The Best Tool in Leadership
When I begin to think about the type of leader I want to be there are about 1 million examples that run through my head. I know there are certain parts of leaders that I want to be like, and there are for sure other parts of leaders I want no part of. I’m sure you feel the same way.
As we continue to dive deeper into what it means to be a Spirit-led leader, we want to talk about the types of tools that are needed to lead someone well.
But, before we jump into the tool, maybe we should start with a bigger question: Who are we leading?
From the local church to our own families, we all have to recognize that we are leading someone. Leadership, at its core, is the ability to influence people toward a desired direction or outcome. When we begin to think about leadership from this much broader perspective, then the tools we use to influence those people in our lives can be shaped/formed differently.
And if we want to lead like Jesus, then we must use the tools we have to help the individual while keeping the mission paramount in our minds.
That’s what leads me to the best tool I’ve found in leadership, and one that I see Jesus using masterfully:
Question asking.
I know, simple, but easily the best thing we can all do as leaders is taking some time to ask questions, and with a little nuance it might just change your entire leadership dynamic.
Look how Jesus uses questions to disciple and lead his community.
Matthew 16 tells the story like this:
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b]will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d]loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyonethat he was the Messiah.
What I love about this interaction with Jesus is that he uses the tool of question asking to help lead and make leaders. This is why this tool is so powerful.
He firsts asks the disciples who others say He is. He then gives no answer to whether they are correct or wrong. He is using it to let them sit in their thoughts.
The next round of questions gets personal, and in doing so He is discerning what the individual thinks of Him, and again He doesn’t confirm or deny in a very clear way.
Instead, he affirms that He is on track with the mission! The questions were never really about Jesus, but instead about their understanding of what the group existed to do.
If we take this same line of thinking into our own work then we can extract a couple of clear ways to use questions to lead others:
Use open ended questions to get your followers thinking about what they are doing and why it’s important. A good question can easily do the work of a dictation.
A well thought out question can help your followers begin to understand the depth of the mission they are on and why it’s important.
What makes this the best tool in leadership is that it turns the people you are leading from someone who is simply following to someone who is fully bought in with their own mind. As leaders, the most dangerous thing we could have is someone following us blindly, or someone who is unclear on why they are there. We want people who believe and buy in to the mission!
You can’t get that kind of buy in on your own, ask good questions and let your people wrestle with the answers!