Finding Your Voice as a Leader

The Power of One voice

In the early 1800’s a young man with great wit and satire in his speaking came onto the stage in his early 20’s. William Wilberforce was well known as having the ability to humiliate those that opposed his views on the political stage. When approached by abolitionist early in his life he thought to reject the idea of undertaking abolition as it wasn’t politically expedient. As a young man he lacked a voice. However, the issue of slave trading was so deplorable that eventually he agreed. What was it that led William Wilberforce to undertake the cause of abolition?

I believe it was due in large part to a drunken sailor, a man who invented curse words. A man who was so cross, so vile that he was on one voyage placed in the hole of his ship with the slaves that would eventually be traded. In one instance because of his crossness he was left in slavery on an island and forced to work as a slave. He was rescued by a letter from his father. He managed to rise through the ranks and on one adventure a storm so powerful threatened to rip his ship apart and he cast himself at the mercy of God and converted to Christianity. As his faith in Christ began to grow he swore off slave trading and began studying the scriptures, Latin, and Greek, and decided that his greatest purpose for the rest of his life would be to share his faith as a minister. He was commissioned in the late 1700’s and eventually in spite of his past was given a parish to lead. His boldness led him to often preach about his conversion and on one Sunday in the 1700’s he shared his conversion in great eloquence. “Amazing grace” he said, “how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, was blind, but now I see. It was grace that taught my heart to sing and grace my fears relieved, How precious did that Grace appear, the hour I first believed.” John Newton.

[1]

It was in his teen years that William Wilberforce was introduced to John Newton the drunken sailor, the cross speaker, and former slave trader. John Newton took Wilberforce under his wing and became his mentor. The following years leading up to Wilberforce’s election to parliament were filled with conversations about God’s grace and love for all men in spite of their station, or their race. If God’s grace could free a sinner like Newton surely he wished to see all men free from their chains. Wilberforce was given a great gift for speaking and satire, and ridicule. His wit was his sword. Used for God this satire tongue could change the thoughts and hearts of parliament. I submit to you that John Newton was the reason Wilberforce became a great voice for abolition.

Amazing Grace In 1807 a 286 to 13 vote of parliament was passed to ban slave trading! Wilberforce demonstrates the power of one voice!

How does a leader get his voice once he is summoned?

A leader must have character to get his voice. He must be above reproach, humble and have a great passion for people, and for God. In Newton’s case his character would have been a problem. Even though he was now a minister, he was at one time a slave trader. This was not the case with young Wilberforce. No matter how much Newton spoke of God’s grace to break the chains and the terrible thing that slave trade was he had no voice. It was a divine appointment the relationship between Newton and Wilberforce.

Wilberforce, who was known as a philanthropist, was such a man. Having met Newton he had found a father figure which he lacked and had desired. Newton’s mentoring brought Wilberforce into Christianity and brought out of him his God given talents. He had the ability to tell the truth in ways that effectively rendered his opponent’s silent. He was witty. Wilberforce was the first to use truthful satire to humiliate the lack of good sense his opponents demonstrated. Wilberforce’s mentoring in the scriptures and with John Newton gave him a keen ability to recognize right from wrong. He was spiritually alive in his pursuit of the cause of abolition and good and evil. All great leaders are chosen by history and the greater the struggle the greater the leader. God is delighted to watch as those that are appointed divinely rise and live out their purpose before them. Wilberforce’s satire was original and innovative, and he was encouraged to use his gifting by John Newton as a weapon of mass instruction. Today in our political world we have many entertainers who use satire to expound the wrongs and lack of common sense of our elected officials. However, Wilberforce was the first such politician to use it for good!

Summoned leaders are truth tellers. Summoned leaders know right from wrong and are spiritually alive with their cause. Summoned leaders are originals who use innovative means to get their message out effectively. Summoned leaders get their voice because they have the character and common sense to tell the truth, because they are alive spiritually discerning right from wrong, and because they are innovative in getting their message out! These are given a voice not because people hear them, but because a divine God knows that people will hear them. Wilberforce was summoned.

The measurements of a summoned leader!

