Study Jesus’ life and you will see that he sets the example for leaders everywhere. Jesus shows us that leadership is more than having influence, it is more than getting others to do something. Leadership, for Jesus, is much bigger than that.
There are many things we can learn in the area of leadership by following Jesus in the way he was a leader, but I would like to share with you a can’t miss leadership lesson from Jesus.
Depending on your personality type, you may enjoy having a lot of friends or a few friends. Typically if you enjoy having a lot of friends, your relationships aren’t as deep as the person who enjoys just having a few friends. As a leader, you must be aware of your tendencies in this area because it directly relates to this leadership lesson from Jesus.
A Can’t Miss Leadership Lesson From Jesus
Jesus had three relational contexts in which he exemplified leadership.
Jesus spent time with the crowds, the 12 and the three.
Understanding that Jesus had more than just 12 people following him on a consistent basis, we will lump the extra people in with the crowds.
Here’s the lesson: Minister to the many, invest in a few.
Jesus shows leaders everywhere that in order to make a great impact as a leader, you need to be investing in a few people even though you may lead many others. Jesus preached to the many, yet he traveled and did life with the 12. When Jesus had something big going on, he would bring Peter, James and John with him. They were in the inner circle of the inner circle.
They had more access to Jesus than the other nine.
Here’s a question: How many people have complete access to you?
You may find that no one has complete access to you. That’s dangerous. Change it right away.
You may find that the many have complete access to you. That’s dangerous as well. You can’t be best friends, primary mentor, etc. to loads of people. It’s not healthy. In fact, science says that you can really only have between six and 12 close friends.
What This Doesn’t Mean
In no way am I saying that you should turn down a potential friendship or mentorship opportunity. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t minister to as many people as you possibly can. No. In fact, by adopting this leadership lesson, I believe that you’ll be a better balanced leader. The crowd may get you accolades, but the 12 and the three will leave you a legacy.
