What leadership strengths are you modeling for your team? (116-5)

One of the most fundamental leadership truths is that your team will do what they see you model. Read Ezra 9:1-10:44.

After a journey of several months Ezra and the other Jewish exiles arrived in Jerusalem from Babylon. Their first acts were to be accountable to the local officials for the money and gifts they had been given for the city and temple and then to make proper offerings to God at the temple for a safe trip and for His favor. Within just a few days of viewing Ezra’s leadership, knowing Ezra was a teacher of the law and seeing his dedication to give offerings and make sacrifices some of the leaders approached Ezra with a problem. Those most responsible for religious leadership, the priests and Levites, had not kept God’s law to stay separate from those who worshiped false gods and had actually taken pagan wives and allowed their sons to marry women who worshiped false gods.

When Ezra heard of the sin and compromise of the Israelites, he mourned and fasted. God had given the people another chance bringing them back from captivity in Babylon and the people had slipped back to the same behavior that had God exile them to start with. As the senior religious leader Ezra knew he needed to take steps to bring about change. The steps Ezra took are transferable to any leader facing the same situation. The following is the sequence of events in Ezra’s model of leadership:

• Ezra’s heart was broken over the national sin. (9:3-15). A leader must become personally involved and passionate about change.
• Ezra gained commitment from some of the key leadership to support his position (10:1-6). To be effective a leader must develop a team.
• Ezra issued a statement with some teeth in it that got everyone’s attention (10:7-8). Without authority to make change a leader’s efforts are meaningless. Leaders must be given the authority to complete the responsibility.
• Ezra made a clear, succinct statement of the problem (10:10). Effective leaders are able to clarify the specific problem (disease) separate from all the individual unique actions (symptoms).
• Ezra challenged the people to repent and change (10:11). Leaders must focus on solutions rather than continually rehearsing the problem.
• Ezra listened to the people and did not demand an “instant” solution but accepted a plan for leaders to meet with the transgressors (10:12-17). Knowledgeable leaders realize the problem did not occur in a day and for a solution to work will also take time. Direction is set but grace is extended while a plan of action is developed.
• Ezra started with the leaders when making change then moved to the rest of the people (10:18-24). Leaders need to be held to a higher standard and change should always start with the leaders.
• Ezra brought about public repentance and reformation (10:25-44). Wise leaders understand if the problem was public, ultimately the solution needs to be public so understanding goes deep and wide.

What leadership strengths (or weaknesses) are you modeling for your team? Do you have a core of leaders that are in complete agreement with your leadership standards and core values? If you have issues of slippage against the established core values, are you able to identify succinctly the problem out of the clutter of all the symptoms of slippage? Effective leaders step out of the “noise” of the daily busyness and clearly identify the issues leading the team away from core values.

1 Timothy 4:15-16 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.