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How can you recognize a summoned leader? I believe along with Dr. Sweet that there are qualities that seem to be always present in a summoned leader.

They are optimistic. There is something in them that believes and looks out at the world, at people in a positive way. When others see the obstacles summoned leaders see opportunities.

Summoned leaders have integrity. It is not that they haven’t ever made a promise that they broke, but that they are trusted. Those that follow see in them that they are real, authentic, and an authority on what they are doing, and they follow. These are people who do what they say.

They are idealistic. They have a great cause or injustice that must be righted. They face a problem or a difficulty that they believe can be solved or corrected. They believe in their abilities and in their hearts that whatever it is they have the moral authority to face it and change it for the better.

Summoned leaders demonstrate endurance. They are enduring leaders. They are willing to finish what has been started. Abolition of slave trading was ended in 1807 by the British parliament. However, slavery and slave ownership was not abolished until much later in England. Wilberforce stayed the course and fought for this even after 1807. Summoned leaders finish well.

If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large.” William Wilberforce

[3]

Do you feel like you have a voice?

What is more important the message or the messenger?

Can you think of a modern day summoned leader?

Links:

Johnnewton.org / The Newton Project

http://www.puritansermons.com/newton/newt_b.htm/ The letters of John Newton

A historical time line from Google: http://www.google.com/search?q=william+wilberforce+and+john+newton&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=2s1ZS5_OKMqztgeu5d2VAg&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=11&ved=0CC4Q5wIwCg

Leanardsweet.com

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[1] http://www.johnnewton.org/Articles/72951/The_John_Newton/Resources/Amazing_Grace_service.aspx%20/ Amazing Grace Sermon as delivered in Newton’s Church. January 22, 2010: 10:15 AM

[2] Summoned to Lead by Dr. Leanard Sweet; Chapter 2.

[3] http://thinkexist.com/quotes/william_wilberforce/ January 22, 2010: 11:05 AM

Maxim 1. Leaders are summoned!

The Problem with the Vision Thing

What is wrong is “the vision thing.” Our understanding of leadership needs to be turned upside down. The future needs ears even more than it needs eyes. To put it bluntly: The whole leadership thing is a demented concept. Leaders are neither born nor made. Leaders are summoned. They are called into existence by circumstances. Those who rise to the occasion are leaders. (Leanard Sweet)

Leaders don’t have a vision first they have a calling, a summoning to do something. They have nothing in the beginning, no strategy, no plan, and they can even lack vision. Leaders are called. Leaders hear that they have a mission and move.

If this is the case; titles, position, and popularity are not the true makings of leaders. Rather those who rise and can effect change are leaders. These thoughts remind me of the statement often made by political leaders about history choosing them and defining their legacy.
In ministry you may desire an office, and that office is a good work. Whatever your qualifications are the main issue for leading is your calling. You will be moving and your work will be good. Your calling is made sure, your summoning, by the fact that you are on mission and effecting change in the area you desire to lead. At first, there is no need for a title, there is not even a need in the leaders mind for a plan. The leader is moving though. The leader is in action. He is rising.

This definition of leadership is very much in line with what I see in many Biblical leaders. For example, Nehemiah didn’t have a following, didn’t have a position, didn’t have any money but he was summoned. His summoning led him to carry a sad countenance with his cups before the King. All he had was a calling, a summoning. He had no vision, and no plan until he got to Jerusalem for rebuilding the walls. He was incredibly ignorant of the tasks necessary, or the necessary resources he needed. All that being said, when we was given the resources he was quick to develop a plan. When he assessed the walls he was quick to come up with a strategy for accomplishing the task. Then he shared the vision. What made him a leader was that he was willing to rise to the occasion of fixing the walls that were broken down. He risked death to present what God had summoned him to do.

