How to Become a Humble Leader
"Anyone wanting to be a leader must first be a servant. If you choose to lead, you must serve."
— James C. Hunter, The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle– Come Thou of Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson
It is no coincidence that even in secular leadership books and seminars, Jesus Christ is mentioned as one of the most powerful examples of effective leadership. Most historians, whether or not they are believers, still affirm that he was a great leader, with a great following, who did great things—despite his unconventional upbringing, poverty, and unimpressive status as a Jewish carpenter.
So how does Jesus continue to be associated with high-level leadership today? The second chapter of Philippians provides us a clue. The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi:
Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead, he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross (Philippians 2:5–8).
This passage outlines what is often referred to as God’s upside-down kingdom. Though the world would have us believe that strong leaders are forceful and relentless in their climb to the top, Jesus—God in the flesh—demonstrated how submission is the ultimate path to influence and humility the road to exaltation. In the kingdom that Jesus set up, “the last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16).
But what does it look like to pursue this sort of humility in our everyday lives?
To become the leaders that God desires us to be, the best way to start is by humbling ourselves before God and—like Jesus—submitting ourselves to his way, his timing, and his purposes. When we consciously choose to lay down our personal agendas and comforts for the sake of what he has planned, we confess with our actions that God’s ways are better than our own.
And as we practice this sort of humility, we will receive the blessing of a path far better than we could ever plan or imagine ourselves. Our role then is to seek, listen to, and obey God’s Spirit, as humility grows within us.
Another vital practice in fostering personal humility in our leadership is intentionally elevating others over ourselves. In this we follow the example of Jesus, who, as we’ve already seen, “did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited” (Philippians 2:6).
The word translated exploited (the Greek word harpagmos) literally means to seize or rob from another. The idea here is that though Jesus was fully worthy of status, power, and praise as God, he did not use this fact forcefully or to his own advantage, and instead he acted as a servant to others.
In your current leadership roles, in what ways might you use your position and influence to serve and hold others above yourself?
Maybe it will be by shining a light on a colleague’s hard work or helping to give due credit to someone for a great idea. It could mean texting a friend just to check in on them or going out of your way to do something nice for your spouse. Sometimes it might be by simply listening to someone you hurt, apologizing, genuinely owning your mistake, and committing to love them better in the future.
As C. S. Lewis so wisely wrote in his book Mere Christianity, the truly humble person “will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.” As we seek to lead with humility, may our focus be on Christ and others more than ourselves, and as a result, may we experience the magnitude of God’s goodness in our own lives.
To consider:
In what areas is practicing humility especially difficult for you right now? Why do you think that is?
Spend some time in prayer asking God to bring you opportunities to demonstrate Christlike humility. Meditate on Philippians 2 as you work through these situations, focusing on the humility of Christ as your model and encouragement.
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