Over the past few weeks, I have been doing a retreat in daily life, following the guidance from Creighton University. Week 4 is an exploration of the people you admire and the qualities that you admire about them. Both of my lists are pretty long, but a common theme emerged.
25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:25-28
A common quality of many of the people I admire is that they live out this form of servant leadership. In particular, though they are individually successful in their own fields, they use that success to build other people up. I owe a debt of gratitude to a few senior faculty who helped me along the way—both as a student and as a junior faculty member—and gave me opportunities to be successful. By and large, I cannot repay them, but instead must pay it forward by providing similar help to students and junior faculty as I am able.
In higher education, there are two broad classes of administrators. Some are climbing the ladder: chair, dean, provost, chancellor, president; switching institutions as needed to move up a rung; building their resume, taking credit for success, dodging blame for failures. The other broad class see themselves as faculty first, temporarily assigned to some higher duty. One symptom of the brokenness of this world is that the people in the first group get not only all of the glory, but also all of the money and power, while those who serve out of a sense of duty get used, abused, and discarded.
Servant leaders are still ambitious. The difference is in motivation. What is the objective of achieving success? The people I admire recognize that the people who can make a difference are the people who are in positions of power. Those senior faculty who helped me? They were able to do so because they were successful themselves and had resources and connections that they could use to the benefit of someone who showed promise.
In one of the assignments in my New Testament class, I commented that Jesus preached against the powerful, on behalf of the oppressed. The instructor agreed in part but noted that Jesus actually preached against oppressors specifically. He showed grace to a synagogue leader and even to a centurion, while railing against Pharisees who had influence rather than authority. In the same way, being an administrator or supervisor or other leader with power or authority is not inherently bad. What matters is how you use that authority, whether for your own gratification or to build a better world.
[WARNING: POLITICAL DISCUSSION AHEAD!]
I started paying attention to politics sometime in the Reagan era. Now, a person does not become president by being shy and unambitious. Regardless of how they arrived at the office, though, most presidents recognize that the benefits of office are far less than its obligations. America is a large, diverse nation with a unique global role. The office ages its occupant almost overnight—compare pictures of President Obama in 2008 with 2016. Yet, the presidency is still pursued by those who believe that they can make America a better place. I have disagreed with various policies and decisions over the years, but basically believed that presidents had good intentions.
I think that’s the root of what makes President Trump different. He never really embraced the idea of servant leadership, the idea that the presidency is more important than the president, the idea of obligations outweighing personal glory. He saw the presidency as a prize to be won, rather than as a job to be done.
President-elect Biden just gave a speech that went back to the traditional view. My hope and prayer is that he will maintain the attitude of a public servant, and that he can be an agent for change in the nature of politics. I worry that we are too far gone, but must have hope.
[POLITICS OVER!]
Another common quality of people I admire is that they care both about communities in the abstract AND about specific individuals. It’s easy to forget one or the other. Let me use The Rolla Mission as an example. Each person who comes in to spend the night, to get a meal, or to use the laundry has troubles in their life. Unique troubles, specific to their particular personal history. Figuring out what each person needs, and connecting them to the necessary resources, is time-consuming and sometimes heartbreaking. On the other hand, one of the great things about The Mission is that it’s open and available for people who are going through a temporary setback. That requires attention to the facilities, the staff, and the volunteers that keep it in operation, as well as the financial and other resources needed to support it. What is amazing is that the people involved balance BOTH the abstract needs of the organization that serves the abstract homeless community AND the specific needs of specific homeless individuals.
That is the kind of success that I want to be. Someday, I want to be known as a person who demonstrated caring by helping specific individuals achieve their own success, while at the same time contributing to the success of a bigger organization. Does that mean CREE, where I am currently the interim director? Or some other part of Missouri S&T? Or First Presbyterian Church of Rolla, or some other church or parachurch organization? I don’t know. We will see what opportunities God puts in my way. Until then, I will strive to remember the example set by Jesus, and by so many people in my life today, of putting the needs of other individuals and of the community above my own.
Beautiful 😍🥰🙏👏🙏