Luke

Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.” Luke 22:25-26   In … Read More

A friend of mine had a supervisor who was a strong advocate of servant leadership. Only in his case, as my friend used to say, that meant “he was the leader and we were the servants.” No doubt that’s not what his superior intended. Still, my friend’s critical, even cynical assessment has some resonance with our text from Luke.

Have you ever had one of those moments in leadership when you wonder whether what you’ve done has made any difference? I remember a conversation not long ago with someone from a group I had been leading for several years. I don’t recall the particulars of the conversation any longer, but I do remember my reaction after the conversation. I felt like yelling at my colleague in frustration, “Haven’t you learned anything in all of our time together?!” Thankfully, I had enough sense not to say that out loud…

It’s election season in the United States again, and the country is about to choose its next President. As with many other election cycles, political consultants are in full-swing shaping the narratives and the images of their candidates. A typical day on the campaign trail includes high-level strategy meetings and debate-prep sessions centered around making the candidates look like strong leaders. A leader must be confident, a real know it all, and above all well liked. Let’s not forget error-free. At least that is what leadership has come to be defined as.