…shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:2-3 ESV)
Have you ever thought about the best way to managing other people? Moreover, have you ever thought of how you can become a leader people are willing to follow? Looking at this short excerpt from scripture, we can actually find our sweet-spot for leading and managing others.
Principle 1: Be willing to step into the management/leadership role
Check out what the Apostle Peter says, “exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly….” that’s the key here. To be willing to step into a management or leadership role. Let’s forget about credentials for management or leadership for a moment and look at our hearts. Are we willing to manage or lead? Some of us are plenty happy not managing others or leading others. In fact, when you are thrust into those positions of management or leadership you’re stress is out of control and you feel more trapped and forced. That’s not a good place for you mentally, nor is it good for the people you are managing and/or leading.
Principle 2: When leading or managing, don’t be domineering
This is where good leaders and managers can be separated from bad leaders and managers. If you think about all the managers or leaders you hated to have the pleasure of; you will recognize they all share this same trait: they assert their will over others in an arrogant way. It goes beyond sharing their vision and getting things done, the reason you hated working with them is because of the way they assert their will on people working with them.
What Peter is saying here is that the difference between being a Christ following leader and bad leadership is the way they get things done and influence people working for them. They do so in a way that is not arrogant, and they assert themselves in a way that is complementary.
Principle 3: Be an example
Lastly, lead and manage the way you want to be led and be managed. The Apostle Peter says, “be an example to the flock.”
Practicing these three principles will help shape how you manage or lead. In fact, I believe the Apostle Peter wrote this down to help purify our hearts as leaders and managers of people who are lost and broken. Try leading and managing with these three principles in mind and see how it changes the people who are following your lead.
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