John the Baptist on Leadership

Are there any leadership lessons to be learnt from someone who is almost as well known for his radical lifestyle as he is for his message? To my surprise I saw some really great lessons from John the Baptist. These come from Luke 3:1-20.

1.  The mission should be greater than the leader.

John’s mission was to make a way for the Messiah. He always knew that his mission was about building something bigger than himself. I think that all leaders should be part of something bigger than themselves. It contributes to humility and to building a great team because something great can only be accomplished in a team with a synergistic culture.

2.  A leader’s mission should be about creating some new and better.

A friend of mine uses the term “creating space for life”. John the Baptist was about creating a way for life. He talked about “making a path” for life. Leadership should be a creative thing. It’s more than moving people from “here” to “there”. It’s about taking them on a journey where “there” has the promise of something new and better. Good leadership makes sure that the mission is about a better place than the current place.

3.  Lay the axe to the root.

John makes it simple and clear. Things that are not producing should be terminated. Too many leaders keep unproductive things going for a variety of reasons. I reckon the reason why most of us keep unproductive stuff going is because we are afraid. Afraid of upsetting people, changing the status quo and the like. Remember, what brought you to this point may not be able to take you further. Celebrate your history, but be ready to do things differently into the future!

4.   Expect push-back

John the Baptist’s push-back was that his mission cost him his life. If your mission is compelling and creates space for “new and better”, you better be sure that you will get push-back. Generally push-back comes from those who are resistant to change or have something to lose through change. The latter can be the most dangerous. If you look at Jesus’ life, see how much push-back he got for healing and blessing people. Too many leaders think that push-back means there is something wrong. Something is wrong if you don’t get push-back!

5.  A mission that creates space will result in greater power.

At the very heart of John the Baptist’s message is the promise that Jesus would come and bring about a “baptism”, not of water but of power and fire. Even though there are some theological truths around this, there is a leadership truth too. When a person’s mission to create new and better begins to develop  traction, it will also begin to generate a force and momentum of itself. Business books would say it like this, “success breeds success”.

I hope you get something fresh and new from John the Baptist. I know I did.