Issue #43, November 3, 2010
All leaders aim to please. They will please their followers, their shareholders, their bosses, themselves, or someone else. The question is not whether we will please but who we will please. Jesus set the example for servant leaders when he said about His Father, “I always do what pleases him.” (John 8:29) Jesus led to please His Father, not part of the time but in all that He did while on earth. Absolutely every action and every motive was focused on pleasing God. How inspiring to think that we can lead in a way that brings pleasure to the Father! What does it take for servant leaders to please Him?
Pleasing Him requires time.
Leaders that want to please the Father must first of all know His heart. Like any relationship this takes time, precious moments focused on Him. Growing leaders spend time reading books and attending seminars to sharpen their skills. They hear the thoughts of other great leaders and learn from them. There’s nothing wrong with any of that but until leaders learn to hear the quiet voice of the Father, they will not lead in ways that bring Him pleasure. Before writing your daily “to do” list, ask Him what He wants and how your leadership today can bring Him pleasure. Pause at the mid morning break and listen again. Take a few moments at the end of the day to listen to His evaluation of your leadership for the day. Take time to hear His voice.
To think about: Have I learned to listen to God to the extent that I know what will bring Him pleasure in my leadership?
Pleasing Him requires surrender.
Following Jesus’ example is possible only when we surrender our will to His. Repeatedly Jesus made statements like “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” (John 8:28) For servant leaders to please the Father, they must surrender their own agendas and egos. This is difficult for action oriented leaders who are more accustomed to asking God to bless their plans than surrendering their plans to Him and asking for His direction. His plans may change the strategy we already had for our business or organization. He may ask us to address a relationship issue that we wanted to ignore. He may be pleased when we touch the life of a person who seems irrelevant to our lofty goals. Before servant leaders exercise power, they surrender control to the one they want to please.
To think about: Who is really in charge of my life and plans? Is it God or myself?
Pleasing Him requires obedience.
When you have spent enough time to know what would bring God pleasure and surrendered your will, it’s time to act! True listening leads to obedient action. Jesus did what pleased His Father. The act that God is calling you to make might be a very simple act like a phone call or writing a brief note. Or it may be to implement a major change in direction for your business or group. It might seem entirely reasonable or completely ridiculous but when it comes from God, it requires action. Servant leaders obey with little regard to whether the act will increase their status, be popular with the crowd, or make them look good. They simply obey to please the Father.
To think about: Am I willing to act on what I know will bring pleasure to God?
Please lead, but lead only to please Him! Take the “daily challenge” below and watch God smile with pleasure.
For further reflection and discussion:
- Who am I seeking to please in my leadership? (Self, others, subordinates, members, shareholders, employees, bosses, parents, neighbors, spouse, or God)
- In what way does my calling/work/career bring pleasure to God? Am I aware of any ways in which my leadership does not bring pleasure to God?
- In what way does the motive of pleasing the Father become less important to me over time? What tends to take the place of pleasing God in my own leadership?
A daily challenge: Begin the day by asking God what you can do to bring Him pleasure that day. Wait in silence until He speaks. Surrender your will to His; then act! Repeat the process throughout the day. At the end of the day reflect on what you learned.