The Leadership Paradox: The Desire to Lead
George Flattery
Founder at Network211 Chancellor at Global University Author, Educator, Missionary
According to Matthew 20:20-21, “20?Then the mother of?the sons of Zebedee came to?Jesus with her sons,?bowing down and making a request of Him.?21?And He said to her,?‘What do you wish?’?She said to Him, ‘Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine?may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.’”?
These verses suggest this topic, “The Desire to Lead.”? When our two sons were young boys, one of them asked me, “Dad, is it right to want to be the greatest preacher in the world?” As I recall, I did not have a very good answer at the time. He had asked a very profound question, one which still challenges me to think very deeply. To some degree, I believe we are all challenged by this question.
When I have asked students whether or not they want to be leaders, I have received mixed replies. Some have replied, “Yes” or “No” without any qualifying comments. Others have qualified their answers with statements such as, “It depends on what you mean by leader.” Some replied “Yes, in God’s sight,” or “No, not in man’s eyes.” If I were to suggest that a qualified answer would suffice, I believe most would give such a response. What I mean by “leader” in my question is important to their replies.
The times, human conditions, and the commands of Christ all demand that we lead. We cannot accomplish all that we must do without leaders and leadership. We must not be ambivalent about this. Rather, we need to properly define leadership, commit ourselves to paying the price, and take up the task of leading through service. May God give us many leaders!