In the last issue we looked at the second action of the The Serving Leader Model^TM*, Raise the Bar, and examined how Jesus clarified values to His disciples. Jesus also clearly Blazed the Trail as He modeled for His disciples how their success would be measured.

⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹⁶ “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” ¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” ¹⁸ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:-11, 16-24).

Jesus clarified what success would look like on His team. He taught them to be successful and removed obstacles that would hinder their ultimate success. He Blazed the Trail for His followers and shows serving leaders how to do the same. 

Serving leaders clarify success with communication.

Jesus sent His team out with clear communication about the way success would be measured. Their mission was to proclaim the message He had given them. But their success would be tied to the great purpose or vision which He had shared with them, that workers would be raised up for the “harvest field.” He now tied their success to the accomplishment of that great purpose. He is clear that some would welcome their message and others would reject it. Their success was not tied to the responses. When they came back from their work and attributed success to the miracles accomplished, Jesus reminds them that their success is only tied to their names being written in heaven.

Serving leaders find a way to communicate clearly what success will look like on their team. It may be sales targets, transformed lives, new attendees or customers. Whatever the measurement, serving leaders communicate clearly what success looks like and what it is not! And they always tie success to their great purpose.

Serving leaders coach for success by teaching.

Jesus didn’t simply clarify what success would look like, He provided practical teaching for His team that helped them be successful. He instructed them about the message they were to share and gave them specific instructions. He wanted them to succeed and coached them.

Serving leaders provide the training and coaching that is needed for their team to reach success. They serve others by teaching which sets their team up for success.

Serving leaders compound success by removing obstacles. 

Jesus knew there would be problems on the road to success. So, He removed the obstacle of rejection by telling the disciples to expect it! He removed the obstacle of pride when they returned full of joy with what they had done. He reminded them that their success was not measured in the outcomes but in their relationship to Him.

Serving leaders anticipate problems on their team and remove them. They find ways to help deal with unexpected obstacles so their team can succeed.  

Serving leaders recognize that their success comes when those they lead succeed. So they focus on clarifying how success is measured and train and coach for success. And they remove obstacles along the way. They blaze the trail!

For further reflection and discussion:

• Read the entire passage of Jesus sending out the 72 disciples in Luke 10:1-24.  Reflect on what He was doing as a leader and how it demonstrates Blazing the Trail by clarifying success, teaching for success and removing obstacles to success.      
• Does my team understand clearly what success looks like? Have I communicated clearly how success is defined by our great purpose? Does my team know what standards do not measure success?
• What have I done to coach my team for success? Are there specific areas on which I need to plan more training for them? When will I do this?
• What obstacles to success does my team face? What have I done to remove these obstacles? Are there systems or regulations that are wasting time and energy on my team? What can I do to remove these?

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll examine how Jesus built on strength as He sent His disciples.

Copyright, Center for Serving Leadership 2020. 

*The Serving Leader Model^TM, was developed by Dr. John Stalh-Wert, author of “The Serving Leader.” See www.CenterForServingLeadership.com for more information.       

Leaders enjoy success and many leaders are eager to boast about what they have accomplished! Boasting is talking with excessive pride and drawing attention to oneself. But Paul reminds us that love “does not boast” (1 Corinthians 13:4). And he challenges us to speak the “truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). So, servant leaders are called to speak the truth without boasting.

In the last issue, we looked at a scenario in which another person was succeeding, and you were asked to respond. (The challenge was to speak truth without envy.) Now, let’s reflect on what you say when you are the one with great success!

Imagine that you have just completed a large project in your church, business or profession. You worked hard on the project for the last six months. Finally, it was accomplished, and the results were far beyond your expectations and acknowledged by many as outstanding. Your friend who has not heard about your success stops to talk with you and asks you, “How are things going with your work?” What will you say to your friend and how will you say it?

Servant leaders learn to speak truth in this situation without boasting.

Speaking the truth without boasting requires balance.

