Do You Really Trust Me? (Empowerment)

Yesterday I encouraged you to read through Luke 10:1-23.  It may be a familiar story, or perhaps not.  Jesus empowered His followers by sending them into the villages ahead of where He was going, giving them the task to go and bring God's peace to the people they would encounter.  Yes, I know the word "empowerment" is not used by Luke, nor is it found anywhere in the Bible.  Yet, the idea of empowerment is a thread that runs throughout.  God routinely empowers people of His with His work, and that is a good and gracious thing.

Rather than make this a post only about empowerment, though, I want to focus a little bit on what all Jesus does here early on in this Bible reading.  I think it's very noteworthy with where He begins.  In the second verse, He tells them that there is an abundant harvest, but the workers are few.  Then we get to the meat of where He would have His followers begin.  "Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

When you think of it, the first thing Jesus does is have His followers approach God in prayer.  Yes, I'm sure you've probably heard something like this before.  Before you begin, take it to God in prayer.  That's the beginning point, and while we could spend time talking about what would constitute a good prayer or prayer life, let's just say that we shouldn't take this one for granted.  God wants to give to us, and He wants us to ask.  Maybe we should take that starting point quite a bit more seriously.

Then, Jesus sends the followers out.  Now, as you read through what He tells them in the sentences following His call to prayer, He gives them some fairly explicit instructions in how they are to conduct themselves.  While He gives them instructions, He also is trusting them to go and do the things He is sending them to do.  That sounds small, but in reality, this is a really huge matter.  Jesus trusts them to do what He is sending them to do.

You've likely had the experience at some point of being given a task by someone.  They said that they wanted you to do it, but the whole time, you found them looking over your shoulder.  Or, when you finished it, it wasn't exactly the way that they wanted it to be, and their reaction nullified the trust that had been shown in permitting you to take on the task.  In cases like these, you may have been empowered, but that empowerment was quickly cut off by the reaction of the person who empowered you.  In the first case, their actions demonstrate that they don't really trust you.  In the second, they let you do the task, but then declared that your effort was inadequate to their expectations.  Talk about killing any sense of empowerment.  In both of these situations, you are much less likely to think that you are being empowered or trusted the next time you are given a task.

That's the question we need to ask, either as the person empowering others, or as the one who is being empowered.  Is trust present?  If you look critically at the situation and discover that trust isn't present, then you need to address the situation.  Yes, that can be very challenging to do when you are not the one in authority.  In fact, I would dare say that most people find it easier to leave for another position rather than remain in an untrusting environment.  Trust is crucial to empowerment, and the lack of it will quickly kill the hopes of those being empowered.  That only adds to the burden of the leader, if he/she is not trusting those whom they should be empowering.  On the part of the leader, it does assume a risk.  The person may let you down, or may do it in a manner differently than what you were expecting.  If they let you down, you now have a teachable moment.  If they do it differently than what you were expecting, now you have learned something.

An environment of trust is vital to a good workplace.  Without it, the leader will always find himself doing more, which is unnecessary if he isn't doing the work of preparing them properly.  

Leadership, Empowerment, and Authority

After this the Lord appointed seventy two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. Luke 10:1

First, my apologies on the lack of posting recently.  I have noticed that being in a position which requires travel means that some of the regular things I'd like to do (like blogging) sometimes just doesn't happen as regularly as I would like.  Thanks for bearing with me!

Over the next few days, I intend to do a series of posts on the connection between the three main words in the title.  Leadership. Empowerment.  Authority. Over the years, and through lots of reading, study, and research, I have come to see how these are important attributes for any leader, but especially for those who lead in God's Church.  Good, effective leadership can be a great assistance to the Gospel message.  No, leadership in and of itself is not the Gospel, but it serves as part of God's creation to better facilitate how God's people work together as His Spirit sends them to one another and the world with that ongoing message of redemption in Jesus.

As you read the verse above, one thing we see there is that Jesus empowered others and gave them authority in His name.  I would suggest reading the whole selection, Luke 10:1-23, to get a better grasp of what all Jesus does here.  Jesus demonstrates leadership in a couple of ways here.  First, He empowers His followers with the work that He has designed for them.  As you read on following verse 1, He is actually pretty explicit about what He is empowering them to do.  This is worth noticing.  Jesus gives empowers them for His work, but He also gives them a good amount of detail of what they are to be doing.  He leaves how they do it to them, but He is very clear with what He wants them to be doing.

Empowerment involves giving someone a task to do.  You give them the expectation of what they are to be doing.  Then, you set the parameters of what that will look like.  To use a brief example, if I want my kids to build a fort, I might give them the instructions to "build a fort." I might even give them the specific materials to use (use blocks, don't use couch cushions, etc.). Then, they are left to do the task that I have given them.  They have a clear directive, as well as clear boundaries, and as long as they work within those boundaries, they are free to build and create to their hearts content.

