CHRISTIAN EMPLOYER AND LEADERSHIP ON THE JOB:
The Christian employer (manager) is to use his/her God-given abilities in the workplace to lead employees and honor God.
LEADERSHIP-establishing a clear vision; communicating that vision with others so that they will follow willingly; providing the information, knowledge, and methods to realize that vision.
You masters (employers) must treat your slaves (employees) right. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and He has no favorites. Ephesians 6:9 (NLT)
So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against– those who defraud laborers of their wages– but do not fear Me, says the LORD Almighty. Malachi 3:5 (NIV)
Leadership does not mean dictatorship — the Christian employer is not to abuse the authority given to him or her. Do not condemn, control, or intimidate your employees. “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.“–Tom Peters. Your responsibility is to lead and develop your employees. The development of your employees should take priority over projects. This means people are more important than projects. It’s all about relationships. The Christian employer should create a culture and environment that helps employees develop and encourages them to become all that God intended them to be in the workplace.
“Micromanagement happens when you keep power to yourself. Empowerment is when you give power to your team.”—
Do not micro manage your employees. Just like Jesus with His disciples, you are a servant/leader within your workplace. If you are micro managing your people and constantly looking over their shoulder, you will not be serving them correctly. You will frustrate their development instead of encouraging it. More than likely, you can do the job better than your employees. However, your employees are best served if you use your authority to delegate responsibility and develop their talent. The founder of Walmart, Sam Walton, said “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” As a Christian employer, you have God-given abilities to lead, teach, train and develop people. You should be focused on a working relationship with your employees. You want to encourage their growth. This is what leadership is all about. Great leaders inspire greatness in others.
“There are two reasons someone might follow a leader: Obligation or inspiration. Obligation is when you have to follow a leader. Inspiration is when you want to follow a leader.”—
Jesus gives us a great example of leading and teaching others by encouraging them to engage in areas outside of their comfort zone. After feeding 5000 people, Jesus has the Disciples get into a boat and go ahead of Him to cross a lake. The Bible says Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the Disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.” “Come,” He said. (Matthew 14:25-29 NIV). Jesus shows that HE is their leader, He is with them (”It is I”), He encourages them (”Don’t be afraid”), and He let’s them know that they have NOTHING to fear (”Don’t be afraid”).
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell
Jesus’ words and actions demonstrate His leadership qualities. He’s already on the water so He is LEADING BY EXAMPLE. Jesus does not expect anything out of the Disciples that He, Himself, is not doing. Just as He set the example when He washed the Disciple’s feet (John 13:3-17), Jesus shows the Disciples through His actions what He expects and how it is done. When Peter takes the initiative to ask to come to Him, Jesus does not discourage him. Instead, He encourages Peter to get out of the boat and do something he has NEVER done before. Jesus is not only our Lord, He is our Teacher. Leaders teach those they have authority over through instruction and actions. The Bible let’s us know employees will do well if they follow the instruction of a knowledgeable person in authority over them. In John 13:13,15,17 (NIV) Jesus says “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
The Bible says, Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Peter DID walk on water, but when he took his eyes off Jesus and let fear over take him, he began to sink. Jesus wants to teach all Christians that with His help, we can do ANYTHING He calls us to do! When Peter cried out for help, Jesus IMMEDIATELY saved him. As a leader, you can let your employees fail, but don’t let them fall so far that they are devastated. Be there to help them clean up the mess so they are willing to try again. As an employer, you should challenge your employees to learn, grow, and take their skills to a higher level. Your employees should know you believe in them and support them 100%. Jesus asked Peter “why did you doubt?” He is basically, saying to Peter, “I didn’t doubt that you could do it, why did you doubt?” Jesus was well aware of what Peter, and all disciples of Christ, are capable of doing when we put our faith and trust in the Him and not ourselves. He was trying to motivate Peter, lead him, and increase his faith. Jesus was successful in increasing the Disciples’ faith because they were influenced by what they saw and proclaimed “Truly You are the Son of God.”
As a Christian employer, you should pray for your employees and then delegate different RESPONSIBILITIES to them. Even if it’s something they have never done before. When you do this, you inspire and challenge your employees to go beyond their own expectations. When you give your employees RESPONSIBILITY, you are showing them that you believe in them and, with God’s help, they have the ABILITY to RESPOND. They will learn, grow, and influence others, and your entire organization will benefit.
Do not use threats or intimidation to ‘motivate’ your employees. As a leader you should create an atmosphere to allow your employees the freedom to succeed and fail. You should acknowledge and celebrate their successes. However, their real growth comes by learning lessons from their failures and mistakes, which helps them gain knowledge and sharpen their skills.
Choose People Over Projects: This is difficult for many leaders to accept, but developing the person is more important than the advancement of the project. This requires patience. God develops you by forgiving your sins and allowing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) to develop in you. God is slow to anger and patient. He develops us spiritually to advance His kingdom. God is able to give you more responsibility to do greater works as you learn, grow, mature and become more and more Christ-like. On top of that, He will bless you for your good works. God’s ‘project’ is the Great Commission. We, Christians, are His people who He has chosen to share and live the Gospel with those who don’t know Him (non-Christians). If your employees see that you care more about them than company projects, they will usually respond positively to this approach. Your employees will want to serve you and give you their best and the project will advance farther. “If you’re working on something you care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”–Steve Jobs. As an employer, you should use the same methods as God to patiently develop your people so they will be able to handle more responsibility and do bigger and better works to advance your projects and your company.
The Christian employer should treat all employees with respect. In other words, put yourself in their position and treat them as you would want to be treated. What matters most to employees is being appreciated, encouraged and treated with dignity. It’s not about position or money. A different role or position does not have to mean unequal value. Everyone enjoys having worth, being valued, and having a feeling of importance in his or her workplace. The employee who doesn’t know and understand the importance and significance of his or her role within an organization will arrive to work late, leave early, and steal while on the job! Employees want to know that they MATTER to the company! People want to be a part of something bigger than them. This is one of the many great things about Christianity. We are all one in Christ. We are all equal in God’s eyes. Our Heavenly Father loves none of us any more or less. He shows no favoritism. Regardless, of the status and esteem the world gives to people based on salary or position, the cross is the great equalizer. James 2:1, 5 (NIV) says, My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised to those who love Him? God only cares about the condition of your heart.
Go Live The Victory!
