Apr 2, 2008

Leading by Encouraging Disagreement

The life and ethic portrayed in the gospels for followers of Jesus has always been counter-cultural. It always will be counter-cultural. And as such, it is also counter-intuitive. That means that following the way of Christ will often "feel" awkward or even wrong until you get used to it. It feels strange to try to love one's enemies. It goes against the grain in our culture to give money away and try to live simply.

No matter how often it happens, we are always surprised when the scriptures teach us things that are better than what our culture offers.

Every Square Inch has an interesting post up today. He says that when leading, we should encourage disagreement among peers and subordinates. Leaders who insist on their own way will not last long or be successful. It put me in mind of something Jesus once said. If I may paraphrase: You know the leaders of the Gentiles lord if over them, but if you want to be a leader in this movement, you must be a servant of all.

From Every Square Inch: "...it is the wise leader who makes room for constructive dissent and pursues alternative viewpoints. In some ways, it's unnatural to do so but it's essential to mature leadership and it's the gospel minded leader who is best able to cultivate this approach to decision making. Here are a couple of reasons why:" Click here to read the rest.