Introduction
When we first encounter Collier in the opening part of his book, he comes out to be a Christian who has God as his reference figure in most of the things that he does. Collier draws his encouragements and leadership skills from the Bible, which he says holds all the required guidelines to a better leader.
In his opening message he outlines each and every person with the role that they played in his life; what he simply wanted to show the reader was that every person is a leader in his/her own rights and has a role to play in life…what makes the difference is the kind of a leader that an individual can make—Biblical leaders or Worldly leaders. Collier seems to have been surrounded by individuals with impeccable characters and great leadership skills. We come across his co-laborer Craig Krueger who could bring order from chaos and Caroline Floyd who just had the ability to always do things the right way and many more others. This essay will give an elaborate analysis of Collier and William’s views on the kinds of leaders and their style of leadership with a biblical basis.
Body
The book holds that even though there are leaders in every sector of life (p.49). Whether in the government, private business, at home, or even in the church, these said leaders fall short of the expectation of the bible. To be a leader means offering oneself to give services to a certain effect without expecting anything in return.
This is exactly contrary to what most leaders practice; they struggle to get into these high positions of authority with the intention of reaping the most out of it (Collier, p.31). The style of leadership recommended by the bible is the concept of servant leadership; the guidance to being a servant leader is given in the bible. To be a servant leader, one can withdraw leadership principles of integrity and humility from the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. Through this he/she can stand out to be a different and unique leader in the society, he will find himself doing things different from the old normal way. Having good leadership skills will make the leader be more influential among the people that he is leading. Collier gives an example of Jesus Christ who he says achieved this concept to perfection, thus proving that he was a leader like no other. The book holds it that the decision of Jesus opting to do only that which His Father desired of him made him the greatest leader in the world; he was so focused to go by the principles which he believed in such a way that he was ready to stop at anything. Neither the authorities, nor poverty, nor misunderstandings, nor the conflicts, and most importantly, death could bar him from achieving his divine goal.
God desires to use trusted leaders especially those who are in the Christian Ministry serving in various positions, He believes that these are the people who have got the primary understanding of His principles because of their solid grasp of what He considers pure. By keenly following God’s teachings, one who is in a leadership position will be able to realize that his greatest duty in that particular position is to make a difference in the lives of those working under and above him/her. The disciples were amazed by the powers that Jesus had and still, he humbled himself to a point lower than them. If only leaders in the entire globe could do the same, the world would be like peaceful heaven come down. No powerful leader in the world can be willing to put his powers aside or use them instead to do only good things to both his friends and enemies indiscriminately. Human nature is so full of worldly pleasure that any leader who feels to be having some powers to manipulate others will resort to that idea straight away without a second thought, most of such leaders would opt to intimidate the weak and terrorize their neighbors…but that was not what Jesus wanted, he blessed his friends and foes alike and brought salvation was for all mankind (Collie, p.67).
Drawing an example from Abraham’s life, we realize that the concept of servant leadership is desired even in the bible. In (Gen. 24:2), Abraham refers to the head of his house as the eldest servant. We are persuaded to say here that the man was good and that is why Abraham put him the head of his household; this shows that by being an obedient servant who does things the right way, one can qualify to be not just a leader, but a successful one. Any leader serving from the position of a servant will never go wrong at any point. God is very much willing to use anyone however low his position in society is, so long as he is at par with Bible’s principles. To be able to fully practice servant leadership principles, one needs willing and patient mentors who will constantly help him in the walk; patient because at the beginning of the long walk is docked with challenges that will weigh you down and the leader might be tempted to revert to the old way. Every time, one may feel as though the decision was not worth a try and he may decide to better drop the whole idea and call it quits. Servant leadership, therefore, has its share of challenges, which come in torrents and those who want to try it are to be made aware of them (William, p.103). Most people who are not used to the system will despise you, and you stand a high chance of being disrespected by your unruly subjects. In the beginning servant leader may at be scorned, made fun of, have his activities boycotted or treated in some very unkind ways, but so long as he/she knows the eventual benefits that he/she stands to reap from the efforts; it shields such an individual from giving up. Furthermore, that would be nothing compared to what Jesus went through (Collier, p.83).
One thing should be certain in our lives, every person that we come across in life is important. God designed our lives in such a way that whoever we get to meet or work with has a purpose to fulfill in our lives. It is never by chance that we get ourselves working with colleagues or having to oversee or supervise certain individuals. Every person should be treated with respect and in a way that would make them realize that the leader has only God’s principles as reference guides. Jesus was one perfect leader who led without a fault, and for those who desire to be different, they have him and only him to emulate. Modeling one’s character to depict what Jesus could have done in every situation will definitely lead to great success for such leaders. Jesus was one leader who knew how to serve and at the same time, he was a servant who knew how to lead. He was therefore able to see things from both the servants’ and the leaders’ points of view. This made him have the ability to make judgments that reflected the interest of all–sinners, the righteous, leaders, and servants alike.
