In the previous issue we looked at how serving leaders surrender money, seeing themselves as stewards of the financial resources entrusted to them. The second principle that guides serving leaders in relation to money is focused on how they get, or secure, money. Serving leaders recognize that without money, they cannot accomplish their mission. They recognize that their stewardship involves a responsibility to think carefully about how their money is obtained. Serving leaders secure money to serve others. This includes the organization, the people on their team, clients, vendors, and their community. As they think about getting money, they consider verses like these:

These verses, and others, indicate that there are correct and incorrect ways to get money and establish guidelines for how serving leaders secure money.

Serving leaders secure money by working well.  

“All hard work brings a profit….” Serving leaders are not afraid of hard work! They are willing to give the time and effort that is needed to earn money.  

Some leaders use their role to get out of work, believing that leadership is getting others to do the work. But serving leaders understand that they lead well by working well. They set an example to others with their commitment to work hard. They think and make financial plans and decisions that require hard work to accomplish. They work to establish financial integrity in their organization with appropriate safeguards for those involved in handling money.  Then they serve by getting busy and working hard!

Serving leaders secure money by balancing well.

Serving leaders work hard but they also have “the wisdom to show restraint.” Some leaders never stop working in their pursuit to get money. But serving leaders recognize that the connection between hard work and profit can quickly lead to an imbalanced life so they learn how to show restraint. They find ways to say “enough” and when it is time to stop they leave the office and turn off the cell phone or computer. This allows them to spend time with their family, engage in other activities including their own need for exercise and sleep. Because they see themselves as stewards they take diligent care of the money under their control, but they don’t allow the money to control them and they understand when it’s time to stop work!

Serving leaders secure money by treating well.

Serving leaders serve their organizations by treating the persons in the organization well. Many leaders see workers simply as bodies for production and are not concerned about their personal lives. But serving leaders value those who work with them and refuse to make money at their expense. They seek to pay wages that are as generous as possible while also safeguarding the financial integrity of the organization. Serving leaders understand that treating people well actually benefits the profitability of the organization by increasing employee engagement and productivity.

For further reflection and discussion:

• Is my life a good example of hard work? In what way does this impact my leadership?
• Have I established appropriate financial safeguards in my organization to protect myself and others from temptation and to encourage integrity in finances? If not, what do I need to do?
• In what ways am I tempted to work too much? How does this impact my relationships with family, friends and my own health and wellbeing? What do I need to change this week to begin to show restraint?
• How well do I treat people under my leadership? Am I as generous towards them as possible? Where I am not able to provide more financial benefit to them, do I look for other ways to honor them as people and see that they are well treated?
• Consider these additional verses related to finances and stewardship:  Proverbs 1:19, 6:10-11, 13:11; Luke 14:28, 16:9-11; James 5:4; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 10, 12. What more do you learn about how you interact with money as a serving leader?

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll examine how serving leaders share money.

All leaders delegate tasks to others in their quest to accomplish the vision, adding items to their “to do” lists.  But serving leaders stop the delegation process long enough to ask a different question of their followers: “What should you stop doing?” They learn from Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses.

¹³ The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” (Exodus 18:13-14, NIV, read 13-27, below, for a fuller context.) Jethro was kindly asking Moses to think about what he was doing that he needed to stop. Moses was doing a great thing; he was serving the nation! He was busy from “morning to evening” doing what he thought his job description called him to do. Everyone around looked at him with admiration and respect as a great leader. But Jethro steps forward and asks some hard questions that quickly shape Moses’ leadership journey. Serving leaders do the same for those they lead.

Serving leaders ask “What should you stop doing?” to avoid burnout.

Jethro explains to Moses that if he would stop doing some of the things he was doing, he would be “able to stand the strain” (Exodus 18:23). Moses was working hard but would not be able to sustain the pace of his leadership. Jethro was concerned that Moses would not be able to sustain the pace at which he was working. Serving leaders want the best for those they lead. They see those who follow not as machines for continuous production but as individuals who are gifted but with very human limitations! Serving leaders don’t push people beyond healthy capacity. Instead, they learn to also ask those they lead, “What should you stop doing so that you will avoid burnout?”  

Serving leaders ask “What should you stop doing?“ to focus on strengths.

Jethro advises Moses that when he distributes the load, he will be able to focus on the difficult cases only. He would be able to use his strengths in the best way to serve the nation. Leaders who are busy from morning to evening are most likely not serving in the areas of their greatest strengths. Instead, they are doing lots of good things on their “to do” list but not focused on key things that only they can do. Serving leaders repeat Jethro’s question to those they lead to help them think critically about their greatest strengths. They ask, “What should you stop doing that is not your greatest strength?” Their question provokes thinking and perhaps even a change in job description that frees a person to serve in the areas for which they are best suited.  