For many personalities, it is most natural to respond to your friend’s question with boasting. You might say, “Wow, this is a fantastic time of progress for me. I have been working so hard on this project and it has succeeded beyond what I imagined. Everyone is so impressed, and they have been sending me text messages of congratulations!” Since it sounds so good, you continue, “I expect that what I did will soon be announced in our organization’s monthly report!” Boasting usually leads to exaggerating the truth!

Other leaders may have a very low view of themselves or been taught to be humble. They may find it difficult to acknowledge success. You might respond to the question, “Well, nothing too great is happening, you know, the normal ups and downs of work!” In your attempt to avoid boasting, you also avoid truth!

Servant leaders learn a proper balance by speaking truthfully but without boasting.

Speaking the truth without boasting reveals maturity.

As leaders begin their journey, their personality impacts their ability to speak the truth without boasting. But as leaders mature on their journey, they allow God’s spirit to shape their responses. Those who are quick to boast recognize that “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6). Those who tend to minimize their own success learn from Jesus’ words, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

As leaders mature, they also learn to acknowledge that whatever they accomplish is a gift from Him and done for His glory. They learn to say with Isaiah, “LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us” (Isaiah 26:12).

Servant leaders demonstrate maturity as they speak truth without boasting.

Speaking the truth without boasting reflects Jesus.

Jesus made truth claims that were astonishing. “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) in one of many examples. Jesus boldly spoke what was true even when others interpreted His claims as blasphemous. But He made these claims without a hint of boasting and gave the glory to His Father. “The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (John 14:10).

Like Jesus, servant leaders learn to boldly speak the truth without boasting.

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

For further reflection and discussion:

• What is my natural tendency about my successes: to boast or to minimize the truth? What is the result in my leadership?   
• When have I spoken with boasting? What was the result in my own life and in the life of the person to whom I spoke?  
• Reflect on Paul’s boasting in 2 Corinthians 7:14. “I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.” Was he boasting about himself? What can we learn from his example?
• Can I think of another time when Jesus could have boasted but instead spoke the truth without boasting?  What can I learn from His example?

Copyright, Global Disciples 2019. 

Paul calls us to speak the “truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).Then he adds that love “does not envy” (1 Corinthians 13:4).So, servant leaders are called to speak “truth without envy.”

Envy is a desire to possess what another other person has. This may be a desire for what that person has materially or a position or honor that the person enjoys. I may envy that person’s success in ministry, business or career. Envy is a condition of my heart which will often be expressed in the way I talk. Speaking the truth without envy means that I speak truth with no desire to gain what the other person has. My speech does not change because of the other person’s success and I am able to rejoice in any success the other experiences.

As we reflect on what this means, imagine a situation in which a friend tells you that a peer of yours, working in the same profession, is doing much better than you are. You learn that their business (or church) is growing rapidly or that they just received a promotion in their career. After listing all the achievements, your friend looks at you and asks, “What do you think about that?” What will you say? How can a servant leader respond by speaking the truth without envy?   

Speaking the truth without envy requires balance.

Will you envy that person or speak the truth? What will you say if the truth is that you are envious? It’s not likely that you’ll say, “I really wish I was as successful as my friend!” It is more likely that because of envy, you will minimize their success, perhaps by suggesting that their success is not earned. You may respond, “I doubt they could have succeeded like that without cheating. They must be compromising, paying bribes or avoiding taxes.” If it is a successful church you may say, “They must have compromised the true Gospel if that many people are coming!”

In these responses you expose your envy and minimize the truth. Or, because of envy, you may change the “truth” of your own situation to make things look better than they really are. You may say, “That’s great but I’m also expecting a promotion soon!”

  Servant leaders acknowledge the truth, but without envy. The person has done well, perhaps because of God’s favor, or their hard work, or both. You might respond, “That’s awesome, I’m so glad for them!” Is that true? If, as you speak these words, you know that what you are speaking is not truth, it is pretending to rejoice while your heart is filled with envy. Servant leaders speak without envy and without changing the truth.

