Richard Stearns - Lead Like It Matters to God: Values-Driven Leadership in a Success-Driven World

The aim of life is not to gain a place in the sun, nor to achieve fame or success, but to lose ourselves in the glory of God.

SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

L ET ME START WITH A CONFESSION: I dont generally enjoy reading leadership books. I think thats because they always make me feel a little inadequatelike I dont quite measure up because I havent mastered the latest leadership methods and techniques. So its kind of ironic that I have now written a leadership book. Heaven knows there are literally hundreds of books out there, each hawking some approach that will lead to greater success, some new formula that will transform and catapult our careers. And I dont object to any books that will help leaders become better at leading because leadership matters a great deal in our world. Good leaders can change the world in remarkable waysjust as bad leaders can do serious harm.

But as a Christian, I have come to believe that Gods design for leadership is radically different from the secular models that so dominate the current landscape and have seeped into churches and ministries as well. Secular models are almost always outcomes based. They focus on what skillsets, what techniques, what leadership behaviors will deliver superior results. Good results and better performance are not bad things, but in Gods economy, they are not the main thing. In a world where success is king, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of believing that our identity somehow derives from the magnitude of our achievements rather than our relationship with God. I believe God is far more concerned about how a leader leads than he is about the success that leader delivers. Because success is overrated.

Yes, you heard me correctly, I said that success is overrated. Now I understand that making this statement, in a book about leadership, is akin to heresy. We live in a success-obsessed culture where winning is everythingin business, in sports, in politics, in school, and in life. We celebrate the wealthiest people, the most powerful leaders, the biggest churches, the winningest teams, the fastest-growing companies, and the most famous celebrities. We are literally marinating in a success-driven, achievement-oriented culture that permeates every dimension of our work and our lives. The drive for success and achievement is so pervasive that we dont even realize how much it influences everything that we do. Its like a colorless, odorless gas that we are all breathing. But it can be deadly. The dogged pursuit of success can become an idol in our lives that lures us farther and farther away from God. But God, as it turns out, is not all that interested in success. He is not impressed by growing revenues, increased church attendance, the size of your income, or the title on your business card. God is looking for leaders after his own heart, winsome leaders who will submit to his leading and trust him for the outcomes. A leaders character matters more to God.

Right now, you might be thinking: Easy for you to say. You dont know what I face every day at work. Its perform or perish. I work in a dog-eat-dog environment. Its a brutal workplace culture. If you dont perform, youre out, and you might be out even when you do perform if you get on the wrong side of the workplace politics. On Sunday at church I hear about putting on the full armor of God, but on Monday, if I want to make it through the week, I need to put on the full armor of the world. Because work sometimes feels like combat.

If thats what youre facing in your job, I totally understand because I worked in just those kind of tough, secular environments for almost twenty-five years. I have had some horrible bosses, worked in some toxic cultures, and have even been fired twice. But through all of it I learned that my Christian faith was not a liability, it was an asset. In the midst of all the stress and pressure, I discovered that when we truly take God with us to work, he will use us for his purposes.

WHEN WE TRULY TAKE GOD WITH US TO WORK, HE WILL USE US FOR HIS PURPOSES.

Mother Teresa, who was sainted by the Catholic Church for her lifelong dedication to the poor in India, once made a profound statement that thoroughly shatters our secular notions of success. Senator Mark Hatfield was visiting her in Calcutta and watching as she moved among the beds of the sick and dying. The senator was struck by the sheer size of the needs compared to the resources she had available. Mother, he asked, dont you get awfully discouraged when you see the magnitude of the poverty and realize how little you can really do? In a respectful way he was really asking her if she felt like she was failing in the face of those overwhelming odds. She answered him with this: My dear Senator, God did not call me to be successful. He called me to be faithful. Wow! In just fourteen words Mother Teresa flipped our success paradigm upside downGod calls us to be faithful, not successful.