Ethicist Ciulla cites St. Augustine as stating, “Regardless of the outcome, the first and final job of a leader is the attempt to serve the needs and the well being of the people being led.” I contend that this statement shows exactly how things would be handled when answering the question posed by N. T. Wright, “What would it look like if God were running things?” While there are times when leaders appear to make decisions that are not in the best interest of the people, I argue that this never happens with God, because of His inherent goodness. As the psalmist proclaims, “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good” (Psalm 135:3, ESV). This supports the claim that God cannot and will not do anything that would ultimately harm any of His children.
Christians are called to be “imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1, ESV), so, though it may take courage to do so, Christian leaders need to follow God’s example when leading others. For this analysis, a foundational biblical theme can be applied to the practice of leading others are part of my ongoing research and writing on how Christian leaders, particularly church leaders, should treat the people who follow them. Christian leaders would do well to follow the same principles.
Love Your Neighbor
The apostle Paul wrote, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:14, English Standard Version), referring to the time when Jesus was questioned as to what law was the greatest. Often the phrase “Love your neighbor as yourself” is used as it applies to charity: feeding and clothing the poor, taking care of the downtrodden, or writing a check to a faraway cause so as to ease the giver’s conscience without getting their hands dirty. Sometimes it applies to interpersonal relationships and building community, such as how one personally deals with those at church or the PTA with whom they may disagree, or in their own neighborhood, perhaps being helpful to those who live within eyesight of their front porch. At work, this can be applied to getting along with coworkers, dealing with corporate social responsibility issues, or sponsoring a community 5k benefit event. While these are valuable, appropriate and traditional examples of the application of Jesus’ words, a less-than-traditional viewpoint asks, “What are the implications of ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ when it comes to leadership?”
Layoffs, restructurings and organizational change initiatives happen. Leaders are in a position of responsibility to ensure the long-term health of an organization and make the difficult decisions. In today’s competitive environment, and in light of the new employment contracts, people understand that no one’s job is guaranteed and that there is no longer such a thing as a job for life. However, leaders have responsibilities relating to how people should be treated, and how, when difficult decisions must be made, to carry out the implementation of the decisions. I argue that an ethical mandate exists for leaders to embrace the concept of “as yourself” and deal with others in the same manner they would want to be treated themselves. Recognizing that the outward and visible sign of love is the habit of practical service to others, states Wright, and that the love of God and of mankind go hand in hand according to Dupris. I feel it reasonable to accept Fedler’s premise that at the core of Christian ethics is love, demonstrated by how we treat others, be it at home or in the marketplace.
The basic phrase, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” can be found in a variety of places in the Bible, going back to Leviticus 19:18, then through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and in the writings of Paul in Galatians and James in his book. God should be a Christian’s first love, and loved with their whole being, but, as Clarke’s commentary addresses at http://www.godrules.net, this love must also be for others, shown by doing everything possible in all circumstances as we would wish others to do for us, because our neighbor is in the image and likeness of God, as described in the Pulpit Commentary, and according to Gill’s Exposition, “Love is due every man.” Since Christ taught that loving one’s neighbor mattered, here are two key criteria for meeting the requirements for loving one’s neighbor as it relates to a leader and their followers.
The first is dignity. According to Doherty, leaders have a moral and ethical obligation to look out for the well-being of their employees and be ready to come to their defense and aid if needed. Chuck Colson describes this responsibility of a leader to enhance a follower’s dignity by reinforcing the inherent dignity of work as a gift of God demonstrated on a day-to-day basis. The second criteria for leaders who choose to love their neighbors as themselves is compassion, demonstrated when a leader shows empathy for a follower’s pain, which, as an ethical concept, can be found in most cultural, religious and philosophical schools of thought. People want and need to know that their leader cares about what is going on in their life and trust that the leader is looking out for their well-being. Studies such as performed by Madden et al. show that workers who experience compassion have a deeper commitment to their organization, displaying pride and gratitude and doing inspired work. Nel’s findings suggested that treating people with compassion as Jesus did can give one a competitive corporate edge.
Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and with it comes the implied responsibility of doing so in the way that He would do, not as an option. How we treat others, including those we lead, reflects how we love God. It cannot be forced and it cannot be phony. Love must be genuine because it “rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6, ESV). Above all, love is our calling as Christian leaders. In the words of Wright, “Love is not our duty. It is our destiny.”
Lead well.