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Empowered Leader and the Christian WorldviewChristian Faith for Business Leaders –September 19, 2014

Sändra Olivarez

Introduction

I have always viewed Jesus as a leader in my life, and this class has only strengthened my opinion in that matter. I believe God places people in our lives for a reason a season or a lifetime. Each of these people has a purpose to bring us closer to the plan He has in store for us, but Jesus was sent to be our Savior. When we are in a position of leadership, it is most important that we keep God at the forefront of everything we do. When answering a higher calling to lead a purposeful life for Jesus, we may need to sacrifice, build a winning team, and we must lead by example. These three things resonate with me as our Christian Faith for Business Leaders class comes to an end. Each of these is important as we venture out into the world and grow in our relationship with God. I would like to share my own personal experiences with each of these.

Learning to sacrifice

“I'd denied the truth so long I was unable to recognize what was really happening. The abuse had started subtly and grown insidiously.” Gwyneth Nelson’s words in her article entitled My Abusive “Christian” Marriage are all too familiar. The story Nelson shares with her readers reminds me so much of my own.

In my early twenties, I found myself in an abusive “Christian” marriage. Initially I determined that it was better to sacrifice my own happiness if it meant my children would have both parents. Besides, I was Christian and Christian’s are not supposed to get divorced. It was a very difficult time in my life. Eventually the abuse got so bad that I turned it all over to God. I prayed to God, and for the first time in years felt a sense of peace come over me. I realized God was not asking me to sacrifice my happiness, but rather to sacrifice my own beliefs and trust in Him that His plan was the best plan. I took a leap of faith and filed for divorce. In Danni Moss’ article, Blessing for the Ultimate Sacrifice in an Abusive Marriage, the message she shares really reverberates my own experience. “For me, the single biggest step of faith I ever made was believing God when He told me to get out of my marriage and follow Him. It was a daring, blind step of audacious faith – and it came at huge expense. I did lose friends, family, church support, my identity, my role as a wife, my home and financial security (such as they were), and the respect of others. But, I dared to believe what God told me,” says Moss. The sacrifice God asked me to make ended up being the biggest blessing in disguise for my children and myself. There is no question that in the end, the benefits by far outweighed the cost. God definitely blessed our lives in ways I never imagined He would. The best way to sum up it all up, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3) We must remember that we have to sacrifice something to gain something more valuable.

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Building a Winning Team

“A team should operate as a mosaic whose unique strengths and differences convert into a powerful united force.” –Glenn Llopis

My high school basketball coach used to chant “TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More!” Her focus was always centered round building us up to be a better team. This leaves me contemplating what qualities I look for in my own team? I can narrow it down to four qualities that I believe to be critical. They are Integrity, Open-Mindedness, Responsibility, and Communication Skills. These same characteristics align closely with those of Jesus’ disciples.

Integrity is defined by Dictionary.com as “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.” Integrity I believe to be the most important quality any person may possess. “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31) This verse in Luke reminds me of someone who would be honest, dependable, trustworthy, humble and sincere and would always do the right thing, even knowing that no one is watching.

Open-Mindedness is defined by Dictionary.com as “having or showing a mind receptive to new ideas or arguments, unprejudiced; unbigoted; impartial.” This quality, I believe is critical when working with a diverse team. In the business world we often hear the term diversity of thought, which really goes hand in hand with being open-minded.

Responsibility is defined by Dictionary.com as “the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.“ Without responsible individuals on a team, things may be left unfinished, or deadlines could be missed. An individual who is responsible can be trusted to do what they need to when they need to without being told to do so.

Communication Skills are defined by Dictionary.com as “a person who communicates, especially one skilled at conveying information, ideas, or policy to the public.” The ability to communicate effectively is highly appreciated and very important. Not everyone is a good communicator, but having at least one person on the team that is, may be critical to a team’s success.

In the book of Matthew, we read “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) The characteristics we have just reviewed: Integrity, Open-Mindedness, Responsibility, and Communication align with those we see in the apostles of Jesus. Each of Jesus disciples had rather diverse backgrounds with values and qualities that communicate and connect in their own ways to different communities. This diversity of thought affords the disciples the ability to engage many. Ideally, I would like to mimic Jesus’ leadership qualities because ultimately, following Him in all things glorifies God. I would like my gifts and talents to

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accomplish just that. I can’t think of a better way to do so, then by forming teams that will help to achieve good in our world.

Leadership: Leading by Example

“Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr. These words of wisdom were placed on my grandfather’s heart at an early age. He was a great man of integrity. He was a true servant of the Lord who always led by example and kept his word. Although he passed away a few years ago, his spirit still lives on in everything we do. I believe that God placed my Grandfather in my life, for a reason. He has helped to shape the person I have become simply by just being himself and leading by example.

In the book of Matthew, we learn that oaths are to be sacred – a lesson my Grandfather stressed during my childhood. “…Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.” (Matthew 5:33) “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No…’” (Matthew 5:37) He taught us that keeping our word (or not) tells a story of our character. This gave me a sense of responsibility, if I say I am going to do something, I do it without making excuses. My grandfather was a man who loved God with all his heart, and set such a great example for us to learn from and follow. Much like Jesus teachings, my Grandpa taught us to take care of others first and in return God would take care of us.

Conclusion

In conclusion, having recognized Jesus as a leader in my own life for years, the material covered in this class has only solidified that viewpoint for me. I also believe God places people in our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Each individual will play a role in the life God has chosen for us. As a leader, it is important that we keep God at the forefront of everything we do. When answering a higher calling to lead a purposeful life for Jesus, we may need to sacrifice, build a winning team, and we must lead by example. These three things are so important as we are setting others and ourselves up for success and venturing out into the world to grow in our relationship with God. Godspeed.

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Bibliography:

Brown Jr, H. Jackson. 2013. “H. Jackson Brown Jr Quotes.” Word Press, January 29. http://cch558.wordpress.com. [accessed August 29, 2014]

Hall, John. 2013. “12 Simple Things A Leader Can Do To Build A Phenomenal Team.” Forbes.com, January 29. http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2013/01/29/team-building-leader/. [accessed September 4, 2014].

Llopis, Glenn. 2012. “6 Ways Successful Teams Are Built To Last.” Forbes.com, October 1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/10/01/6-ways-successful-teams-are-built-to-last/. [accessed September 8, 2014]

Martin, LTC Gregg F. 2000. “Jesus the Strategic Leader.” Carlisle Barracks: U.S. Army War College. Print

Maxwell, John C. 2007. “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.” Nashville: Thomas Nelson. Print.

Moss, Danni. 2009. “Blessing for the Ultimate Sacrifice in an Abusive Marriage.” Word Press, June 6. http://dannimoss.wordpress.com/articles/abuse-in-the-christian-home/blessing-for-the-ultimate-sacrifice-in-an-abusive-marriage/. [accessed August 21, 2014].

Nelson, Gwyneth. 2009. “My Abusive ‘Christian’ Marriage.” Todayschristianwoman.com, January 1. http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2009/january/myabusivechristianmarriage.html. [accessed August 22, 2014].

1984. The Holy Bible, New International Version. Colorado Springs: Zondervan Publishing House. Print.

“Leading by Example.” Mind Tools. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_60.htm. [accessed September 3, 2014].

Website. “Various Definitions.” Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/. [accessed September 7, 2014].

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