Dr. Sweet talks about the book Good to Great by Collins and how he defines leadership. Collins suggests that it is “the intentionally humble and quiet leaders who truly make a difference. Humility can win out over more powerful organizational forces.” It is often the culture of the company that produces a great leader rather than the other way around. Great companies often have humble and quiet leaders who have been summoned to a cause greater than themselves. If this is the case character not vision is the stuff of leadership. What matters most is not the clarity of your eyes (Vision), but the charity of your heart and the clearness of your ears. (Leanard Sweet)

Summoned leaders can make things happen. There is a divine energy that causes, effects what they have been called to do to move. Can you cause a thing to go? Leaders who are summoned can cause a thing to go. The Old English word for lead means to “to cause a thing to go.” (Leanard Sweet)

History will be our guide. We will look at leaders in history as we go through and chase this thought with Dr. Leanard Sweet. If leaders are summoned and then given a voice what great leaders have risen to the occasion and demonstrated incredible gifting and divine direction in the midst of circumstances that were perilous?

I can think of many such leaders Charles Shackleton is just one such man who was summoned to lead in difficult circumstances. Abraham Lincoln is maybe our greatest president because he summoned to lead in the midst of the circumstances of his time. Martin Luther King is another who amid racial turmoil was summoned to lead. It seems to me that all great leaders have a great dilemma into which a divine God places them and it is His great pleasure to watch them lead. They are often unknown, ordinary people who lack often what the world believes are necessary skills and training. However, they were made for what they are summoned to.

I am reminded of the movie Apollo 13. There is a quote in that movie that is truly great. It is not, “Houston we have a problem.” It is when the Nasa Director says what he is thinking. “I think this could be the worst disaster in NASA history.” Gene Kranz the mission coordinator says, “With all due respect sir, this could be our finest hour.” I would like to submit that Kranz was summoned to lead for that moment in history. He studied all his life for that moment when God thrust him into the lime light as mission coordinator for Apollo 13. With passion and great leadership skill Gene Kranz motivated his people telling them, “We've never lost an American in space, we're sure as hell not gonna lose one on my watch! Failure is not an option.”

The thing about summoned leaders is that they rise. They have the character to overcome their circumstances, and often great failures produce great leaders. Summoned leaders care about what can be done and they make things move. I don't care about what anything was DESIGNED to do, I care about what it CAN do. Gene Kranz Apollo 13 Coordinator

Summoned leaders care only about what can be done. They were designed for the moment into which they have been placed. They rise and go and make things happen for the better!

What is more important your vision, or your character?

Can you think of a leader in history who you believe was summoned to lead?

What role do you believe God plays in leadership?

The Maxim Vision

“Maximizing God Maximizes Business Success”

Mission statement: To take the gospel into the business world boldly and find the men and women of peace God is drawing to himself.

Vision: To reach out through leadership training to the business world sharing the Gospel with as many business men and women as possible. To create a business institute for equipping faith based business leaders in sharing their faith and being successful in business.

5 year faith goals

1. To reach 1000’s of businesses each year with Maxim for leaders.
2. To continually open up a Chambers to Maxim for Leaders training events.
3. To share the gospel with thousands of business people annually.

Values:

Excellence: To assist businesses in creating excellence in their service, in their products, and in their leadership.

Ethics: To assist business leaders and employees with a greater understanding of the ethics necessary for a productive work environment.

Encouraging Faith: To assist and equip as many business leaders as possible to share their faith publically and proudly. To assist business leaders in prioritizing, valuing, encouraging faith in the workplace.

The Dream
This is the dream of men and women coming once a month to a local business chamber for a business training that is faith based and that shares the gospel. It is the dream of engaging local pastors in reaching their business community and bring ethics back into the workplace. It s the dream of putting God back on his pedestal and assisting devoted followers who work in sharing their faith through business leadership development. It is the dream of seeing business leaders come to faith in Christ and grow to become the men and women that God will use to reach their communities with the Gospel of Jesus. It is the dream of a business institute that trains pastors in reaching the business community and loving local and large based companies. A Christ focused chaplain for every business in America!

Step 1: Find committed prayer warriors who will lift up this vision before God!
Step 2: Find and recruit a second Chaplain who will assist in carrying this vision!
Step 3: Find local Christian business men who will assist in supporting these men in their gospel mission.
Step 4: Begin the work of opening a second chamber to Maxim for leaders.