1Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,2fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.3Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Our Lord Jesus set a powerful example for us - throughout His ministry, He taught on and demonstrated the power of humility, and ultimately, He humbled Himself by giving His life, bearing suffering and humiliation so that we might come to know Him, that we could be saved. Now, He calls us to lay down our lives and accept the new life that only He can bring. By His power and in His live, He also calls us to lay down our lives before other people, regarding their needs as higher than our own.
There's a powerful teaching on leadership in Mark chapter 10. Jesus is talking about what it means to be great, and we read:
42But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.43Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.44And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Recently, Papa John's founder John Schnatter took a trip to the U.K. He stayed in a castle that had been renovated to become a hotel — complete with oven and steam room.
At a recent National Small Business Week event, according to BusinessInsider.com, Schnatter related, "The next day I said to the manager, 'This is neat, how come there aren't more castles that are hotels?'"
The hotel manager's reply was that if the king didn't take care of the peasants who built the castle, they'd burn it down. But this king took care of the people who did the heavy lifting, so it stands to this day.
To "Papa" John, that was a powerful lesson in management. He told the gathering, "If you don't take care of the people doing the heavy lifting...they will burn your castle down."
Of course, this is an analogy for the management sphere, a reminder to take care of the people who work for you. Schnatter contrasted what he sees as two management models: the head coach and the king, or queen. He says that king and queen managers are more adversarial, while coaches work more cooperatively with their employees. A queen will take all the credit; a coach will spread rewards around the team. Schnatter says that when people are working in a coach-type environment, there's less anxiety and less fighting.
Schnatter says that 15 years ago he managed more like a king. If he or an employee made a mistake he'd "get really down on himself." But if a mistake is made today, he'll approach the incident with curiosity, asking why the mistake happened. This is crucial, he says, given that you can't innovate unless you're willing to make mistakes.
Recently, Papa John's founder John Schnatter took a trip to the U.K. He stayed in a castle that had been renovated to become a hotel — complete with oven and steam room.
At a recent National Small Business Week event, according to BusinessInsider.com, Schnatter related, "The next day I said to the manager, 'This is neat, how come there aren't more castles that are hotels?'"
The hotel manager's reply was that if the king didn't take care of the peasants who built the castle, they'd burn it down. But this king took care of the people who did the heavy lifting, so it stands to this day.
To "Papa" John, that was a powerful lesson in management. He told the gathering, "If you don't take care of the people doing the heavy lifting...they will burn your castle down."
Of course, this is an analogy for the management sphere, a reminder to take care of the people who work for you. Schnatter contrasted what he sees as two management models: the head coach and the king, or queen. He says that king and queen managers are more adversarial, while coaches work more cooperatively with their employees. A queen will take all the credit; a coach will spread rewards around the team. Schnatter says that when people are working in a coach-type environment, there's less anxiety and less fighting.
Schnatter says that 15 years ago he managed more like a king. If he or an employee made a mistake he'd "get really down on himself." But if a mistake is made today, he'll approach the incident with curiosity, asking why the mistake happened. This is crucial, he says, given that you can't innovate unless you're willing to make mistakes.
There are some Biblical principles at play here - first of all, Jesus demonstrated a model of servant-leadership - even though He was a king, He taught His disciples to lead by being servants, and He exemplified that. The apostle Paul teaches us to put the needs of others before our own, to esteem others as higher than ourselves.
So, apparently the castle owners were arrogant and they essentially reaped what they had sown. That is a Biblical principle as well - if we convey an attitude of pride and we mistreat people, then I believe that we are vulnerable to having the same behavior displayed toward us. If you cultivate an atmosphere of hostility, it will produce hostile actions.
There's also a degree of learning from our mistakes. Because we are frail humans, we will mess up - frequently. But, as Christians who have the wisdom of God available to us, we can rely on the Holy Spirit and the direction of the Word to not only help identify failures, but also to point out ways in which we can improve. We need not be afraid to fail, but we do need to evaluate where we miss the mark and refine our course. And, if there's sin involved, if we have walked in disobedience, we need to confess our sins and experience God's forgiveness.
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