Lead Like Jesus

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com

Lead Like Jesus is Ken Blanchard’s latest management book.

This surpasses popular management thought today. It is a radical, transformational theme that will revolutionize any business or group.

It’s theme line “Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of all Time” makes a bold claim. And in all things considered, it is a very appropriate claim. Jesus had to be the greatest leadership Role model. He is the one connected to the Spirit of the Universe which created everything, and still recreates… through you.

According to Blanchard, Lead Like Jesus involves the alignment of 4 leadership domains:

Heart (our motivation): our first choice in leading is whether we are motivated by self-interest or for the benefit of those we are leading.

Head: examines your beliefs and theories about leading and motivating people.

Hands: others see where your heart and head is when your motivations and beliefs affect your actions. You become a performance coach, setting clear goals, observing performance, praising progress and redirection of appropriate behavior.

Habits: how you review your daily commitment as leader to serve rather than be served.

Blanchard goes on to state that “the term leader is mentioned only 6 times in the King James Version of the Bible, while the term servant is mentioned more than 900 times.” So as a leader we cultivate The Heart of a Servant. Which leads to two questions we most ask ourselves: Am I a servant leader? Or am I a self-serving leader?

This reflects your heart's EGO.
Am I Edging God Out;
or am I Exalting God Only?

When we edge God out, we reflect pride and self-promotion in our actions. This is motivated by fear and protecting self. Pride creates separation from God and others, making comparisons and distorting truth.

Exalting God Only shows a Jesus Spirit of Humility and Spirit of confidence which leads through forgiveness and grace… forgiving to the same level God has forgiven you.

To lead like Jesus, we must become like Jesus.

How can we “Become” like Jesus?

In college, I studied drama. When portraying a character, we learned what is called the art of characterization... this is learning how to become the very person we are portraying. The characterization process is very extensive. The goal is to “become” the person you represent as an actor.

To do this effectively, it takes time to learn everything you can about the person. Where he/she came from, how he grew up, what influenced him in life, family, economic history, education, how he handled this, way of thinking, emotional style and make up.... It is learning the very inner existence of the person and programming yourself so you literally “become” that person.

The goal is to know the person so well, live in your mind as that person lived and to actually be that person. When you can reach this level of characterization, the person is presented “as real” through you. One of the arts of living artfully in Jesus Spirit is to do the same with Jesus' life.

How do we effectively make our mind consistent with Jesus Spirit...?
It takes the pondering and living out, as if we are Jesus.

Read the events of Jesus life, as if you were studying Him to portray Him in life. It is an exercise in retraining the mind.
“Be transformed by renewing your mind to the mind of Jesus.” (Romans 12:2)

This is what it takes to live like Jesus. We need to reach this level of being thoroughly familiar with Him. That in all we do it is naturally Jesus.

Try this some day. Read several sections of Jesus' life, role play in your mind/imagination as if you are Jesus, being Jesus, and go out that day and everything you do, pretend you are Jesus in all your interactions. This includes your thinking, your way of talking to people, what you talk about, how you respond and the attitude (thoughts) you carry throughout the day.

Do this for a week... each day reflect on your day, and how each action and decision represents the character of Jesus. Then review it for a week on how you did. What was different; what did you learn; how did you feel?

Go back and study Jesus for a week and then do it another week. This is a life-changing way to line up our mental and thought life with the Jesus Spirit that is trying to line up within you. Like the actor, portray Jesus. But you must “be” Jesus to be real.

Study the life of Jesus with this goal in mind.... to be Jesus.
To be Jesus’ thoughts, manner, ideology, understanding why He did what He did. Beyond that remember what Jesus said, “I will be in you, live in you.”

The Spirit of Jesus lives in you. Allow His Spirit to dominate you, guide and direct all you do. In prayer, like in characterization meditation, reprogram yourself to be the person of Jesus. The Spirit helps us when in prayer. Use prayer as your preparation time to be resurrected into Jesus and Jesus Spirit totally immersed into you. Through Spirit, you have “the mind of Christ.”
(I Corinthians 2:16)

His Spirit implants His Laws in your mind, and in your hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33)

This goes beyond the "what would Jesus do" slogan we hear.
This goes into “Being Jesus.”

His Spirit rebirths “Jesus” in you; old patterns die. His Spirit takes over.

You will “Be” like Him.
You allow all of Him to “Be” in you.

Then in all things you will respond naturally, as Jesus.
Be Jesus....and in Jesus Spirit you are.