Leading Up

When  I was a little girl…I used to imagine that I was a queen of whole country…a queen with royal subjects to instruct…I would line up my stuffed animals and yell out orders at them…I would put on a plastic crown and use my baton as a scepter. I would get my mom’s red dress and tie it around my neck as my royal robe! And of course all my subjects would do what I said and follow my wishes!!  On Occasion, Mr.  Elephant would not comply and I would throw him into my closet dungeon where the monsters of the dark would devour him for his disobedience.  I recently re- read the book of Esther in the bible as part of a devotional plan I was doing…The Book of Esther is a biblical story of a Queen.  She however used her influence in a very different way.

You don’t have to be queen to lead people…in fact most of us are leaders in our everyday life…in our churches, in our careers, in our households, and even with our circles of friends.  The Question is WHAT kind of leader are you? Are you a leader that leads by position of Authority or are you a leader that leads by influence? Let’s look at the difference between the two…Are you barking out orders at your subjects because you think you can, because you have earned that position, because you have more knowledge or experience, because your goals matter most… then chances are you lead from your position.  Do you get buy-in from others when starting a new initiative, do you care if the decisions you make affect others and how they accomplish their goals, do you care less about the win and more about the why…then chances are you lead by influence!!

 Although Esther was a queen, her position was not one that included any positional authority. She did not lead by position, she chose to lead by her influence. She did what I would call… ”Leading up”! She lead and acted above her position…used Godly wisdom…used grace…used maturity…she was very self-aware…and she trusted God’s plan.  These are all characteristics of someone who leads by influence.  She was faced with an opportunity to help a whole nation of people but had to put herself in harms way to do so. What did she do? She had to change the mind of the King in order to save the Jews.

As a leader have you ever had to help change someone’s mind?  Have you ever told your children… “because I said so”.  There are times when that is definitely called for but if you lead that way all the time…you will find yourself out in front, leading with no one following you!!  Esther could not simply go to the king and tell him to change the law so her people could live.

Now I’m gonna be honest with you here…An influence leader may have a tendency to be viewed as a quiet leader or a weak leader, but they are far from it.  In fact there is usually much more thought going on behind the scenes than you would think.

Godly Wisdom:  Proverbs 1:7 says… “Start with God – the first step in learning is bowing down to God, only fools thumb their noses at such.”  Godly wisdom doesn’t mean memorizing an arsenal of scriptures to use daily…it simply means that you know when to yield your words and the situation to God himself!! Don’t be a know it all!!The first thing Esther did was pray and fast for 3 days…she turned the situation over to God…she yielded ALL to the God who can fix anything!!

Grace:  Grace can have a double meaning, it can be the way we present ourselves but it also means how we treat others… those that lead by influence have grace pouring out of them in their everyday life, no matter what happens they don’t lash out at those under them that make mistakes or make poor choices.  Esther was so full of grace in her everyday life; she found favor with everyone she met.   It was just pouring out of her in her words and how she treated those around her. Think about how angry Esther would have been at Haman for how manipulative he was to Mordecai & to her husband the King.  She never lashed out or spoke harshly to him…she was pleasant & graceful and invited him to the banquet. When the King kept asking her to tell him what she wanted, she remained poised and calm.

Maturity: Maturity isn’t necessarily a biblical principle but it is very important in leadership.(This is not always related to age)  A mature leader can assess the situation correctly, they can often sense how others  feel and can help foster an environment of growth and change. A mature leader has spent time getting to know the strengths & weaknesses of those around them. They plan and put vision into place. (Think about all that went into Esther’s plan…how she got the people to fast & pray with her, how she knew what she needed to do to get the King to change his mind….she knew a banquet would be key…she knew how to speak to Him & what to do.) A leader that is not mature will often operate in chaos and will cause division among those that follow. Their plans will be difficult to execute.

Self- Aware:  This one is very important. So many times it is the key difference in whether a leader is successful or not.  A self- aware leader has an honest & open awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses.   A self- aware leader will be able to form teams that will make up for their own inadequacies.  They will elevate people and help them grow. They will seek out relationships with others in order to build people not just systems & processes.  They will NEVER NEVER take credit away from those that are doing the real work. And they NEVER forget those that helped them get where they are. Now I’m sure that Esther wanted to help all the Jews but mostly she wanted to help Mordecai because she loved him like a father and she knew she would not be Queen if he had not helped her get where she was.  She was very aware of how she got into her position.  (through God & Mordecai)

The One thing that I love the most about Esther’s story… she simply allowed herself to be used by God in that time & place. She never fought for her position, she never stepped on anyone to gain that position, she wasn’t there because of anything she did, rather she allowed God to elevate her every step of the way.  Once she was there, she had to choose to be part of God’s plan for His people but she choose to do so not because it was going to make her great, or to be famous, but because she trusted in God’s plan.

Trusting God is actually more difficult than we might like to admit. We might whole heartedly agree with God on what needs to be done, but how often do we really ask Him how we should do it? Many Leaders trust God only as far as He validates their own plans and dreams.  In Esther’s case, she sought God on every part, not just when it was convenient or lined up with her vision for her life. One of the greatest postures we can take as a leader is to trust in the midst of confusing circumstances. In those times lean not on our own understanding but look to God for direction!! Mother Teresa once said… “ I rarely have clarity, but I always have trust.”  Which do you find yourself expressing more often to God…your need for clarity…(God, what do I do?) or an expression of trust…(God, I will follow you no matter what!)

Final thoughts: Motives

Take the opportunity to lead up…lead past your circumstances…Take look at yourself in the mirror and do an honest assessment…are you leading because you think you are the best & most qualified, did you appoint yourself, did you manipulate others to get that position…or has God placed you there for this time & this season? Examine if your plans & dreams line up with God’s plan & are you willing to execute it His way, not yours!! The heart of a truer Leader will always want to raise up someone to continue when they are gone…are you mentoring someone else & elevating them…or are you scared to share your power & authority?  Do you need that plastic crown, and red royal robe…do you need to show off your position?  Sometimes we are and we don’t even know it…pray and seek god’s guidance on how you should proceed. Nothing demonstrates your obedience to God’s way more than a change in leadership style mid-stream….if you are a positional leader…make that change in your behavior….and watch the difference it makes in what you’re doing. You will see the fruit in those around you & those that follow you!!