Issue #125, March 19, 2014
Deborah led Israel during a difficult time in their history, a time of suffering and oppression. But under her leadership God’s people were set free from Jabin, the king who ruled over them. When the victory was complete Deborah composed a song that offers great insight for servant leaders. “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves– praise the LORD! (Judges 5:2) Deborah recognized that when leaders act in their God-given role and the followers willingly support them, great things can be accomplished. Teamwork is required, leaders can’t do it alone. In this story, 10,000 soldiers supported the leadership of Deborah and Barak. She also recognized that the followers needed the vision and call to action from the leaders. Deborah recognized that the victory came because the leaders took the lead and the people followed willingly, a powerful leadership equation. At the same time, her song reminds us that leaders don’t always lead, and followers sometimes resist instead of following willingly. There are four possible scenarios in the leader/follower equation. Let’s examine each of them and their implications for servant leaders.
Leaders lead; followers resist.
When servant leaders do their part but followers resist their leadership little movement takes place. Followers may lack trust in the leader or simply not want to be led. Whatever the cause, a resistance to strong leadership among the followers makes forward motion difficult. The leaders can accomplish only what they can accomplish by their own ability. Moses often experienced this situation as he led the children of Israel through the desert instead of directly into the Promised Land.
Leaders don’t lead; followers support.
Here the followers are ready for movement and progress, but the leaders don’t lead. The leaders may focus only on serving and neglect to lead. This may stem from a lack of leadership skill, painful experiences in the past or a lack of vision. Outwardly, this situation may look peaceful since there is no obvious conflict. But neither is there movement and frustration builds in the followers as they wait for the leaders to call for action. This leads to the sad situation in Judges 21:25, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”
Leaders don’t lead; followers resist.
When followers rebel and leaders fail to lead there is double trouble which can only result in chaos. This happened at the foot of Mount Sinai when the people started telling Aaron what to do and he abdicated his leadership by giving in to their wishes.
Leaders lead; followers support.
This is the ideal scenario where great things happen, like Deborah’s victory. She recognized what God wanted to accomplish, called for action from the people and they responded with willing hearts. Willing followership does not mean blind, unquestioning obedience but it does indicate a willing response to a leader’s initiative. It reflects a mature view of the need for leaders and recognizes that followers also impact the outcomes. Servant leaders always lead, regardless of the response of the followers. But they rejoice greatly when there is a willing response of followers and do their best to lead in a way that encourages this response. Great followers plus great leaders can change the situation and bring praise to God! May it happen more often.
For further reflection and discussion:
- Reflect on your own leadership experiences. Which of the four scenarios given in this issue have you experienced? What has been the most common experience for you? Have these experiences encouraged you to lead or brought discouragement?
- What is the balance of leadership and followership in the group of which you are a part? What is the result? If any changes are needed what are they?
- In what ways can servant leaders encourage willing responses from followers? What actions discourage followers to support willingly?