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Let us start by simply looking at what the word ‘pattern’ connotes. Pattern talks about a particular way in which something is done or in which something happens. Take for instance, houses are built according to pattern. Cars are made with a pattern in view. Most of the cars that we admire today are built after some of the animals that we know. The airplanes, they are simply built after birds. Almost everything has its pattern from somewhere. There is hardly anything that you see in the world today that is not based on one pattern or the other. Even when Moses was constructing the tabernacle in Exodus 25:40, the Bible made us to understand that he had a pattern that he was instructed to follow strictly: “And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”
Listen to Podcast: Leadership According to Pattern
If we are to bring it home to leadership, there are patterns upon which successful leadership endeavors rests. For example, Jesus’ leadership pattern was characterized by love, compassion and servant-hood. It was completely different from the pattern of leadership that the world has to offer. I would like us to consider Jesus’ stance on leadership from the book of Matthew 23:1-7. The Bible says:
“Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’”
So, from here, we could see that there is a leadership pattern that emphasizes so much on “saying” and not “doing.” So, the leaders that are known with this pattern of leadership only say so much and they themselves are not “walking the talk” or doing what they are saying people should do. Now, the weakness of this leadership pattern is that it makes the leader a hypocrite, and one who cannot be trusted or followed wholeheartedly. So, this kind of leadership pattern is not good, it is not effective and it cannot produce the needed effectiveness in leadership.
The other pattern of leadership that Jesus showed us is embedded in servant-hood. It is a complete contrast from the one we first examined above. Leaders with servant heart have so much to show when it comes to the kind of result that they are commanding. It was with this pattern that Jesus was able to win so much people to Himself and commanded great results because people could relate with Him, His words are consistent with His actions. Luke gave us a picture of it in Acts 1:1 by documenting all that Jesus was doing and how He was teaching the people same. There was nothing that Jesus said that He Himself did not do, and this is what servant-hood means in leadership.
How Jesus modeled this pattern for us is documented in John 13:12-17. The Bible says:
“So, when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
Now what does this mean? To be a servant leader, it means that one must humble himself or herself. Sometimes it is not always easy to take that posture of being a servant even though one is aware that he is the leader. But it is a posture that we must learn if we want to really go far in leadership. In this story, we saw how Jesus stoop that low in washing his disciples’ feet. I don’t know how many leaders can do this today really, but we saw that Jesus did it. If we will go far in leadership, it then means that we must adopt this pattern in our leadership endeavors.
The underlying message in leadership according to pattern is summarized in this: it helps us to look at what has worked in the past and how to learn from what worked for others in their leadership towards effectiveness. It also helps us to look at the mistakes of others and how to avoid them in our own leadership endeavors. This is where it is important that we study leadership patterns and extract from them a few things that would be of benefit to us and our leadership as leaders. In subsequent weeks, we will examine wrong leadership patterns and what we must do to avoid those patterns in our leadership.
Thank you for the gift of your time, my name remains Abiola Obayomi. Please don’t forget to share this podcast with your friends and on your social media networks, also, you can drop your comments in the comment box below so that I can get to know what you have gleaned in this podcast. Till next time on Leaderview, stay leading and stay winning in your leadership.
[Centre for New Dimension Leadership]
