Leadership can be lonely. Remember the story of Moses in Exodus 32-34? He came down from Mount Sinai after experiencing God’s presence in a remarkable way… he had to be riding a leadership high! With whom did Moses celebrate that experience? Which friends did he call so he could decompress all that had just happened? You see Moses walked among the crowds but experienced some level of loneliness … because leadership is lonely.
The natural pull of leadership can be towards a lonely experience. That is why leaders must fight to build healthy relationships with the people they lead.
Cultivate healthy relationships with those we lead is essential. It requires us to find an appropriate balance between friendship and leadership. I have seen leaders default in both directions:
- Some people lean too much into friendship and abdicate their leadership influence
- Some people lean too far into leadership and negate the role of genuine community in our Christian walk
As a leader we must be intentional in the development of friendships with the people we lead. There is a great art in cultivating strong and healthy relationships that are mutually beneficial and honoring to God. Whether you have a position of leadership or simply a great level of leadership influence in on your team, here are 3 things to keep in mind:
- Value people over the machine – this thought might be for the more driven leader, but we all could use a healthy reminder that the church is a collection of God’s people. We serve together to build God’s Church but ultimately what we are building is a complex network of relationships aligned under Jesus. Make sure you intentionally value the people you serve with above the processes which serve you. (Click to tweet)
- Be aware of your circles – have you ever noticed Jesus had different circles of relationships? There was the crowd (Matt 5), the 72 He sent out (Luke 10), the twelve (Luke 22) and the three (Matt 17, Mark 14:33). Each circle had a degree of relationship or friendship with Jesus, yet Jesus did not give equal access to all. As the circles got smaller the level of vulnerability and trust increased. Peter, James and John knew something of Jesus’ struggle that the other circles knew not of. Build friendships with those you lead, but be intentional about whom you entrust with the most personal realities of your life.
- Create healthy rhythms for relational connects – Without intentional rhythms the pace of ministry will remove the margin for relational connection. As a leader find the system or rhythm that will provide time to encourage and enjoy the people on your team.
Leadership can be a lonely business…so make sure you fight for healthy relationships with those you lead.
Cory Lebovitz 