Serving leaders ask “What should you stop doing?“ to develop others.

Jethro asked Moses why he was working alone “while all these people stand around.” He recognized that as long as Moses did all the work, the others would not be developed. They had gifts and abilities which were not being used. Jethro asks Moses to give up some work so that others could grow up! Serving leaders not only consider what things they should stop doing, but they turn to those who follow and ask them, “Who else could do what you are doing now? When will you stop doing that so that others will grow?”

They ask instead of telling because they want the person, they lead to think for themselves and grow in their own ability to lead themselves. They may also ask because, unlike Jethro, it may not be as clear what things on the to do list are causing burnout.

For further reflection and discussion:

Choose one of the highest achievers on your team to think about. Who is that person? Choose specific questions from the list below to prepare for your time with that person. Then meet with them and serve them by asking what you have on your list.

• What things are you doing which wear you out?
• What do you need to stop doing to have a healthy balance in your life?
• Is your present pace sustainable long term? If not, what do you need to stop doing?
• Of all you do for this organization, what do you do that best uses your strengths?
• Of the tasks you do on a regular basis, which ones are not in the areas of your greatest strength? How can you stop doing them?
• Which of your current tasks could be done by someone else? What is needed for you to pass that task on to them?
• What happens to those under you when you continue doing the same tasks over time? Are you allowing their potential to be realized?  

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll examine the next question serving leaders ask themselves: “What should I start doing?”

Here is the full story of Jethro’s advice to Moses.

¹³ The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

¹⁵ Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. ¹⁶ Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. ¹⁹ Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. ²⁰ Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. ²¹ But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²² Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. ²³ If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. ²⁵ He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²⁶ They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

²⁷ Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.  (Exodus 18: 13-27, NIV)

Lights, camera, action! Picture Moses, his staff in hand, striking a dry rock and while the elders watch water gushes out. From there he moves to the battlefield where his extended hands won the victory over the Amalekites. These scenes make Moses look like a great leader getting the job done! But God is preparing him for a major leadership lesson. At the rock, others simply watch. On the battlefield Moses gets tired and realized that he needed the help of Aaron and Hur to win the battle. But it took a visit from Moses’ father-in-law Jethro to teach him that servant leaders learn to delegate. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?…What you are doing is not good.” (Ex. 18:14, 17)

Jethro, with this rebuke, gives Moses a powerful leadership lesson. In spite of the great accomplishments Moses had achieved his leadership was not good because he was doing it alone. Moses was serving the people by attempting to meet their needs. That’s a great servant heart but poor leadership. Servant leaders recognize that the best way to serve others is to empower them to share in the work. Jethro taught Moses that servant leaders are not successful because of the work they do but the way they empower others to work through delegation. What can we learn about delegation from Jethro and Moses?

Delegation happens intentionally.

By default Moses was working hard like many leaders. People were crowding around him with their needs, and he was busy! Servant leaders make a conscious choice to stop doing the work and deliberately focus on delegating. It will never happen by accident.

Delegation lightens the load.

Moses was carrying a huge burden from morning until evening every day. Jethro advised him to share the load with others so that he would be able to stand the strain. (Ex. 18:23) Moses’ leadership would never have lasted for 40 years if he would have continued at the pace he was going. Servant leaders recognize that an integral part of leading is to set a pace that is sustainable and allow others to lighten the load.

Delegation empowers others.

As Moses called capable men to assist in the work, these leaders were able to develop their own potential. Nothing is more empowering to an emerging leader than when a seasoned leader looks them in the eye and says, “I believe you can do this!” Selfish leaders delegate to accomplish their own goals, but servant leaders delegate to empower and develop others. They delight in seeing others grow in their leadership capacity.

Delegation accomplishes the task.

Jethro wisely concluded that when Moses would delegate the work all these people will go home satisfied. (Ex. 18:23) Insecure leaders believe that no one else can do the job as well as they can so they refuse to delegate. Servant leaders recognize that when work is shared, the task will be completed. These leaders realize they are responsible to see that the work is done but not able to do it all alone.

To Moses’ credit, he listened to the wise counsel of Jethro and made immediate changes in his leadership style. Everyone benefited from his change and I expect that his wife and children were excited to see him home for supper that night for the first time in a long time!

The background reading for this issue is: Exodus 17:8-18:27

For further reflection and discussion:

• Do I have a “Jethro” in my life? Do I invite them to speak into my leadership practices?

Evaluate your leadership with the following questions:

• Am I guilty of trying to do all the work myself?
• Can I sustain my pace of leadership for the long term?
• Have I told anyone lately, “I believe you can do this”?
• Reflect on how Moses chose the men to lead. What qualifications did he consider?
• What is my plan to develop others around me? Am I consciously looking for things that others can do which will build them up and help accomplish the vision God has for our group?
• What steps can I take today to delegate?