Speaking the truth without envy reveals maturity.

To see someone else succeed and not have envy in our hearts is a sign of maturity! We are naturally selfish and want the best for ourselves with little concern for others. It is hard to rejoice in another person’s success when our hearts are focused on our own success! No leader can speak the truth without envy unless they have died to their own selfish desires.

Servant leaders lay down their own egos and rejoice in the success of another. They recognize that their tongue is connected to their heart and until their heart is set free from envy, their speech will reflect their heart. It takes most of us a long time to reach this level of maturity!

Speaking the truth without envy reflects Jesus.

Jesus did not envy the success of others, instead He rejoiced in it. Consider His words, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).

There is not a hint of envy as Jesus spoke of great success for those who would follow. In fact, Jesus seems to enjoy the reality that His disciples would do more than He had done. His ministry was confined to the nation of Israel while they would take the gospel to the nations. He was speaking the truth without envy and servant leaders learn to speak in the same way.

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

For further reflection and discussion:

• What is my natural tendency, to speak “truth without envy” or to be “envious”? What is the result in my leadership?   
• When have I spoken with envy? What was the result in my own life and in the life of the person to whom I spoke?  
• Reflect on John the Baptist’s statement in John 3:27-30. In what way could John have been tempted to speak with envy? What can we learn from his example?
• Can I think of another time when Jesus could have been envious but instead spoke the truth with no hint of envy? What can I learn from His example?

Copyright, Global Disciples 2019

David sought God for success; Absalom sought the advice of men. David often “inquired of the Lord” before he went to battle or made major decisions. He recognized that his success depended on God rather than his own human wisdom or ideas. He sought God’s direction before he listened to the counsel of others.

In contrast, Absalom sought only the advice of men. Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” (2 Samuel 16:20). Absalom moved when he thought the people were ready, not at God’s instruction. He was like many subversive* leaders who test public opinion before deciding what to do. His primary concern was how others would respond, not God’s direction. He had no regard for God’s direction and instead looked to people around him to bring success.

Servant leaders look to God for success rather than their own plans. They are able to wait on God for direction. This does not mean they do not seek advice from others; even David had good counselors. But the ultimate direction for a servant leader will come from God, not from the views of others.

David measured success by obedience; Absalom measured success by outcomes. David was anointed to be the king but didn’t pursue that position; he simply walked in obedience to God and waited for His timing. David was a successful leader before he had a position because he was already “a man after God’s own heart.”

He recognized that his success was not measured by the outcomes of power or position but by his obedience. This is reflected in his statement to the priest, Zadok, as he was fleeing from Jerusalem. Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the LORD’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him” (2 Samuel 15:25-26). David’s success was not measured by his role but in humble obedience to God.

Absalom, in contrast, was obsessed with becoming the king. His success was measured only on the outcome of getting power and position. By that standard Absalom was only successful for a few days.

Many leaders measure success by tangible markers like position, finances, numbers of people who follow, profit, expansion, etc. But servant leaders learn that the only valid measure of success is obedience. In some settings, a faithful leader may serve for years with very few visible results. Servant leaders measure success by obedience and leave the outcomes to God. Subversive leaders measure success by outcomes and obey God only if it helps them reach their goals.

David attributed success to the Lord; Absalom attributed success to himself. In many ways, David had evidence of the standard measures of success. He had power, a prized position, and accomplished much as a king. But he attributed his success to God’s presence. And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him (2 Samuel 5:10). David saw his success as an opportunity to bring glory to God and expressed his desire to build a temple for God.

In contrast, Absalom built a monument for himself. During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, “I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day (2 Samuel 18:18). Absalom saw his leadership as an opportunity to advance himself. His leadership was only to draw attention to who he was and had nothing to do with who God was.

