Categories of Leadership
While there are only two causes needing leadership, there are eight types of leadership style categories.
All circumstances can be classified in one of only two categories: Either there is a crisis or there is calmness. A good leader can take a crisis and turn it into a blessing instead of a curse. A good leader can also use calmness to prepare so that a crisis doesn’t happen! It takes two very different actions to respond to these two categories.
While there are only two categories, there are three good leadership styles that are available: Hero, Shepherd, or Servant. Most leaders possess a combination of these traits. Each of these good leadership styles has a very bad destructive leadership style that must be avoided. The bad leadership styles are Tyrant, Hireling, and Master. There is a fourth leadership style that is available that can be contrasted as Novice or Veteran. These two opposite sides have some advantages and some disadvantages.
Leadership can also be defined by comparing men and women. It is important to realize that men lead different than women. Women make good leaders. They also can be terrible leaders! The style of leadership that a wise woman has that will make her a good leader is the Servant type. Occasionally a woman will need to be a Hero. As such, she must remain a servant or quickly return to being a servant. Good women leaders take the servant mentality to the highest level.
It is important to know that women don’t make good pastors. The woman is not ever referred to as a shepherd. Because of the following verse, women pastors are a mistake.
I Timothy 3:2 “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;”
However, I have had women bosses. In fact, some of the best bosses I have had were women. My sisters are examples of good women leaders.
The types of leaders are compared and contrasted in the following way:
or
Veteran (Experienced)
Leader
The opposite of a Novice is a Veteran Leader. The Veteran leader knows when to use the good leadership styles presented here under the right circumstances! The veteran leader must never use his experience to make leadership decisions but must always be seeking what God wants done! This will be apparent as you study the kings detailed in II Chronicles. Some of the best kings made major leadership mistakes later in their reigns. They used their past leadership to make bad leadership decisions!
A Novice is just a newbie. He is someone with very little experience being in charge. The Bible warns against allowing a novice to be a pastor or leader of a church:
I Timothy 3:6 “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.”
Everyone starts out as a novice. How a novice turns into a good Biblical type of leader is by making leadership decisions. Leaders are trained by using supervised independence. Let young leaders make decisions under supervision. If they make a mistake, step in and help them make better decisions. Some of the best leaders still make “rookie” mistakes as the study of II Chronicleswill reveal!
The danger of putting a novice in charge is that he may become a tyrant instead of a hero, or he may become a hireling instead of a shepherd, or a master instead of a servant. The main thing a novice needs to learn is how to be successful but not prideful!
The danger of a Veteran leader is that many times instead of seeking God’s help, he will rely on his past successes and will miss what God is trying to do!
Hero (Good) / Tyrant (Bad)
The difference between a hero and a tyrant is that the hero has courage as part of his character and the tyrant has cowardice. Compare King Saul and King David. King Saul looked like a leader but was really a coward. When he was revealed to the nation, he was hiding!
I Samuel 10:21 “When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.
And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.”
Throughout his reign, he was always afraid of what people thought about him instead of what God thought about him.
King David was introduced to the nation when he fearlessly fought the giant, Goliath! His courage was on display. King David cared greatly about what God thought about him! King Saul was a good example of a tyrant and King David was an example of a Hero.
Since the way to turn a novice into a good leader is by giving him supervised liberty, a good leader needs to be a good follower first. Notice that Saul was given the task of finding some lost asses in I Samuel 9:3. He never found them! When God told him to do something, he always did it half-ways. As a leader, he was a tyrant. He was always afraid of what people thought about him.
Remember the boat that is taking on water crisis: You are on a boat in the water and water is coming through a leak, filling the boat with water. It is apparent that if something isn’t done the boat is going to sink and many will drown or be eaten by sharks. A good leader will take control and get everyone to bail water and find a way to patch the leak. Water is thrown back overboard, and the leak is patched. Crisis averted!
This is great leadership. This is the type of situation that needs a hero type of leader. Someone who, with courage, will take charge and see that the job gets done. A novice here might succeed but runs a great risk of becoming addicted to the exhilaration that is produced by solving the problem. He ends up becoming a tyrant instead of a hero.
Many times, tyrants see themselves as heroes. I heard a pastor say one time, “I have to be a dictator to keep all of the want-to-be dictators from taking over.” He was not a good leader, and the church eventually split. In fact, it split several times. Tyrants don’t have the ability to train a successor because they must always be in charge. Real heroes and servants won’t follow their stupid mistakes and move on somewhere else. What they usually leave behind is a mess that someone must deal with after they are gone. Tyrants always need a crisis to stay in power. Their leadership decisions rarely solve the problems but instead create greater crises! They go from crisis to crisis to failure!
