Jesus is one of the most challenging leadership figures to ever walk the face of the earth. No matter what you believe about him, Jesus had a way with people, and he knew how to motivate and encourage others to live for a great mission.
All good companies in some ways need a bit of religion. And what I mean by that is a product, message, service or way of doing business that creates a strong following from its employees and customers. You want people to become brand evangelists for what you do. And in that regard, we can all take some lessons from Jesus.
If Jesus was CEO of your business, how would things change? Would your daily routine be different? Wouldn’t you still need to make money to remain in business?
The number one thing that we can learn from Jesus is that he knew his mission and lived it every day. Other people came to him with ulterior motives and desires, and Jesus never let their wishes get in the way of the core mission. A great example of this takes place in John 6 after Jesus feeds a large crowd of thousands using only a boy’s lunch to do it. The masses were amazed, and Scripture records that “Jesus knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”
The people were looking for this great leader, and Jesus performing such miracles appeared to be the right candidate. But Jesus knew that his goal was not to take over the top office in the land nor to fight against the Romans. So Jesus withdrew. As the leader in your business, you need to know your primary mission, cast this vision to your managers and employees, and stick to it even when other people want to take you down a different path.
So, what is your mission? What makes your company unique? What things can you do better than others? Your mission is not just what you do. It may also be reflected in how you do it. Many companies don’t really know their mission.
Jesus said several times that he had come to seek and save the lost. Even as a child, Jesus claimed that he “must be about his Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). Jesus knew his target audience was not the religious leaders but everyday people – sinners in need of redemption. He commented in Matthew 9:13, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
All of this points to a focus that is critical to succeed. People who are great at something must be focused on it. This even includes a person who many revere today as divine.
There are even more lessons that we can learn from the life of Jesus. For more information, see the Seven Essential Roles of a Christian CEO on page 39 of the digital magazine on our web site. This information is provided courtesy of C12 Group, a Christian training and discipleship organization dedicated to entrepreneurs and Christian business people. You can find out more by visiting https://www.c12group.com/.