Many leaders join Absalom in using success to draw attention to themselves. They are quick to tell others, “See what I have done.” Subversive leaders turn success into monuments to themselves. But servant leaders turn success into monuments to God. What kind of monuments will you leave behind? It depends on how you answer the question, “Am I successful as a leader?”

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

For further reflection and discussion:

• What is my own definition of success as a leader? Have I clearly defined it in my own life and leadership? How does David’s life challenge me to modify how I define success?
• In what way am I tempted as a leader to value the opinions of men more than God’s? How does that impact my decisions?
• Do I focus more on outcomes or obedience? Can I give one example from the past week of how that was reflected in my leadership?
• In what way can my position, power, or influence be used to bring glory to God? In what ways am I tempted to use them to bring glory to myself?
• What kind of monuments am I building with my life; are they monuments to God or to myself? How would those who follow me answer this question about my leadership?

*Subversive means to seek to undermine or destroy an established system. A leader who is subversive intends to overthrow the established authority to take power for themselves.

Copyright, Global Disciples 2018.

The fulfillment of Joseph’s dream is one of the most dramatic and emotional stories in the Bible.

After their first visit, Joseph sends nine of his brothers back home and keeps one in prison. Joseph’s father does not want them to return to Egypt but the famine finally forces action. They return to Egypt with Joseph’s brother Benjamin. For the first time in over 20 years, the 12 brothers are together in one room.

At that moment, Josephs’ first dream unfolds before his eyes! When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground (Genesis 43:26). I’m sure Joseph replayed the dream in his mind as he watched them bow down. For over 20 years he had worked and waited for his dream to become reality and finally it happened.

But Joseph has one more test for the brothers before he can reveal to them who he is. They pass the test and finally, a few days later, Joseph can tell them who he is. Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you (Genesis 45:3).

Joseph’s interaction with his brothers at this point reveals what God has done in his heart. His response shows us the way servant leaders respond when visions become reality.

Fulfilled dreams do not produce pride.

There is not a hint of pride in Joseph’s remarks to his brothers. As a 17-year-old he had done nothing as a leader but shared his dream with some pride. But now he demonstrates remarkable humility although he had every reason to be proud. He was the prime minister of the nation and his brothers were bowing down to him!

Many leaders become proud when they accomplish their dream and this has been their downfall. Often the greatest test of character is success. When servant leaders succeed they look inside and guard their hearts against pride.

Fulfilled dreams do not promote a person.

Joseph didn’t see the fulfillment of his dream as a chance to promote himself. His brothers were “terrified at his presence” but Joseph said almost nothing about his position. Instead, he focused on his brothers and their physical and emotional needs.

Many leaders in a similar position would have said, “Look at who I have become! Don’t you remember the dream I had 20 years ago?” Joseph did not gloat over others when his dream was fulfilled. He teaches servant leaders that success is not a reason to promote oneself but an opportunity to promote others.

Fulfilled dreams do not prevent perseverance.

The original dream has come true, but Joseph recognizes that there is still work to be done. Joseph has several more years of leading a nation before his work is completed. More lives need to be saved through his leadership.

The accomplishment of a dream may lead some to rest, retire, or sit and enjoy their success. Servant leaders may pause to celebrate their victory and to thank those who helped them on the journey, but after the celebration, they press on. They recognize that when God fulfills one dream, there is still more to be done so they persevere.

Joseph demonstrates that the natural human response to success is not the way for servant leaders to respond. The fulfillment of a dream is a chance for a servant leader to show humility, focus on others, and get back to work!

For further reflection and discussion:

• When I have succeeded in the past, how did I respond to the temptation to be proud of what was accomplished? What was the impact of that on my continued leadership?
• How do I respond to those who did not believe in my dream? Do I tell them, “I told you so!” when the dream becomes reality? Or am I able to focus on their needs and use my victory to bless them as well?
• When I achieve success, am I able to see the need to keep going and enlarge the vision? What might God be inviting me to do after my current dream is fulfilled?