Hunted by Hypocrisy - 1: Leaders as leaven

Leaders are intended to be 'leaven' to the lives of their people. This is how important, instructive, and potent the input of leadership is to the life of people. Leadership Insights begins a Series on this subject in this edition. It is hoped that this Series will provide a missing, much-needed, refreshing, and invaluable insight to leaders who desire to excel in their responsibility.

The 'leaven' perspective of leadership

Our inspiration for examining leadership from the 'leavening' perspective derives from the word of God. Specifically, the kingdom of heaven is understood to be like a 'leaven.' In Matthew 13:33, a woman is said to add the leaven to three measures of dough, such that the whole (dough) was 'leavened.'

Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” - Matthew 13:33 NKJV

Leavening is the act of adding leaven to a substance. Examples of leaven are yeast and baking powder. When they are added to the dough, they make it rise and suitable to come out fine during the baking process. In a more robust sense, 'leavening' is a quality or element that permeates, modifies, or transforms whatever it is added to either for better or worse. Leaven is added to the dough for a 'purpose.' That purpose can be for better or worse (though usually for better in its literal use).

Leavening is a quality or element that permeates and modifies or transforms something for the better.

The kingdom of heaven comprises people who subscribe to the same mode of operation, the same rules of engagement, and more specifically are committed to God. They are all called to be leaders according to John 15:16 and Ephesians 4:11-13. They have a mandate to transform others into better people modeled after Christ, the Master Leader.

These leaders are required to fulfill their purpose by being leaven or leavening agents in the lives of others. If the kingdom is like leaven, its agents must be no less so in their role and effect in the lives of people. Like the kingdom, wherever they gain access to, like leaven, they are required to make it 'whole.' It is unacceptable that a leader fails to have the 'leaven-order' of impact on the lives of the people. That signals leadership failure.

Leaders are (possessors of) leavening agents who fail in their assignment when they are unable to make the lives of the people 'whole.'

A new definition of a leader and leadership

From the foregoing perspective of leaders and leadership, a new definition can be deduced. A leader is an agent who permeates, modifies, and transforms a person for the better. A bad leader would of course be a person who has the same impact on a person but for the worse. Whether good or bad, leaders permeate, modify, and transform their people.

Leadership is the intentional act of permeating, modifying, and transforming people into far better versions without loss of identity. If you do not have this understanding as a leader, you are not doing leadership, and cannot succeed in the responsibility.

The leaven as an agent is very potent and only a little of it can achieve the effects identified above - permeation, modification, and transformation - in the dough. Following this truth, a good leader can have the desired impact on her followers through little but very potent impact. Yes, leadership is hard work but not necessarily in the size or magnitude of effort, at least based on this leaven perspective. The hard work of leadership must be directed at developing the 'potency' found in the leavening agent!

The hard work of leadership must be directed at developing the 'potency' found in the leavening agent!

The leader is not required to be all over the follower in her quest to influence and transform. Through a more intelligent approach, with minimal domineering influence, a good leader can achieve the purpose of leadership and success in it.

The leaven thrives in potency on intelligence. As little as the quantity of leaven applied to the dough is, it succeeds in its quest to permeate, modify and transform the dough. In fact, too much of the leaven will endanger the dough. An overbearing quest on the part of a leader can undermine the great work of transformation that she can achieve in the follower.

The real purpose of leadership

The leaven is not dough. Without it, however, the dough will not be ready and well suited for the final baking process. The leaven is essential to the dough if the ultimate product is to be edible, appealing, and acceptable.

In the same way, the primary and most important job of the leader, as leaven, is to prepare the follower to come through with the ultimate results. The real purpose of leadership is to bring about the desired transformation of the follower.

To succeed in that regard, the leader must permeate and modify the follower. When the leader is focused on the substance of her assignment, it is easier to succeed in it.

Leavening agents don't take permission to affect the dough

As long as the leaven gains access to the dough, it does not need its permission to achieve its purpose. Again, this is a very important dimension of the leadership assignment. As long as the leader gains acceptance or has a credible hold and influence on the follower, the rest may well be history. If the leader is as potent in her approach as the leaven is to the dough, the process of transformation becomes pretty much set to succeed.

The challenge of the leader is first to gain access to the follower just like the leaven gains access to the dough. When this happens, the coast is clear for a successful leadership expedition.

A prerequisite to note here is that the leader must be prepared to act as a true 'leaven' once it gets access to the dough. A good leader does not learn how to permeate, modify, and transform the follower after access to them has been achieved. A key implication of that is that it takes more to achieve transformation in the follower than it takes to gain access to their lives.

A good leader has work to do to (1) gain access to, and (2) transform the follower. We will discuss how to accomplish that later in the Series.

The 'agent' that makes the leader potent

The next edition will explore the active ingredient in the leader's leaven. That's what the leader invests in his people to produce the transformation desired.

Leaders are to people what leaven is to the dough. When this is understood, the significance of the responsibility is better appreciated by the leader.

Olatunji Sobodu

+234 809 891 1826 | [email protected]