Theology of Credible Leadership - Lesson 6

Dr. John Johnson
Theology of Credible Leadership
Arguments For Leaders
Lesson Transcription

We now move to, another theme, and that is, leaders, and we'll use this word necessity, or maybe we could say just how essential are leaders? We move now from definitions, which we, again, we have landed on this core definition.   

A leader is someone who serves, the context goes back to John 13, where Jesus, both modeled and declared, what leadership is that John actually, does as he reflects upon that. And remember, again, John makes the point in light of who Jesus is, this is what leaders do.   

He's not setting up a contrast, but an actually a natural sequence. The greater one is, the greater one serves. Think of it that way. 

But now we come to this question of necessity. Do we really need leaders? It’s a fair question. We assume it to be so, but not everybody makes that assumption.   

Today, I found myself fascinated with watching, the Crown. And there's one particular episode called the marionettes. The marionettes, was titled that particular episode, to describe those who are like puppets on a string. And Queen Elizabeth, as she is wrestling and dealing with, the monarchy, begins to fear that is becoming something of the past, replaced by republics or democracies, where the leadership role of an aristocrat will amount a little more than a puppet on a string.   

She begins to wonder, is my role as a leader really necessary today?   

So in a broader sense that, that is the question. Is leadership really, essential? Are leaders at any level, whether they are queens or kings or presidents or corporate presidents, pastors, coaches, generals, really necessary? Or have we created some mythical fantasy, elevated some to, unrealistic proportions?   

Are they an invaluable resource or are they more trouble than they're worth? This is the question I, want to raise here. We have this idealism in our minds, and maybe this gets to the crux of the issue.  

We are leaders necessary. Well, there's part of us that says, yes, they are, are necessary. We, we in fact, have this idealism. There is a Walter Bava, I'm not sure I'm pronouncing his, his, his name, right, or journalist back in 17th, 18th, hundreds, who wrote these words that human imagination loves to, loves to surpass human power.   

What, what he, he's saying is in the broader statement he was making, we, we have this imaginative idea of a leader who steps into the stage, and he captures the, the minds and the hearts of men and women. And he steps up and he leads as this world statesman.   

And he does these amazing things with his wisdom and with his craft, and makes really good decisions and sets great policies. And everyone almost bows at this idealism of who he is and what he does. But the point is, human imagination so much loves to surpass human, power is the point that no one really can live up to it.   

And I think he's right. What he's saying is that we have this propensity to put people up on pedestals, and we in our imagination create this aura, this idea, this expectation of what they're going to do and what they're going to perform. But of course, they never really can. And we do it.   

You see it at every level. We do it with presidents. We have this big inauguration every four years, and there is this crowning movement. But then we'll spend the next four years doing everything we can to criticize and to feed the person. And sometimes we do it in the church. We, we have this idealism of the perfect pastor, but then we begin to criticize because the reality is in our imagination, it goes beyond the realities of human power.   

We can't live up to that. And so, to this question, do we need leaders? Well, yes, part of us does, and part of us holds to a certain idealism, but there are some that say no, because well, leaders make a mess, mess of things. Well, of course, they make a mess of things because they're fallen. So, to this question here, let's look at for a moment, we'll look at arguments for, for leaders.   

That is what, what do we see as the reasons why, we need leadership? Well, it's not too hard to figure out. There are lots of reasons. Leaders, and I'll just give you some phrases. Leaders are the grand architects of history. Oh, that's a, that's a pretty bold statement, but some would say, that's why we need leaders.   

They design, they draw out, they, they set histories, course, they have their hands on the tiller. They're the ones that steer the boat, steer the ship. They’re the ones who point the way. We need someone to be on the bridge, so to speak. Leaders are the ones who create the momentum.  

Without leaders, things tend to drift. Things tend to be status quo. Things tend to stop. Leaders mobilize the energies. They bring the will of people and the energies in a more corporate collective way. Together, leaders draw the lines. They establish the boundaries in which we live. They impose stability and they impose the order.   

Leaders determine our destinies. This is what some people would say. These are the arguments for why we need leaders. They bring leaders. They bring people, I should say, into the future. They take people from the past, people who tend to live in the past, and people who tend to be so absorbed in the present, they can't see the past or the future. They bring people along into the future.   

They start businesses. They start churches. They accomplish great tasks. They invent things. They lead nations. They lead courtrooms. They lead churches. They bring hope. Leaders, bring courage leaders, as one writer put it, are the critical fulcrum upon which history is levered. Well, there's a bold statement, so it's part of the reason.   

