Leadership Ezra: Who’s In Charge Here? (Part 14, The Big Review)

In thirty years of life and experience in leadership roles in Christian organizations, there are lessons that I learned (and continue to learn) from the life of ministry to which God called me.  Over that time, He taught me lessons based on stories, principles, and truths from the Bible that have been translated into personal application.  This series of articles focuses on a set of those lessons drawn from the book of Ezra in the Old Testament (and then published in my latest book). This week, in part 14, I am reviewing all the lessons I’ve talked about in the series.

For the last thirteen weeks, I have been sharing various lessons on leadership that can be drawn from the story that takes place in the book of Ezra, and today I am pausing to review everything we’ve talked about. I started at the beginning by pointing out that this is a relatively short book, with ten chapters, that tells a 2-part story. The general story involves the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Jeremiah 29, when God foretold the return of the people of Israel to Jerusalem. Chapters 1 through 6 describe the return of a remnant of Israelites specifically for the purpose of rebuilding the temple, and chapters 7 through 10 – which take place years later – describe Ezra’s role in leading religious leaders back to Jerusalem to restore the spiritual culture of the people. In essence, it is a story of restoration by God, the restoration of His house and His people. Along the way, there are a great number of lessons that are applicable to the task of leadership for the Christian in today’s world, and those lessons are what I have been attempting to draw out from our study.

• The first thing we talked about, and one of the most important lessons in Ezra, is a big picture lesson, representing the overall theme for the book of Ezra, and it is this: God’s sovereignty operates in conjunction with man’s responsibility, in the context and for the purpose of restoration, resulting in relationship and purpose. Therefore, in the application of leadership, it is vital that we begin with an understanding that God has a plan and a purpose that can be trusted, and He is actively involved in the events of our lives, whether or not we can visibly see His hand in it. Thankfully, His plan is not contingent upon or predicated by our perfection, so He doesn’t wait until we are perfect before choosing you or me as a leader or carrying out His plan. He has a purpose, and you get to be part of it.

Get ready to lead – We then spent 3 weeks laying the groundwork for effective leadership, using the analogy of the starting blocks in a race, when all the runners line up and get into position, and the starter yells, “On your mark, get set, go!”

• The first command, “On Your Mark,” was all about getting to the starting line and in the right place by getting yourself into the right frame of mind and equipping yourself for what is coming.  It’s been said that leaders must be learners; but Christian leaders must also be learners of God’s Word. Therefore, in our leadership development, we absolutely must study Scripture, growing in intimacy with God. We need regular time with God, in prayer and in His Word. This must be central and foundational to what we do, how we live, and to our call or purpose from Him. By doing this first, we will learn to see people and circumstances from God’s perspective, shaping how we think and act. It is from this growth of knowledge and relationship with God that we are able to “walk the talk,” modeling and practicing what we know, and living authentic, genuine lives that inspire trust and result in effective leadership. Aligning yourself with truth by seeking and knowing God and knowing where He has placed you, and by establishing your foundational beliefs and values, gives you the capability to lead.
• The second command, “Get Set,” was all about getting into position in the right form, so that you are best prepared to start well. This is the crucial transitional step between the inward (preparing yourself) and outward (the visible work of leadership) pieces. In the word of Ezra 7:10, this is “to do it,” the step I would call “Living,” and it requires putting the Word of God into practice in your life. This means consistently and willingly obeying God’s commands, observing and following the truths of His Word. In doing so, you follow God in obedience with your practice, by what you do, and you provide an example of obedience in who you are. Performing the actions that set you up to be followed and trusted involves living your life so that your actions and behaviors reflect those beliefs, and that gives you the credibility to lead.
• The final command, “Go,” is when the starter’s pistol goes off and you start running. That’s when your work begins as you start leading your people and your organization toward your mission, vision, or change. At its most basic level, the work of leadership is challenging, and centers around and involves both people and tasks. It is, however, also incredibly fulfilling to be an instrument in God’s plan in that work. As His instrument, our desire and effort should be to do this work with excellence, and understanding these ten components will help us to do so. This is hard work and therefore requires someone who is both capable and credible, and that’s why this step must follow the other two. But with those things in place, the race is underway, and what follows are the things you do to maintain your pace and your race.

Team leadership – We deviated a little bit from our study of leadership applied to you as an individual and turned briefly to the study of leadership applied to teams.

• There are three components of a team that are evident from the study of Ezra: the leader of the team, the team, and (putting those two things together) leadership of the team. As the leader of the team, first and foremost, intentionally recognize and submit to God’s sovereign activity, purpose, and process in your life, in the team, and in the task. Make sure – and this one is absolutely critical, which is why I have included it so often in each of the articles in this series – that you are aggressively pursuing an intimate relationship with God and living a life consistent with God’s truth. Next, intentionally gather the right people around you, including those with leadership ability and those with wisdom, but especially include spiritual leaders who are humble and committed to God. Then, and only then, lead your team. Set the example in attitude and humility, assign responsibility, provide motivation, and work to maintain unity.

Tools and skills for your leadership – For the final seven weeks, we discussed several tools and practices based on Ezra’s leadership model that can be applied to your leadership.

