Issue #169, November 25, 2015
Paul’s instructions to the church leaders in Ephesus are good advice for servant leaders in any position of responsibility: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” (Acts 20:28). In the last issue we looked at what it means to “keep watch” over ourselves; in this issue we’ll look at what it means to “keep watch” over “all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” This “flock” is the people under your leadership whether church members, employees, direct reports, children or others under your influence. Servant leaders not only examine themselves to see what they are becoming but also care about those lead and watch over them in the same areas they examined in themselves.
Watch what energizes them.
Servant leaders pay attention to the things which bring life and energy to those under their care. They are not only concerned about the work being done, but watch to see that people are in places that produce life and energy for them. They seek to match gifts, abilities and temperaments to the assigned task. Servant leaders see the potential in every person and expect that when they are doing what God created them to do, their lives will exhibit energy and passion. When servant leaders see a lack of energy and passion, they are willing to reassign work or even release people from their care to help them find the right place. Paul calls us to look carefully at those under us and examine whether they are fully energized with what they do.
Watch what offends them.
Servant leaders observe the emotional health of those they are leading. This involves looking much more deeply into their lives than evaluating their performance. Servant leaders care not only about the task, but about the person doing the work. Many leaders are not even close enough to their followers to be aware of their emotions, but servant leaders are willing to rub shoulders with those they lead and allow them to express their thoughts and feelings. Servant leaders ask whether those under their care are growing in relational capacity and in their ability to appropriately express their emotions. They ask if their followers’ ability to deal with difficult issues is increasing or decreasing. They consider whether the environment of their team is conducive to share feelings in a healthy manner.
Watch what controls them.
Servant leaders watch for signs of what controls those they lead. They recognize that motives are as crucial as performance. Servant leaders ask themselves if those who are following do so willingly and eagerly because they are committed to the vision or if they follow for other motives. They recognize that some may work only because of the salary. Church members may be motivated only by the desire to avoid judgement. Servant leaders desire for those under them to be motivated by the vision, and they work to create an environment where followers enjoy what they are doing and do it because they want to, not because they have to.
Watch their attitude.
Servant leaders recognize the attitude of those they lead is continually improving or declining, and they keep watch. They recognize that the attitude of their followers may well be a reflection of their own attitude! They listen to Paul’s counsel and take an ‘attitude audit’ of their team.
Watching others can be done for selfish motives and many leaders take some of the steps above simply to accomplish their own goals. But servant leaders watch over those under their care because they really care about others! Take a good look today at the people they are becoming by answering the questions below.
For further reflection and discussion:
- Reflect on the focus of your leadership. Do you typically look first at the ‘bottom line’ of profit, growth, numbers, and output, or do you equally consider the condition of those who help you achieve the ‘bottom line’? What does this say about your heart and what needs to change?
- Think about those under your care. What is their level of energy and passion? Are you satisfied that they are in the right place and doing what God has called them to do? Is there anything that needs to be changed? Repeat this reflection with others under your care. Don’t forget your family!
- Are you close enough to those who you lead to know their emotional health? Are they free to share openly with you or are they cautious around you? Is your team growing in their capacity to handle difficult issues in a healthy way? How often do you ask them about their families or other parts of their lives outside of their work? Do you genuinely care about them as people?
- What are you doing as a leader to create a healthy environment emotionally? Do you allow healthy disagreements? Do you encourage completely honest responses? What can your team do to grow in this area?
- What is the current attitude of your team? Are their attitudes improving or declining? In what ways does their attitude reflect yours? What are you doing as a leader to improve the attitudes?
- From this reflection, what steps is God inviting you to take to improve? After you have written them, share them with a friend.