A real hero rarely sees himself as a hero. This humility is essential to transform from the crisis to the calm peace that follows. When a hero starts seeing himself instead of the sheep that follow him, he usually becomes a tyrant! Remember that there are only two types of situations: crisis and calmness. Never get them confused.
Calmness is not a time to wait for a crisis. It is time to prepare. Another crisis is on its way. Good leadership is ready to handle the next crisis. Great leadership is needed when it seems like nothing is happening. Many people view life as a series of crises separated by waiting for the next crisis. This is a mistake. Crises are prevented by the preparation during the time of calmness. Joseph in the Old Testament and his preparation for the famine is a great example of calmness Shepherd leadership.
Shepherd (Good) / Hireling (Bad)
The other type of leader that is needed is the Shepherd leader. A Shepherd is needed during the calm period that follows the crisis.
In John 10, Jesus gives the difference between these two types:
John 10:1-15 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.the door of the sheep.
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Here is a circumstance that requires the Shepherd leader:
Back to the boat sinking analogy. Before the boat ever leaves harbor, the Shepherd will make sure there are supplies on board to bail the water and patch the leak if it occurs. He will also make sure there are training sessions while underway so that all personnel are prepared when a crisis occurs. The problem with this type of leadership is that the Shepherd is not really noticed as having done something heroic. No glamor and no glory! Often the leader is not noticed because no crisis occurs!
When I studied the generals that led the allies to the great victory of World War II, I learned that they were great leaders of men. They secured the victory; however, they did not do a good job in the peace that followed. Much of the cold war was because of their inability to put away the hero mentality and embrace the shepherd mentality.
What to learn from Jesus’s teaching on the Good Shepherd in John 10
The Good Shepherd is polite and plays by the rules. He enters through the door! Not some other way. You have to open the door to let him in. The Shepherd type of leader does not take control by force and people will follow him willingly not because they are forced to follow him! A shepherd knows this and makes decisions based upon what is good for the sheep, not necessarily for him!
Look at Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Notice how He knocks and must be let in!
The sheep “follow” the shepherd. He goes before them as an example. It is not “Do as I say not as I do!”
They follow his voice. As he leads by example, he tells them how to follow.
Because they follow his voice, they reject the voice (advice) of strangers. Notice how this refers to the great advice the Bible gives. By following “His voice” (the Bible) they can go in and out. They know the Good Shepherd is there to help and protect them.
The enemy of the shepherd is not the sheep. It is the wolf, who is described as a thief and a robber. Further, his technique is described as “steal, kill, and destroy!”
The Shepherd not only brings life, He brings it more abundantly! A good Shepherd leader gives purpose and happiness to the sheep!
The opposite of a shepherd is a hireling. The hireling likes to think he is a shepherd, but he is only in it for the money.
Job 7:1 “As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:”
Notice the characteristics of the hireling are the same as the Tyrant. He is a coward and runs from trouble. The tyrant will remain and cause trouble by making bad leadership decisions. Fortunately, the hireling leaves. Both leave a mess that must be dealt with!
Servant (Good) / Master (Bad)
The difference between a shepherd and a servant is that the shepherd oversees something. A servant many times is just there to help the shepherd (or hero) do the job. A shepherd is always a servant, but a servant many times is not a shepherd. A Hero must always keep the servant mentality. In fact, when the crisis is over, the Hero must become a Shepherd. Unfortunately, many heroes become tyrants!
Jesus cautioned the Apostles to be servants instead of masters. Prayerfully, consider the following:
Matthew 20:27 “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:”
Matthew 23:11 “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”
Matthew 24:45-46 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.”
Matthew 25:21 “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
Mark 9:35 “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.”
Mark 10:42-45 “But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The servant does not seek leadership, and as such, leads a different way. He (or she) will use several tools to help during the crisis and the calmness. A good servant will use the power of suggestion. While not a “yes man”, he will suggest good leadership decisions to the hero or shepherd. The leader will listen, seek God’s advice, and make the difficult decisions. The servant will then do all in his power to implement the leader’s direction. Even if it is not the one suggested.
A good servant will also not seek glory or recognition. It only matters to a good servant that God is pleased!
A servant must always guard against the master mentality! Jamesput it this way:
James 3:1 “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.”
The best example of a good leader is the Lord Jesus. Most of the time, he was a Shepherd leader as He trained the disciples on what to do when He left. He is known as “the Good Shepherd.” There were times He needed to be the Hero. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and calmed the storms! He then went back to being the Good Shepherd. He was always a servant!