• See the big picture – It is always important for a leader to determine and define the necessary and intended direction (where we are going), but part of understanding this comes from seeing the bigger picture of context from God’s perspective. When you are able to do that, you have an understanding of the destination that goes beyond the visible and immediate future. You recognize a purpose that is bigger than you, that is bigger than your big picture, and that has an eternal impact. What follows is an impact on motivation (why we’re going there) because people can see a clearly established and communicated purpose and motive, one that makes sense to and resonates, and helps them to understand and believe in why they are doing what they are doing. So, seeing the big picture is important, but seeing it from God’s perspective is more important. The challenge for you and me is to learn to open our eyes to God’s presence and intentional involvement, not just in the history recorded in Scripture, but in our lives today. It is to see the events and circumstances that are taking place in our daily experiences from His perspective. And when our eyes have been opened, and we recognize His sovereign purpose and see the big picture from God’s perspective, then our responses, our purpose, our motives, and our motivation rise to a whole new level.
• Let them be heard – I have learned that many people know much more than I do about many things, and there are many things that others can do better than I. I don’t know everything, and I am not the most skilled at everything. Therefore, I can be more effective when I tap into the knowledge and skills of others, but that, in turn, means giving them an opportunity to contribute. In addition, those who are closest to a situation – those on the ground floor – generally have the greatest understanding of what is taking place. The people actually doing the job often have the best understanding of what works and what does not. That’s why I need to give people a voice, especially in the process of implementing change. If people are given the ability to speak into the process, they will in turn take more ownership of it and will be more involved and more committed. That means I need to: 1) include those who will be affected, 2) provide a time/place for dialogue, 3) provide motivation to meet, 4) clearly define the issue, 5) give people an opportunity to safely speak, and 6) listen and take their input into consideration. Giving the people a voice will bring the best ideas, and it is then the responsibility of the leadership to filter the responses, seek God, and determine the direction.
• Light a fire – We all struggle with the question of how to motivate ourselves and how to motivate others. There are plenty of theories and ideas about motivation, and I won’t claim to have the corner on an exclusive motivational secret, but Ezra provides us with a scenario that teaches us two important components of motivation: 1) exhortation, being confronted with the difference between where you and where you need to be, and 2) encouragement, building the belief that it can be done and will be worth it. We need to confront people with the need for change by providing contrast, but we also need to encourage them with the view of the future that creates a belief in its value. Therefore, combine exhortation with encouragement but remember to keep your plan aligned with God’s.
• Face what’s in front of you – The obstacles and opposition we face can be overwhelming and disheartening, and therefore we must be ready to handle it. Ezra models three action steps we can take to handle them well: 1) be proactive by planning for potential difficulties, 2) be reactive by responding in the right way regardless of how we are attacked, and 3) consciously and willingly submit all circumstances to God’s plan and timing. There is no guarantee that doing work for God will be easy; if anything, there is a certainty that there will be difficulty in work (remember that God cursed the work of man when He confronted Adam in the Garden of Eden). We will encounter obstacles and we will face opposition. But if we are prepared, and if we respond in the right way, and if we trust God’s sovereignty, we can handle whatever comes our way.
• Celebrate! – Celebrations are important, giving us a way to mark those meaningful occasions and reminding us of the moments that really matter. When should they happen? Throughout the process: at the beginning, at the end, and at milestones and accomplishments along the way. How should they happen? Officially, visibly, and in a way that involves people. Why should they happen? To give praise to God and credit to people, and to remind people of what has been accomplished and overcome. Celebrations are good for the organization and for the people in the organization, and they keep God at the forefront of all that is happening. Celebrations build positive culture and build value in people, and those are things that should characterize effective Christian leaders. So, look for opportunities to celebrate, and make them a part of the life of your organization.
• Make a plan – Although there are many tools, strategies, and principles for strategic planning that can help you in your effectiveness as a leader, I discussed eight that are illustrated through Ezra’s experience provide some basic steps that we can use: 1) preparing yourself, 2) gathering the right people, 3) identifying the need/issue, 4) identifying the goal to be achieved, 5) taking time to listen, 6) establishing a process, 7) identifying obstacles, and 8) implementing the plan. Along the way, one of the tasks of a leader is to periodically assess what is happening, in order to confirm that the process is working (so that adjustments can be made if needed) and to ensure that the goals are being reached.
• Fix what you broke (or what somebody else broke) – Whether you, or those around you, have messed up by doing wrong, or even if something has gone wrong that has nothing to do with you and was not caused by wrongdoing, I see six steps should be taken: 1) own it, 2) admit it, 3) address it, 4) change it, 5) share it, and 6) check it. The bottom line is, ff you have blown it, own it. That’s where it starts. Get on your knees before God and take the steps you need to take to bring about restoration. There may still be consequences that have to be faced, but healing can’t happen until you humble yourself, and God is able to do great things as a result (as James 4:10 tells us, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up”). The grace of God is such that He can and will bring restoration, and He can do it in any circumstances. But it begins with you.

That was a lot of information, but important. It encapsulates everything we’ve talked about in the last 14 weeks. If you want more thoughts and study of these topics from the book of Ezra, order a copy of Leadership Ezra, available on Amazon.