Jesus outlined the following principles to help leaders lead with integrity and have a lasting influence. First, he did not let selfish interests block his good character. Even though he was strong and full of power, never at any time did he attempt to dominate over the weak. We are perfectly aware that with Jesus’ Godly power, he was able to influence every decision to his favor, but No! Jesus was not that kind of a leader; he let free will prevail (Collier. p.41). It is an ungodly way to try for anyone in authority to try to dominate, such an act amounts to sin which of cause begets death. Next, Christ was a minister; being a minister meant that he constantly conferred with others to find out about his people, he crisscrossed the nation to spread the good news, and above all, he handled political and religious differences among his people in the unfriendly environment. Christ was committed to doing the most that he could during his time, ranging from healing the sick to rebuking the hypocrites…what he wanted was to do was to see the needs of his people met. He had the interest of the people at heart…that is the real spirit of leadership that we as leaders are supposed to emulate. Leaders who want to make it big have to shun selfish interests and embrace the spirit of collective responsibility. Jesus was a servant. He considered himself a son and servant of God, he also saw himself as a servant of the people and at the same time their leader. Collier refers to Mark 10:44 where Jesus presents a challenge to leaders, he said that “whoever wants to be at the top must first become a servant”…the real spirit of a humble leader, and true to his word, he demonstrated this by practice. Being a servant means doing everything to the glory of your master, which is literally what earthly leaders are expected to be. A leader is required to put aside his personal needs and make sacrifices to serve his juniors with happiness, defend their rights, lend them a listening ear and make decisions that reflect their want. This is not impossible; Jesus in his human nature did it. The Holy Spirit is with us all through to guide us and help us overcome any ensuing challenges.
William (William, p.91) advocated for positivity in attitude, “never can anyone be successful when he always looks for excuses and seeing things negatively”. He adds that failure begins by a mere word of mouth, and then proceeds to the heart where it settles on as a habit that eventually shapes character. From what William says about his ever-positive colleague, Eddie, who only saw the brighter side of everything contrary to them; we can assert that a human brain operates as a sponge, absorbing whatever is in the surrounding. Eddie managed to inflict positivity in all his Colleagues, William inclusive. Even though one can be living in an environment infiltrated with negative individuals strong focused mind can go a long way in having a positive effect on others and not the other way round. Those in leadership positions are therefore challenged to focus on positivity. As Christians, achieving such a goal is not a big deal if you only stick to their bibles and go by the teachings in the book. Christians are said to be like salt and light at the same time. If foods lack saltiness, then the flavor will e gone, rendering the food worthless. On the other hand, without light, no worthwhile activity can take place. These examples show how important Christians can be in society, more so if they are in leadership positions. A little bit of their good nature will make a big difference and steer the community to greater heights. What benefit can a man draw from getting the whole world and losing his soul in the long run? Absolutely nothing! Leaders are therefore advised not to seek popularity, power, or pleasure, but to be humble and be of service to everyone. But unluckily, these three P’s are what define the character of the most worldly leaders.
Conclusion
Drawing a conclusion on Ken Collier’s definition of a leader like no other, one would say without a doubt that Jesus was one such leader. He was a servant leader as described by the bible and an example of a leader that God recommends us to follow. Christ gave a clear illustration of what kind of leaders are able to show the real Character of God our creator. That is, a leader who does not oppress, a leader who ministers and serves by sacrificing. It is not forever that such leaders will remain servants; they will be made divine leaders in heaven by Christ when the right time comes.
William makes a clear affirmation of the importance of Christians. If only they put together the potential that they have at their disposal…then they will achieve the concept of servant leadership with ease, lead by example and be explicit in their leadership to emulate Christ. But to achieve this, change is required to begin from within in the heart. It is only until one appreciates change himself, that he will be able to change the people around him (William, p.149). People will only appreciate change if they see it to be good in their leader. But always, remember, friends will be a great huddle in this journey to greatness. To some extent, one will be forced to shade off all his friends and relatives to achieve what this paper has illustrated. This is no surprising news to bible readers; Jesus warned us long before that whoever wants to follow him must hate himself, his relatives, and friends before he claims to love Jesus. “Hate” in this context means to “Love Less”. To maintain the road to being a successful extraordinary leader, one has to lead with Character and example.
References
Biblical research. (1997).
Collier, K., & Williams, M. (2015). Biblical leadership: Becoming a different kind of leader. Ambassador International.