“Everything rises and falls on leadership,” says one famous quote. I was recently reminded of the importance of leaders, while reading Mark Miller’s excellent book, Uncommon Greatness: Five Fundamentals to Transform Your Leadership.
Miller does a great job contrasting leaders of common greatness—such as Napoleon—with those of uncommon greatness, who have a higher regard for others than they do their own selves.
As Christians, we recognize something that Miller points out in his book: every single person is a leader at some level.
It could be a group of people or organization you lead—or it could be a small group, or only yourself. But everyone, at every level, is in some way a leader.
Perhaps as big of a truth for us to ponder, as Christians, is that every single person is a follower. We are followers of Christ. No matter how high or low of a position we occupy in life, we each are followers.
We hear a lot about leadership these days, but let’s spend a moment on the concept of “followership.” What are the keys to being a good follower? Using the word F-O-L-L-O-W, I offer a few elements that I have been taught.
Good followers are:
Faithful—Jesus talks a great deal about faithful and unfaithful servants. First and foremost, Jesus wants all followers to be faithful people. Faithful to God and faithful to our calling.
Obedient—Like being faithful, Jesus wants followers to be obedient. That includes, but is not limited to, doing the right thing even when you don’t feel like it. Disobedience and good “followership” don’t go together.
Listening—A wise follower listens to the right voices. There are many distractions in our day and age, and learning to tune out the bad voices and tune into the good ones is vital.
Lamenting—Only Jesus is perfect. As fallen people, we will sin and stumble. God wants His followers to be lamenting and repenting of their sins, and return to Him. Without repentance, we cannot truly be following Him.
Obscure—Napoleon set out to make a great name for himself, and he did just that. But any positive effects he may have thought he had were not as long-lasting or far-reaching. God, meanwhile, chooses the humble and lowly to accomplish His eternal purposes (1 Cor. 1:27-28). Followers need to be content to work in obscurity.
Withstanding—As fallen people, we will be tempted to give up when temptation and trials come. Jesus wants followers who withstand to the end. “But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. But God will save the person who remains strong until the end” (Matt. 24:13).
Wherever the Lord has you in life today, know this: you are a leader, and you are a follower. Each and every one of you. The only question then is: what kind of leader and follower will you be today?