I would suggest that many people who lead may think that they are empowering others, but they actually serve to sever their empowerment in several ways.  They may not be clear on the expectation.  They may give a clear expectation, but then meddle in the details to the point that they discourage those they are attempting to empower.  They may not give clear enough expectations or parameters, and then be surprised when things either don't go as they intended, or they get frustrated that those they are empowering aren't doing what is expected.

I'll touch on these a bit more over the next few days.  But for now, read through this account in Luke 10.  See how Jesus is clear with His expectation, as well as with His parameters. Note also He gives them freedom to do what they were sent to do.  I suggest that you even write down the various things that you note as you read, as well as any thoughts or insights you have. Feel free to comment with anything that you think calls for further discussion. 

Leadership and Humility

When you think about the two words I chose for the title of this entry, you could potentially have the thought that they are contradictory.  Leadership tends to call for someone to assert themselves, to set the direction.  It calls for having an idea of where you and those following are going, and you have the ability to convey that sense to others and encourage them to come along with you.  Leadership often means standing strong in the face of adversity, withstanding doubts, and other related factors such as this.

If this is the case, how can humility play a role in leadership then?  We tend to think of humility as someone who doesn't insist on their way being the right way.  Humility seems almost the opposite of being assertive.  Humility looks to others and sees the value in them and places a high priority on valuing them.  So it seems that leadership and humility simply are two diametrically opposite ideals.

I would suggest, though, that leadership is at its best when proper humility is observed in the one who dares to lead.  Yes, the leader does assert himself/herself in the direction of where things are going, and the leader does have to stand strong in the face of adversity, facing doubts, answering questions.  However, a truly effective leader will do these things while also listening to the ones who voice their questions, or who present the adversity.  They don't see individuals who have questions or who present obstacles as voices to be silenced, but rather, as someone who is sharpening their conviction and thinking.  They are willing to see the wisdom that others may present to them.  They look to make sure that the direction they are going is both led by God and His Spirit, and at the same time, serving the needs of those they are called to serve.  (As a side note, this also means that the leader isn't overly enamored with his/her own idea of what is right, and strives to get their way no matter the cost.)

In other words, the truly effective leader will work diligently to ensure that the direction they set is one that is truly serving others, as they have been called to lead and serve. Yes, it will require conviction.  After all, if God has truly set that direction, the leader has to be sure of it.  You can always figure out a leader who doesn't truly have conviction in the direction they are leading.  However, the leader hones that conviction by spending time individually with people, seeking to discover if the direction is one that truly serves.

In the end, I believe you cannot be an effective leader without also having an abundance of humility.  

The Price of Winning the Argument

How much is it worth to have the last word?  Or perhaps, I should ask it more accurately.  How much is it worth to prove that you are right and that the other person is wrong?  It doesn't matter how big or how small the matter may be, if you press things to the point where you prove that you are right and they are wrong, what have you gained and, more importantly, what price have you paid to achieve your victory?

Let's look first at what was gained.  You proved you were right.  Again, it doesn't really matter what the conversation was, what the disagreement or argument was over, you have proven that your point was the correct point.  You now stand more self-assured that you knew the right answer, you stood up for the right answer, and you used your knowledge and insight to prove that you were correct.  Nice work.  The only thing is, notice how many times I wrote the word "you" in this paragraph.  Pushing the point of the argument to where you prove you are right has really only had a benefit for you.  You've grown in your pride, and perhaps even arrogance.  You've shown yourself superior.

Which brings us to the other side.  What price have you paid?  What has been lost in you proving that you are correct?  Well, the other person didn't win.  Again, whether it was a large or small matter, you've now "ranked" yourself over them in some way.  Unless you are someone who takes pride in making other people feel smaller and less significant, that really isn't a win.  You've lost them, to some extent.  You've taken away from their worth and value.  You've exalted yourself and humbled them, which means that you have likely also lost some relationship currency.  They may not want to have similar conversations with you, if you are only going to prove that you are right and they are wrong.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote that the Philippian Christians were to consider others as more significant than themselves.  Winning the argument does just the opposite.  Now, to be sure, there are times where it is fully appropriate to win the argument.  If my kid wants to run in the street where cars are driving, I'm going to win that argument.  However, I only do so because there is a greater value at work, their safety.  If they want to color with red markers instead of blue markers, why do I need to win that argument?  Just because blue is my favorite color?  Just because the sky is blue, not green?

I admit that I have often pushed to win arguments in my life.  However, life experience and God's Word have gone a long way in showing me that winning the argument isn't the great joy it may seem that it should be.  I've learned, instead, to ask questions.  I've learned to listen a lot more, and speak a lot less.  Sure, there are times when my ego wants to win, and I even give in to that desire at times.  But I have also seen the Spirit calm that need within me, seeing what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, that it is sometimes better to be wronged than to get my way.

There is always a cost to winning.  Sure, we have to deal with substantive issues at time, but even then, when we need to be right, we should strive to do so in respectful, gentle ways.  I think most people would value someone who would be right, but would be so in a gentle, respectful way.  I hope that you will be guided by that next time you feel the need to be "right".