You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Matthew 20:25–26 (NIV)
Are you in leadership anywhere in your life?
Before you answer, consider former American President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s definition of leadership: “The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
Parents, teachers and older siblings fall under this definition of leadership. Actually, we all do. Who hasn’t tried to motivate someone to do something?
What’s interesting about President Eisenhower’s definition is he recognized that leaders need to be concerned with motivating those they’re influencing to want to take action.
If you don’t care about what people want as you lead, you become dictatorial. You’ll threaten and otherwise manipulate people to take action. Meanwhile, you’ll get a much better result if you pay a little more attention to finding ways for them to enjoy or find purpose in the task at hand.
You see, leaders have to take into consideration both the people and the task. If you’re only focused on the task, you may get things done, but in the end you’ll be doing it alone because of the volume of people you’ve hurt and offended in the process. To lead, you need to take people’s feelings into account, not downplay their importance in light of the all-important task at hand.
When you’re trying to influence someone to take action, make sure you remember both the person and the task. Remember to talk about the purpose behind what needs to get done, and try to make things fun. You’ll motivate people to do what you want done not because they have to do it, but because they want to.