Great leaders serve a higher purpose
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
By Victoria Carina How do you merge faith with modern leadership?
When I think about the story of Jacob in the bible, one thing comes to my mind about leadership: In order to lead, you must first serve others. You must be willing to humble yourself. And I believe the best leaders today are no exception to the principle.
You must be willing to face the obstacles that present themselves without growing weary or resentful. When things get dark, you keep holding on to the promise even if nothing seems to be working out. Because one day you may be sold into slavery, and the next you are one of the most powerful men in Egypt (how awesome is that?). When God calls you to be a leader you might still be a simple shepherd like David, but with a fire within you and the innate knowledge that you were created for more. The bible has so much to say on leadership and even entrepreneurship. We are called to walk by faith, not by sight. That means trusting in the provision and the plan of God while doing the best we can. Walking in the knowledge that he makes all things perfect in their time. A leader who has faith naturally has the courage to fight giants and the trailblazer mentality to walk paths others haven´t dared to walk before. They have the wisdom of seeking good advice, the obedience to surrender control. They understand that ultimately it´s God´s business and we are merely stewards. How can we practice compassion in business?
By not treating human resources merely as resources but as souls that have life stories that shaped them, emotions and wounds that they bring to the workplace, and families they need to provide for. As bodies that have physical limitations to their capacity to deliver work in a given moment and not another finite earthly commodity that can be exhausted beyond measure. By taking the competition mindset the world so forcefully teaches us to a higher level of understanding, acknowledging that everyone has their own path and that there is enough of “the cake” for us all. By treating others the way we would like to be treated and going the extra mile for people whose lives are directly influenced by the decisions we make.
In classic economic theory, the main purpose of the business is defined as profit maximization. Now imagine for a moment what a marvelous place the world would be if we substituted this metric by “making a positive impact on societies and the people therein”. The economic interests of a company are not necessarily in competition to the wellbeing of individuals and more companies are starting to realize that. Aligning business practices, policies, etc. with the biblical principles. Donating for good purposes. All of the above don´t just potentially raise profit by fostering the image of the enterprise. They bring us closer to the character of God - those of us who know he exists and those who still do not but were created in his image nonetheless. What’s one moment where grace changed your path?
Not until long ago I was always under the indoctrinated belief that my value depended on what I achieved in life. I tried fitting into a template that left way too little room to breathe, let alone to be the person God called me to be. But the more I grew in faith, the more it made me redefine success from “what does my diploma or my job say about me” to “What kind of person am I“. That certainly doesn´t mean there is something wrong with success. It only means our heart should not be attached to it and our value never defined by it. Connect With Victoria www.thegenuinehuman.com
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