Don’t kids say the most interesting things? It’s because they haven’t developed a filter. What’s more interesting than that, is how what kids say reflects what is said and shown to them at home. They are mini mirrors of the adult role models in their lives.
Today we are going to look at a letter to Titus from the Apostle Paul. Paul writes to Titus, a young bishop on the island of Crete in the first century, that leaders should live in a way that models the virtues they wish to embody in a culture.
If you’re reading this from a leadership perspective from an organization, and not necessarily a Christian perspective, then I want you to catch what is being taught here about organizational culture and the type of leader you need to be within an organization, for the culture of that organization to be transparent and virtuous.
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
Titus 2:7-8 ESV
There are two areas a leader must be a model of the culture he or she wants people under their leadership to embody. This goes for both leaders in the workplace and at home. The two areas are: actions and teaching. I have several insights on each that can executed practically and simply from a Christ centered perspective.
On Modelling Actions
To the everyday Christian or leader this translates into executing according to your intentions. Simply put, that means we do what we intend nothing more and nothing less. For example, if you intend to drive your organization to being customer focused, your actions posture you toward focusing your efforts on customers. Likewise if you intend to drive your family to putting faith first your actions posture you toward living your faith by prioritizing activities of faith, and not other things.
What makes us so hypocritical is that we don’t actually do what we intend to do. Yet we place value on things that we do not do. This logically doesn’t make sense. This cannot be the right way we do things. The apostle Paul recognizes that and tells us that our actions matter especially as they relate to our intentions.
If you think kids pick up their parents’ words and behaviors, just think about all that influencing you are doing to the people around you. I’m sure you’ve picked up your siblings, friends and co-workers’ speech and mannerisms. I know I have. We are all influencing each other because our values are dictated by our actions.
On What and How You Teach
When teaching values, because leaders do more than model the behavior they want to embody in a culture, they teach it. We must do three things in our teaching, according to the Apostle Paul that make our teaching powerful– our teaching must have integrity, dignity, and sound speech. Three quick hitters on that comment:
- Teaching with integrity means that when you set up a teaching moment, it is honest and open. The words you say are real, even if they are raw, and represents you, as a person, and the actions you embody.
- Teaching with dignity means that you are not wasting your breath or somebody’s time with empty words. The things you are saying matter, and are timely and are serious in nature. Teaching must be applicable. Dignity in teaching requires the concepts and things you are teaching to be worthy to be taught. If you’re not teaching things deemed worthy, then why are you teaching them? Ask yourself that question the next time you prepare to teach.
- Teaching with sound speech means that you’ve actually thought about what you are going to say. I know there are some leaders and teachers out there who claim that “wingin’ it” is there style. But be real, when you are teaching on the fly, your arguments, your points, your methods, they become flawed and what you intend on teaching doesn’t actually come out, but what you accidently taught becomes apparent.
If you’re a leader at home or at the workplace, consider how you are modelling and teaching and make sure your intentions are aligned with what you model and teach.
Prayer: Father, thank you for giving us Jesus Christ, your son, to model and teach us the right things and the right ways. Help us be the same type of model and same type of teacher that you given us to follow. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
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