Leverage and Christian Steward Leaders by Dr. Brian S. Simmons

Christian steward leaders choose the other way.

I have been thinking back over my decades of ministry and service, and I have come to appreciate my interactions through the years with Christian people in business who lived and worked Christianly. I’ve also reflected on others who sadly embraced the means and ends of a secular (without God) worldview while earning a reputation as a ruthless person. A ruthless businessman pursues business success—profit, market share, control, or personal advantage—with little or no regard for the legitimate interests, dignity, or welfare of other people.

Divinely Entrusted

Christian steward leaders are entrusted by their Creator, God, with time, treasure, talent, and relationships! And the most precious gift is relationships! Our relationships with God, ourselves, others, and creation matter

Recently I learned of an interaction between two followers of Christ who were negotiating terms for a contract for a Christian nonprofit organization. Over time, the businessman kept backtracking on verbal and written commitments he had made to the nonprofit’s leader. In one particularly candid moment in their negotiation, the businessman revealed that through a series of actions he was “trying to gain leverage” over the ministry leader. And, in an email sent four hours after key commitments were made and agreed to F2F, the businessman backtracked on his most important concessions.

I thought, “Is there ever a time and place for this kind of behavior?” And “What would God, the owner of all, think about this behavior of His steward?

Discerning Leverage

Leverage means having something the other party wants and using pressure to get your own way. A faithful biblical steward, on the other hand, always seeks the will of the Master, God, for all that has been entrusted to his care. He doesn’t need, nor would he ever use, secular leverage to get his own way because he pursues God’s way instead! God cares more about “how” and “why” than “what”! And for the faithful steward leader, the “what” must align with the will of the Lord!

Using leverage can send a person from good-faith negotiation to bad-faith action. The key distinction is the motivation of the heart, which can shift over time from legitimate bargaining to bad-faith conduct. And, if we are to be like Jesus, we must keep our word and speak the truth in love.

Secular negotiation can cross the line when someone uses deception, threats, coercion, or intentionally misleading information. Acceptable negotiation says, “I have reasons why you should agree to my terms.” Bad faith leverage, on the other hand, insists, “I will constantly change the terms of my agreements by ‘repeatedly changing my mind,’ and repeatedly deceive, lie, or improperly pressure you to get my way.” Bad faith leverage says, “I have money, possessions, and power that I own that you need, and we will do things my way.”

Christian Ethics

Christian ethics repeatedly emphasizes honesty, fairness, humility, and concern for others. Christian stewards realize they are caretakers, not owners.

Therefore, leverage becomes problematic when it turns into:

• Deception — “I have another offer” when you don’t.
• Exploitation — taking extreme advantage of someone’s desperation or vulnerability.
• Coercion— using threats or improper pressure.
• Greed — pursuing the maximum possible gain simply because you can.
• Dishonesty — concealing or misrepresenting material facts.
• Pride or domination — treating the other person as someone to defeat rather than someone to deal with justly.

Before using leverage, you might ask:

1. Is what I’m saying true?
2. Would I consider this tactic fair if the positions were reversed?
3. Am I seeking a just outcome, or am I simply trying to extract everything I can?
4. Am I taking unfair advantage of someone’s vulnerability?
5. Can I pursue my legitimate interests while treating the other party with dignity?
6. Would I be comfortable explaining my conduct openly to others? To God?

Strength Through Integrity

Christianity does not require you as a business leader to negotiate from weakness. It requires you to exercise strength with integrity. We will all give an account for how we treat others in business negotiations. We might want to think about what we will say to God on judgment day about how we negotiated in our day-to-day business negotiations before that day comes!

Dr. Brian S. Simmons is a consultant on effective governance and strategic planning, an executive coach, and the founding Head of School for Lakeside Christian Academy. He is a visionary builder, advancing the kingdom of God through Christian education, teaching, and influence.

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