Ramblin' Dan

Dan Roloff is the editor of TheHighCalling.org, and his blog, Ramblin’ Dan, has a little bit of everything. At times, a theologian, philosopher, comedian, publisher, sports enthusiast, and businessman, Dan offers a transparent look at the high calling of one man’s work.

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"All politics are local." So it is with leadership; influence is local too. I serve on the board of a local Leadership Foundation, Partners in Ministry. Although part of a larger national group of Leadership Foundations, Partners is local and its service and influence are primarily local. It may be connected outside the local area, but that’s more for mutual support and best practices. By concentrating on local needs, a community gets healthy.  A healthy community encourages other communities to do the same.

Leadership that focuses on the immediate, close-at-hand, and limited sphere has potential to save the world. Looking to Jesus as a model, we see him surrounded by a group of twelve. These twelve were his primary focus for leadership and his locale was basically Galilee to Jerusalem.  We all can acknowledge that Jesus’ leadership and message went way beyond his local sphere of influence.

Managing expectations and staying on course were two challenges Jesus faced as a leader. The Jews were expecting a savior, and for many, Jesus didn’t match those expectations. He didn’t come directly to the priestly class to save the Jews, and he didn’t raise an army to drive the Romans away. Those expectations were never part of Jesus' plan. Also, when he went into the desert and faced temptation, he refused to turn the stone into bread and take care of his most immediate personal need—hunger. The second temptation Jesus faced was something highly seductive—power.  Finally, Jesus was tempted with self-importance . . . the trap of leadership—pride (Luke 4:1–13).

Leaders need to look beyond immediate personal need to Jesus’ expectation for the Kingdom of God.  There is something more to life than our next want. There is God’s purpose, and a leader should be dedicated to understanding what that means daily, in every circumstance.

Along with leadership comes power. Once a leader influences another, power is realized. With power comes responsibility. Jesus recognized power’s seductive nature, and he did not succumb to it.  He used his power wisely and focused on his mission.

With influence comes power, which leads ultimately to pride.  Leaders need to battle an over-inflated sense of self-importance. Thinking too highly of oneself puts the leader in the position of testing God by assuming or presuming God’s authority.

Recognize the power of your influence.  Use it wisely to God’s purpose.  Be aware of the temptations of leadership and be ever vigilant.  Leadership is local.  It starts with you and those immediately around you who are affected through your influence.

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