It's part of the reason. Therefore, when we think of leadership that way, that they're so lionized, so romanticized, so aggrandized, it's why some are willing to submit to totalitarian leaders. They, influence the course, the culture. They set the policy. They define, again, the terms.   

It's why in American democracy, American presidency remains the center. It's what we wake up and read about every day. It's right now in our presidential cycle. It's, it's what did Biden do? Where did he go? What did he say? What's his agenda for today? We want to know everything centers around that.   

Some of these convictions go back to Thomas Carlisle. He, had this phrase and this promotion, the great man theory of leadership. And, and he set in motion, again, an expectation of this great man theory that's still there in our culture, that history. History is ultimately the story of leaders. History's the story of men and women, who determine the course.   

What is history? Well, you, you have to turn to Lenin or Stalin or Hitler or Mei, or an Un. I should say, or Roosevelt or Churchill or Thatcher or Reagan, or the list could go on. What's the story of history? You, you go back to story of leaders.   

Its positions. It’s a position that has led to much so much debate. This great man theory of leadership is up for lots of debate today, but many of us still, still hold onto it. Barbara Kellerman, I often quote her, this professor at Harvard speaking about Carlisle and this great man theory said, it's the naughtiest of all leadership questions.   

And maybe to say it's what gets her in knots. It's when we discuss it in leadership courses, it's, it is the question, just again, how essential, how important are leaders? And, and so we are inclined to, to see leaders as necessary. We, we see them as necessary because we believe that leaders, tend to fulfill humanity's core needs.   

In other words, there's even something more visceral at, at stake when we think about leadership. Freud found that given our wiring, people are made with this need for leaders. Why are leaders necessary? It's just the way we're made. It's just when we look at our DNA, when we look at our cre creative selves, we see that it's, it's how the universe was designed.  

Followers want leaders even more than leaders need and want followers. It's just the way we're wired to do. We have the strong need for an authoritative type, a figure, a father, a hero, someone to admire, someone who will dominate and direct, even if it leads to mistreatment.   

We tend to stand off their flaws and failures. What explains, I mean, don't you feel this way? Sometimes you look and you go, what explains a Putin or a Xi or, an ayatollah, people who live under oppressive regimes and, and yet they follow.   

There is something in people that just says, lead me. Take care of me. Shepherd me. We get caught up in our fascinations, and we choose leaders because we need to, and we create idealisms that go beyond the leader.   

I, I think of a recent church that I was helping shepherd until they got their next pastor. I still remember the morning that the, that the search committee got up and they gave this glowing description of the candidate they had chosen that they were bringing to the church.   

It wasn't a five or 10 minute, it turned out to be a half hour of the service describing all of his credentials, all of his abilities, how impressive he was. I remember sitting there going, this is a setup. No one can live. Up to the description, they, they, they gave the church. And, and sadly, that's exactly what happened.   

He came in this elevated status, but he could not live up to it. In fact, he did just the opposite. His leadership turned out to be a disaster. But part of it is explained again, by maybe going back to Freud, this need in us, in our wiring. We, we want someone, we have this need. We will elevate. We, we will create this idealism, this imagination that goes beyond reality just because we want this.   

And leaders take advantage of this, often justifying, their rule, their dominance, even their oppression, their autocracy, because people let them believing that without them, there would be no, no order. There would only be anarchy. And thinkers like Machiavelli. Thomas Hobbes made the point that leaders are necessary to keep followers in step.   

And so followers know that, and they want someone to keep them in step. Otherwise, there would be chaos. And given humanity's nature to succumb to one's passions to be selfish and dangerous, and help bent on doing wrong, leadership is necessary to preserve the order, the peace, and save people from themselves. So are leaders necessary?   

Well, there are lots of strong arguments for, for why they're necessary. Because of what many of them do, and because of what we internally need, a leader to be. I just read the story of Lee, qua Yu who, who came into Singapore, which is a fascinating place. If you've been to Singapore, this, this place that seems like all the world intersects at, it is a shopper's paradise.   

It is an economic marvel. It is  just a, a city, of great, great success. But when you, came in, he transformed it from what was “a disease ridden slum.” And this comes out of Kissinger's book to make the point that against all expectation, he launched Singapore into “an astonishing trajectory.”   

So, do we need leaders? Well, some would say yes, they are essential. They are, they are the future. They, they are the key. But what're we're going to look at next is the arguments that would actually say, we really don't need leaders.