Humility - The Secret Key to Effective Leadership

Jesus said, "Give and it shall be given unto you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over." As we invest our time and attention in understanding God's wisdom, we can expect a harvest of understanding as His Word unfolds in our lives.

What Makes a Good Leader?

Leadership principles are fundamental to leading a good life. Whether you're a parent, manager, pastor, CEO, waitress, athlete, student, or even a pet owner - these principles apply to you. In the previous parts of this series, we established the importance of the gold standard and learned to identify what is truly valuable. We also focused on real identity and why we must "be the gold."

Using leadership as a means to achieve identity is a common mistake that can be detrimental. Good leaders lead a good life - this isn't a game, it's destiny. Your purpose matters to God, but you can't breach His order and try to labor to become something you're not.

What Are the Keys to Good Leadership?

In our previous discussions, we established two essential leadership keys:

• Discernment - Without it, you'll never be able to tell fool's gold from real gold. You'll get conned out of what's yours, and your choices will be guesswork. 

• Comprehension - Holding the answer and knowing how to utilize it are two different realities. Many people treat the gold in their life with contempt, failing to activate its benefits.

Now we introduce the third key: Humility.

Why Is Humility Essential for Leadership?

Some people don't think leadership and humility go together. They have a secularized picture of leadership that's bossy, demanding, and authoritarian - but that's not real leadership. Having a title doesn't make someone a leader, let alone a good one.

Webster's defines humility as "freedom from pride or arrogance." But biblically, humility is submission to God's truth so that His will can be done. It's not doormat theology or a "woe is me" life posture.

First Peter 5:6 tells us: "Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you." Real humility sets you up for promotion, advancement, and upgrade. God wants to exalt you to be one of His good leaders, to be a blessing to others.

How Does Humility Activate Leadership?

St. Augustine said, "It was pride that changed angels into devils. It is humility that makes men as angels." God has an even higher calling for you, and humility activates your leadership gifts.

Leadership is a choice. God called Gideon, but he had to choose. God called David, but he had to submit to the call. God called Samuel, and he had to say, "Here am I." Jesus called Judas, but he chose to be a thief and a traitor. God called Rahab, and she chose to lead her whole household and save a nation.

When you position yourself so that God can exalt you, He will always lift your thinking. To be a good leader, we need to think like good leaders and therefore be with good leaders.

What Happens When Leaders Lack Humility?

Leaders who are hard on people, critical, or even abusive, are often that way because they can't find the gold in themselves. They don't recognize what's valuable in themselves, so they fail to see the gold in others.

Without skilled discernment, people are frequently seen through the lens of impaired or limited perceptions. Consider James C. Harrison, who donated his rare blood plasma almost 1,200 times from age 18 to 81. His blood had a vital antibody that helped save the lives of over 2 million babies. He was a hero that went largely unnoticed.

Gold is not gold because you recognize it. Gold is gold in spite of your ignorance. Weak leaders don't recognize the true value in others, or they're afraid to.

How Does Jesus Model Humble Leadership?

Jesus is the gold standard for good leaders. The problem is that too many people have obfuscated the reality of His gold standard by tolerating a false Jesus. Any non-biblical version of Jesus is false.

In Matthew 7:20, Jesus said, "Therefore you will fully know them by their fruits." We identify the root by the outcome, the fruit, the being. In a church service, doing this and doing that with all the sincerity you can muster will not change your identity.

First Peter 5:2-4 gives us a masterclass on leadership: "Tend, nurture, guard, guide the flock of God that is your responsibility, not by coercion or constraint, but willingly; not dishonorably motivated by the advantages and profits, but eagerly and cheerfully; not domineering as arrogant, dictatorial, and overbearing persons over those in your charge, but being examples, patterns, and models of Christian living to the flock."

Good leaders nurture, guard, guide, and win. They don't constrain or coerce. They're not dishonorable or motivated by advantages and profits. Good leaders are not domineering, arrogant dictators. They're examples - they live it to lead it.

What Does Humility Produce in Leadership?

Good leaders work humility to have credibility, which produces tranquility. In Matthew 5:9, Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." We all want peace, but good leaders learn how to make it.

God's Word is not a religious sword meant to control or bully people into doing what you want. People obeying you does not establish your value or worth. People rejected Jesus right to His face. His disciples questioned Him about His decisions. Religious leaders accused Him of doing things with Satan's power.

The worldly version of leadership is not God's gold standard. Philippians 2:9-10 tells us that because Jesus "stooped so low, God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth." Even Jesus worked the key of humility: stooped low, exalted high.

Why Do We Need to Be Part of a Good Leaders Network?

You're called to lead, and what you refuse to lead or exercise authority over, you will serve or be in bondage to. Leading people is about serving people, giving, and shepherding. Commanding stuff is a different process.

If you don't lead your appetite, you serve your appetite. If you don't lead your thoughts, you serve your thoughts. You must command your instincts or be in bondage to them.

The danger of having a leadership position without being part of a good leaders network is that you're set up for disaster. You risk family, marriage, health, wealth, and morality. The higher you go, the greater the potential ruin.

Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a great fall." Gifts and abilities are great advantages but can be profoundly crushing when order is inverted and you fail to lead yourself and command your life.

How Can We Develop Humility in Leadership?

Good leaders know there's great power in being willing to change your mind. Norman Vincent Peale said, "Change your thoughts and you change your world." Good leaders don't just try to solve the immediate problem; they go upstream to solve problems at the root.

Humility is the ability to submit your will to the truth - admit you're wrong, take responsibility, and adapt. Jesus' first sermon on earth started with "Repent," which means change your way of thinking. You can't step into God's governance without changing your thinking.

Humility is the secret key to doing the hard things in life. If you refuse to believe God's Word and adhere to His standard for truth, you're choosing not to humble yourself. Without God's absolute truth, the enemy can hack your life anytime he wants.

What Benefits Does Humility Unlock?

The key of humility will unlock seven practical benefits: 

• Stability - Humility helps leaders make peace, inspiring stability in your family, business, team, or church. 

• Strong Unity - When you prefer others and put their interests first, it cultivates strong unity.

• Enhanced Creativity - Humility defeats the self-conscious fear of failure and rejection. 

• Healthy Trust - When a leader is humble, there's transparency and accountability that holds up to scrutiny.

• Increased Engagement - Humility is the ultimate example, so it attracts and draws in participation.

• Improved Course Correction - Humility powers growth and reduces friction for change. 

• Raised Expectations - The outcome of biblical humility is promotion, lifting, and exaltation.

 These benefits will show up in a church, organization, business, or family. Humility works in Fortune 500 companies or on sports teams. Proverbs 18:12 says, "Humility comes before honor." Good leaders function well in an environment of honor.

Life Application

This week, begin working your humility key. You might already be quite an expert at being humble, but growth always brings change, and humility makes that change of thinking easier with less friction.

Jesus is the best example of humility. Read a chapter a day from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and watch how Jesus handles His leadership. Study how He leads - He doesn't push or control people; He commands fig trees but not hurting or sick people.

Ask yourself these questions: 

• In what areas of my life am I struggling with pride rather than humility?
• How can I better recognize the "gold" in others around me?
• What specific step can I take this week to humble myself under God's mighty hand?
• Where do I need to change my thinking to align more with God's truth?

Remember, your life is waiting to be led, and God is calling you to be a good leader who leads a good life. Humble yourself under His mighty hand, and at the right time, He will exalt you for His glory.

-Dr. Stephen Marshall