Work 2 Off 1 Work 3 Off 1, where was I?

What is leadership in the Kingdom. I'm a bit old school, but God's church is His Kingdom. Anyway, I was browsing Hoo's Humble Home and noticed he had read Golden Rule Leadership (page down some to read it) and it made me start to think. Personally, I have been having trouble with leading my staff at work.

You would think, Rama gets paid, he writes their schedule, he runs the show, why should there be problems? I go back to who I am as a person and what I need from my leader, brutally honest, keeps words down to a minimum and then gives me words of affirmation when I complete a task. At no point do I need you to stroke my ego or act polite. If my boss, asks or tells me what to do, I don't get hung up on how it was said. I'm not an emotional guy, but I do respect those in authority, which is a generational thing. I am on the older side of the Gen-X'ers. There for I respect authority, but I have rebellious streak in me. I don't know if we have Gen-Y'ers or Z'ers now, but I do know I can hear the message independent of how it is conveyed (the only exception is from my dad, no one ever know what he really means).

Why go on this rant? It's my job, the place I spend the bulk of my week at. I am surrounded by 18-25 year olds that I need to be careful in how I deal with them. I had one staff member get upset because he was told what to do, rather than asked. WHAT? I spent the next two hours of that shift trying to keep the ship moving while dealing with his drama. I sat him down later and explained to him he can not get hung up on how the message is communicated and what the message is. He replied I felt disrespected then and I didn't respect the person who told me what to do. We said he put on his skirt for the night, but really, he was being immature about the whole thing.

Where is this going? In my quiet times I have been reading Nehemiah and I found this little morsel of truth about leadership:

But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land. Nehemiah 5:15-16

So I realize that I have been the leader who came to the wall to rebuild it, and I got all caught up what the earlier governors had been doing. There is a line in some one's life the draw when it comes to roles of responsibility. The line for me is to repeat what has been done to me. I will go there everytime and try to hammer out stuff with out realizing the usury I have imposed on the people around me. The fact that Nehemiah and all the men he brought to rebuild the wall, never let themselves get caught up in what was happening around them or to them.

Old schoolers like me, would throw verses like Hebrews 13:17:

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Hebrews 13:17

and force members who we were to lead to not just be more Godly, but to make the do what we said. I remember Peter as a young Disciple would never get in my car and let me drive. I am a bit of a control freak, and he wasn't a fan of the safety of my car, or lack of. I would not only make him get in, but I would continually read this to him because I thought he was stiff necked. Again, getting caught up in what earlier governors had been doing.

Out of reverence to God we should be motivated. It doesn't take much for some one to get me to do something, if they are in a position of authority, but then there are times when I get stiff necked as well and and not want to give of myself. As a teen leader, I am presently assessing what is the next step for me. I love being in the teens, I am looking forward to studying the Bible with them, but I am leary about pouncing on the next teen who seems curious about God and forcing them to study the Bible. I did that the first time. One left because his parents did, the other, because he felt called to attended the same church as the rest of his family. Poor foundation, crumbling dwellings of the spirit.

I am one of the earlier governors. I have returned to rebuild the wall as I have been called to do.