations. Click To Tweet

What does all this have to do with leadership? Here are three principles we can learn and apply.

Meekness matters. Meekness doesn’t mean weakness; it means strength under control. Jesus was always in control of the situation, even when the crowds were laughing at him. Insecure leaders need others to acknowledge their authority. Jesus did not. Make it your goal to demonstrate your authority through quiet, impactful leadership.

Humility helps. Jesus models for us what it means to be entirely focused on the needs of others. Insecure leaders leverage circumstances for their benefit, usually to highlight something of themselves – their skill, gifting, and power. Jesus led for the sake of others – the young girl and her family. Leaders use their power to meet the needs of those around them.

Submit to authority. Authentic leadership means living under authority. Insecure leaders sometimes try to demonstrate their leadership by operating outside policy, protocol, and law. Jesus was secure enough in His leadership to live under authority.

Jesus’ example is the most inspiring and informative source from which we can ever learn leadership. The more time you spend reflecting on His life by prayerfully reading the Gospels, the better leader you will become. The surest way to find security is in relational intimacy with Jesus.