C – H – A – R – A – C – T – E – R

The premise of my book, Grab a Towel, is that servant leadership provides a Christ-centred critique and corrective to much of the leadership that we see in the 21st Century. This is perhaps most apparent when we look at what I propose is the foundation of servant leadership – character. And given so much of what has been taking place on a global scale in recent times and the dearth of servant leadership on display, I felt it was a good time to post this (summarised) excerpt from the book.

The following acrostic for the word ‘character’ outlines the nine distinguishing marks of the character of servant leaders I have recognised as priority areas for those of us seeking to be servant leaders. Christ-like servant leaders are:

Content

Humble

Accountable

Reliable

Approachable

Consistent

Trustworthy

Exemplary

Respectful

This is by no means an exhaustive list but provides an initial biblical framework for Christ-like character development. The following is a summary of each – for a fuller discussion of this, please see Grab a Towel.

Content

This mark of a servant leader is of primary importance because it stands in stark contrast to the materialistic culture of our generation. We live in a world where people are constantly seeking the next thing: whether materially, experientially, or relationally. The sad reality is that many people are discontented with their lot in life, always pursuing happiness but never acquiring it.

Paul demonstrated the counter-cultural nature of the gospel when he stated, ‘I have learned the secret of being content in and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want’ (Phil. 4:12). Paul remarks that contentment is a ‘secret’… indicating it is an elusive quality that few experience in this world.

The fruit of contentment is peace. Jesus taught, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God’ (Matt. 5:9). As the character of Christ is formed within them, Christ-centred servant leaders will increasingly become men and women of peace, demonstrating that they are indeed children of God.

Humble

Paul writes, ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves’ (Phil. 2:3). Pride is a destructive force that corrodes the effectiveness of leaders. Christ-like leaders will be humble leaders – anything else is a contradiction.

Humble leaders choose to do humble things. This is where the rubber hits the road. Humility is about actions. If you desire to be a humble person the secret is not to merely pray more, read more, or think more about it. The secret is to actively do things that are, in some senses, humiliating! Do the menial things, the dirty things, the things that no one will see. Don’t seek praise, do it in secret. If you want to be humble, then do humble things.

Accountable

In Proverbs 27:17, King Solomon says: ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.’ Character formation requires the input of other people. With all the dangers and temptations associated with leadership in the 21st century, it is critical that those of us in Christian leadership surround ourselves with people who are willing to speak truthfully to us and hold us accountable for our actions and attitudes. Oscar Wilde is attributed as saying, ‘true friends stab you in the front’. Becoming Christ-centred servant leaders necessitates that we build relationships with people who hold us to account.

Reliable

Let’s face it, reliability is not really considered a ‘sexy’ quality. They don’t write books or make movies about reliable people – unpredictable mavericks are far more appealing to scriptwriters. When people think of reliability they may think of their faithful dog or the 15-year-old German-made car that consistently chugs along and never breaks down. But reliability, and its related qualities of faithfulness, consistency and stability, is exactly the quality that provides confidence and assurance to followers.

It is incredibly reassuring to be surrounded by reliable people. It can be quite the opposite if we are always unsure of how others will respond. We find ourselves on tenterhooks if we are uncertain when someone is going to explode, lose their temper, or simply not show up.  Becoming a Christ-like servant leader involves being a reliable, dependable, and faithful person – someone who will stay the course, remain committed to scripture and persevere through the good times and the bad.

Approachable

I think Jesus was the most approachable man to have ever lived. Consider what it was like for him when he walked the earth. Crowds followed him. The sick reached out to touch him. He was constantly in demand. And the reason he was in demand? He was approachable: people felt they could approach him, engage him, ask him questions and make demands of him. Indeed, Jesus did not place limits upon his approachability. Consider his promise in Matthew 11:28-30: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’

An approachable leader will cultivate an environment of truthfulness. Being approachable is a mark of a leader who is submitted to Christ and secure in their relationship with him and, therefore, able to accept both praise and criticism equally with grace and humility.

Consistent

Christ-like servant leaders will always show consistency between their words and their actions. Inconsistent leaders are quick to boast about what they can do, but they fail to back it up with actions. They over-promise and under-deliver. Christ-like servant leaders will consistently over-deliver because they do not make promises that they cannot keep!

Inconsistency undermines trust. Consistency builds trust and is critical in building cohesive teams. Which leads neatly to…

Trustworthy

Nothing destroys leadership quicker than breaking trust. It takes a long time to build trust, and it can be broken in a moment. Being trustworthy is critical to becoming a Christ-centred servant leader. Equally critical is to place trust in others. Cultivating an environment of trust is a two-way street. Leaders require the trust of their followers in order to fulfil a God-given vision; equally, servant leaders will trust their followers as those that God has placed within their care and through whom God will fulfil his plans and purposes.

Exemplary

Having an exemplary character is essential if we want to mentor and develop other leaders. Part of the way this will be revealed will be in our commitment to excellence. Just as Jesus served as an example for us to follow, we are to provide an example for our followers and those we are discipling by always giving of our best.

Servant leaders open up space for others to follow – they don’t send people out into the unknown. We journey together with those we are leading, and those being led gain confidence because they witness our exemplary conduct in the face of challenges, obstacles and opposition.

Respectful

I conducted a quick Google search of quotes relating to the word ’respect’ and was surprised to see how many of them spoke of respect as being earned and not demanded. One example: ‘You earn respect, so don’t expect it from me straight away’. This contemporary view should be evaluated against the example of Christ and the New Testament leaders.

We are to show respect, whether we believe it is earned or not. This doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to injustice, but Christ-centred leaders will never undermine the dignity of another person – even if we need to stand against their ungodly actions. We show respect to people because we are submitting to God and are motivated to do good deeds in order that God is glorified. Our goal as servant leaders should be to live lives that are beyond reproach. Ultimately, through being respectful to all people, we will earn their respect – even if given begrudgingly.

So here’s a challenge for you and I… in which of these nine areas is our character lacking? Let’s resolve to up our game and not conform to what we see and experience around us. Rather, let’s grab a towel and demonstrate true c-h-a-r-a-c-t-e-r as Christ-centred servant leaders.

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