The Power of Humility By Jon Lewis

Does humility make leaders stronger or weaker?

How this question on humility is answered depends on the stark difference in perspective on what leads to leadership greatness. From what I typically hear on the evening TV news, power and humility are functional opposites, with humility being incompatible with a modern image of leadership success, especially in political arenas. However, a biblical view of leadership is shaped instead by Jesus’ teaching that humility must be at the core of all we do, which he demonstrated in his servant leadership during the three years of his ministry.

Good To Great

I was first struck by the sharp divide between these two perspectives when reading Jim Collins’ classic management text, Good to Great. Dividing leadership success into levels, Collins gave examples where Level 4 leaders, although able to catalyze workers by compelling vision and powerful personal charisma, only produced “good” compared to “great” companies that far outpaced their productivity and sustainability. Inevitably, Collins proved that “great” companies were led by Level 5 leaders—men and women who consistently demonstrated a duality of being, “modest and willful, humble and fearless.”

The Weight of Leadership

Recently, I read the following from a Tim Keller devotional on Proverbs 16

“If you have been given authority—whether as a parent, a teacher, a government official, or a small group leader—it is something God gave to you and God holds you fully responsible for what you do with it. You must now, as much as possible, represent Him in your leadership.”

That responsibility goes in two directions:  downwards, with sensitive authority for those we lead, and upwards, with humble allegiance to our Master, our Lord, and our God. The wise balancing of this authority and humility produces the challenge for the faithful steward leader.  As Aslan the Lion said to Prince Caspian in C.S. Lewis’ book by the same name,

“If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been proof that you were not.”

Upside-Down Truth

Contrary to the Lion’s advice, the predominant tendency of many leaders today is to project an aura of power and personal sufficiency. After all, how could we expect to maintain positive approval ratings from those who keep us in our leadership roles if we don’t project images of strength and power? But the longer we ignore the upside-down biblical truth,

“if anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all”

Mark 9:35

The longer we wait, the more we will never recognize that real leadership power, and therefore lasting influence, comes only through genuine humility.

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Jon Lewis is a Senior Associate for Partnership Advancement with OC International. He focuses on encouraging global Christian leaders to be more effective in ministry. With over 40 years of experience, he has served as an MAF mission pilot in Africa and as CEO of Partners International.

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