The Character of Leadership
Our Mission
To present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to business and professional men and to develop Christian business and professional men to carry out the Great Commission.
Ecclesiastes 12.13 summarizes the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. Biblically speaking the wisest person to ever live was king Solomon. He was made wise by God in response to his request of God for ruling over the people of God.
The book of Ecclesiastes is king Solomon’s observations from a long life guided by wisdom. His conclusion is the summary verse for today: fear God and obey His commands.
Since the rebellion of humanity against the will of God the whole world, including humanity, experiences the dreadful reality of death, decay and decadence. The perfect world God created was removed from us by our rebellious desire to live life as god; we make the choices, we decide the rules, we determine our own destiny.
Of course, we are not god, we are small, powerless people incapable of fighting a common cold very well and certainly we have no cure for death. Our birth and subsequent upbringing with or without instruction about the One True God does not make us unaccountable to God for knowing Him and reconciling ourselves to Him before we face Him at the judgement which happens after we leave this earth.
Our life here is our opportunity to make peace with God otherwise we are doomed to face Him directly, without an Advocate Who will take our case, plead our defense and gain our pardon. Jesus is the Advocate God has sent to reconcile us to God. Jesus came as a man so we could understand God.
Jesus, God, is good, gentle, humble and loving but He is God. Jesus as God will judge all humanity. He does promise to punish eternally in horrific torment all those who refuse His generous offer of reconciliation while they lived on earth.
He also promises to reward eternally with life on a new earth all those who have humbled themselves before Him by seeking His forgiveness and receiving His Spirit so that we can begin to live lives pleasing to God now.
It seems so simple really. If there really is a God then we shall one day meet Him. If there really is a God then He shall one day judge us. That should cause us to pause and consider.
The One True God is a God of love Who commands us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This begins with loving Jesus and turning to Him as God and Savior.
This is the work we must do now in order to live forever later. Not complicated, not hard really other than for every proud fiber in our being resisting anyone being our Lord. Even the God Who made us, loves us and will ultimately judge us.
His Opportunities
- May 18th, Wednesday, Michigan Prayer Breakfast. 7.30am-9am at the Lansing Center. This year’s speaker is Luis Palau. Buy your table and register for this event HERE.
- June 2nd is the next CBMC Special luncheon at the Country Club of Lansing. Details to follow soon but mark your calendars and begin to pray for the men you will bring so they can hear how faith in Jesus changes lives!
You can support CBMC today. DONATE
CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com
MONDAY MANNA
A service to the business community
A Publication of CBMC International
May 2, 2016
The Character of Leadership
by Robert J. Tamasy
What is true leadership? Or to ask the question a different way, what are qualities of a good leader? Countless books and articles that have been written about leaders and leadership. Speakers have made careers traveling from city to city, speaking at dinners, meetings and conferences, offering their opinions about effective leadership. So it would be hard to find a definitive answer on which everyone could agree.
We think of good leaders as people skilled at getting things done – or motivating other people to get things done. There are a variety of leadership styles. Some people are directive, issuing orders to their subordinates. Others excel at delegating authority (as well as responsibility) to their underlings. And still others prefer to be more directly involved, employing a hands-on approach to leading their staff.
But whenever we consider individuals who have distinguished themselves from many of their peers, leaders who have proved themselves worthy of being followed, a common denominator seems to emerge: Character. So whether we’re interviewing someone for a top executive position, seeking to fill a middle management role, or even evaluating candidates for elective office – this being a Presidential election year in the United States – character should be among the factors we take into account.
Of course, here again we could engage in a spirited debate about what comprises “character.” It might be good to consider the time-tested wisdom of the Bible and how it describes effective leaders. As is often the case, the book of Proverbs is an excellent place to start. Here are some examples:
Good leaders value wisdom. One benefit of modern technology has been limitless access to information and knowledge. It cannot, however, provide us with wisdom. This can be attained only by seeking to rightly apply what we know. “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures” (Proverbs 24:3-4).
Good leaders lean heavily on the counsel of trusted advisers. Knowing there are numerous ways of looking at a problem and many possible solutions, a good leader is not too proud to solicit the advice of trusted colleagues before proceeding in matters of critical importance. “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22). “For waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers” (Proverbs 24:6).
Good leaders approach their roles with humility. We live in an age when the loud, brash and outspoken tend to receive the most attention, but there is something strangely appealing about those that do not think too highly of themselves. “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4). “A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor” (Proverbs 29:23).
Good leaders speak with discretion. The spoken word can be used to uplift – or to destroy. Leaders measure their words for best effect. “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise” (Proverbs 10:19). “The lips of the righteous say what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse” (Proverbs 10:32).
© 2016. Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. Bob has written Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Tufting Legacies; and coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring, as well as other books. His biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.
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