Leaders must be Jesus-like

I was impressed by the sage insights offered and struck by the fact that while each speaker had his or her own particular slant, there was a common theme interwoven throughout the majority of the presentations I heard: leadership. That such was the case is not all that surprising because there is an urgent need for leadership in the contemporary milieu.

Quite frankly, these are difficult days to be a leader; for the tendency today is to settle for managers who can satisfy us by doing things right, correctly and efficiently. Management promotes order and the handling of the day-to-day routine. It stresses the status quo and is safe.

Real leadership

The challenge for the leader, then, is to articulate a vision and to nurture and foster that vision day in and day out so that it can take root, grow and flourish in the minds and hearts of others.

In processing the reflections on leadership surfaced in the various commencement exercises, I was reminded of a book I read recently by Laurie Beth Jones titled: "Jesus CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership." In this small jewel, the author cites the qualities of leadership that Jesus evidenced in His life and ministry, qualities which she suggests are essential for successful leadership today as we prepare to enter the 21st century.

Three by Jesus

1. Strength of self-mastery: Jesus knew who He was and for what He stood. Not that He was proud or arrogant, but He was self-assured. The "I am" statements of the Gospels reflect Jesus' self-knowledge and self-love: "I am the good shepherd"..."I am the bread of life"..."I am the vine"..."I am the gate"..."I am the door"..."I am the way, the truth and the life."

Like Jesus, today's leader must evidence the quality of believing in one's self and one's mission. People cannot be effective leaders unless they know who they are. One definition of a professional denotes a person who does things even when he or she does not feel like doing them.

In other words, unlike some contemporary leaders who are swept along by the winds of the moment, the true professional or leader stays focused on the mission, even when this means doing difficult things. This is the type of professionalism, inner strength, steadfastness and perseverance which is needed in leaders today.

To put it another way, in a world where forces and factors which are contrary to God's plan of life swirl about us, it is imperative that we never allow others to take over our life and to make our decisions for us or that we never go along blindly with the fads of the moment. It is also crucial that we never stop probing the meaning of the world, the meaning of life and the meaning of self.

Neither must we ever indulge in the luxury of saying, "This is my niche; there are no new decisions to be made or old ones to be reevaluated." If we do say that, we will shortchange ourselves and be far from the persons and leaders we have the potential to be.

2. Strength of action: Jesus came among us to stir things up, to create a new way of thinking, to give us a new testament. He was not content to sit around and to reminisce about what used to be. Rather, Jesus was driven to develop creative and innovative ways to foster His Father's plan of life.

A business consultant once said that "a good idea is worth a dollar, but the plan for implementing that idea is worth a million dollars." Like Jesus, then, an effective leader must be one who is always thinking, seeing things just a bit differently, weighing the implications of everything and then mustering up the courage and the resources to accomplish the plan. A true leader, therefore, must have not only sage insights but the energy, zeal, passion and enthusiasm to make these lived realities.

And there are so many people these days who can benefit from our strength of action: the child or grandchild who needs guidance and direction...peers at school or work who are confused and struggling...the sick friend or elderly relative who is alone and isolated...the poor and immigrants who so often have become the scapegoats for our socio-economic woes and all the victims of the racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia and xenophobia which plague our contemporary world and society and which strip people of their God-given human dignity.

The way in which these people can be reached, touched and healed is through our strength of action, through our willingness to share with them our time, talents, gifts and treasures.

3. Strength of relationships, which I believe to be especially important for today: Jesus walked up to fishermen and said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." They dropped their nets and followed Him. Jesus met the Samaritan woman by the well and said, "Follow me and you will never be thirsty again." She dropped her bucket and ran to tell her friends.

History has shown repeatedly that people hunger and thirst for something larger than themselves, and leaders who offer that type of vision will have no shortage of followers.

Like Jesus, then, we must seek to affirm and empower others. We can't be "Lone Rangers" but must invest in people, in family and in building up a community of those we love and who love us in return.

Prayer

That is why we must constantly open ourselves to the Lord: to allow God's truth to enlighten the darkness of our minds...to allow God's plan of life as contained in the Beatitudes and the Commandments to be our guide on the road of life...and to allow God's love to be the source of our own continued growth in holiness, knowledge and maturity.

In summary, then, I hope that all of us will strive to emulate these three categories of leadership strength which Laurie Beth Jones cites, so that our lives and activity might truly bring hope, peace and betterment to a world and society which so desperately need such enrichment.

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