SERVANT LEADERSHIP by Oscar Bonga Nomvete
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1. Servant leadership is having a servant heart that seeks to represent Leadership from God’s perspective.
2. A heart that is driven by the desire to give…not to greedily get get get.
The heart of God is a giving Heart; – He gave to the world his son.
3. A servant heart is the condition of the Heart – An Attitude. A mind set.
4. Self Centred Leadership is also an attitude.
Self centred leadership recognises “me” as the final authority above all.
Servant Leadership recognizes the greater authority of God.
Servant Leader is a steward of leadership to the authority above it.
Jesus was a Servant Leader, He said: “I do only what the father tells me to do.”
5. God is always looking for leaders who have ability to take orders. Not leaders who do what they like but those who will do what He wants.
6. God takes Servant Leadership seriously;
Moses got disqualified from leadership after he acted in his own authority.
Saul was disqualified as a leader after he acted in his own authority.
7. A Servant Leader is a servant to two parties: to God and to the People.
He understands the pain of the people. He is driven by the need to meet their need but he will not do it by his own strategy.. rather by a God given strategy.
Moses tried his personal strategy when he launched the Moses Ministry trying to deliver Israel from Pharaoh, killing an Egyptian Bully. But his efforts failed. So God took him to a School of Leadership for 40 years to take care of Jethro’s sheep the priest of Midian. What was Moses learning in the Degree of leadership that took 40 years:
(i). Recognizing higher authority and
(ii). Taking orders.
A Servant is someone who has mastered 2 things:
(i). Ability to submit to higher Authority and
(ii). Knows how to walk in humility.
What Moses accomplished, we would call it a Master’s Degree in Leadership, but God would call it a Masters Degree in Servantwood.
8. When a Leader operates on Self Authority, he is in the path of disobedience and therefore is already a failure. Why? because a path of disobedience is a path of failure.
Success is only guaranteed in the instruction of God. Half obedience equals no obedience. Both Saul and Moses were disqualified for half obedience not disobedience.
9. People with servant heart are not perfect people. They are imperfect people who are obsessed to obey a Perfect God.
10. Driven by needs around them not by selfish needs. Everything Christ did was driven by desire to serve God and People. Phil 2: Being in the very nature of God but Christ made himself nothing taking the very nature of servant.
11. Self Centred Leaders are out to make a show, to make themselves rich and famous…being in very nature as sinners yet they position themselves above everyone else. They reject the grace that brings perfection in Leadership. They are seeking to be served and worshiped. They are motivated by ego, they are not motivated by humility. They get their definition of Leadership from Personal Development not from God’s Idea of Leadership – Servantwood.
12. Servantwood and Humility are inseparable like the sun and heat, like winter and cold, like sugar and sweetness. What qualifies the white powder to be sugar is its taste – sweet taste. If its not sweet then its not sugar. What qualifies a mere man or women in the eyes of God to be a Leader is the ability to be humble. The proof of humility is treating others greater than yourself. The proof of Humility is the ability to Reach out to People.
13. Submission and Servantwood are twins. Every servant submits to his master. According to the Bible: Obedience is better than sacrifice.
14. Self Centred Leadership is characterised by self dependence. This is why God disapproves of self dependence, it excludes God. You can have self confidence but have no confidence in God. David had both self confidence and Confidence in God. He had more Confidence in God than in himself.
Goliath said “I will kill you boy”. but David said ” You come against me with sword and javelin but I come against u by the name of God of Israel”.
David recognized the strength of God and The authority of God.
Immediately After David recognized God, the terms of the battle were changed. The battle was no longer Goliath against David, but Goliath against God.
Every leader that puts God first will succeed.
God is not looking for perfect People or perfect Leaders. He is looking for perfect Servants.
David was not perfect but He understood the Authority of his God. Daniel 11:32 ” They that know the power of their God shall be firm and do mighty exploits..”
15. CHARACTERISTICS OF SERVANT LEADERS:
Servant leaders are willing to humiliate themselves for God.
Servant leaders are willing to serve God in His terms.
Servant leaders delight in obeying God’s instruction, they thrive on doing the will of God. (Such as David the Man after God’s own heart).
Servant Leaders are willing to walk in integrity. Integrity = Incorruptibility. Jethro says to Moses: “Don’t kill yourself with so much work, just elect leaders among the people, men of incorruptible character.
16. God is looking for a heart that desires to serve him in his terms.
Someone who will lay down all selfish desires. Saul allowed his ego to get on the way.
Servant Leaders are willing to be rejected by people as long as they have the favor of God.
God rejected Saul because his Pride and Self Importance got on the way of what God was doing.
God will use a Leader who feels the pain of the people – Ezra cried to God for the people and God moved through him.
God will use a Leader who hates what He hates and loves what He loves. If you hate sin and love righteousness, you are on God’s most treasured Leaders because He passionately hates sin passionately loves righteousness.
17. A servant heart is driven by love:
Genuine Love for people is the only reason why you would humble yourself to serve people.
Self love is looking for reason why people should respect you, honor you and worship you. Jesus opposed Self Love. He said: The least will be the greatest.
18. Servant Leader is humbled towards God and in return God uplifts the humble and rejects the proud.
Mature leaders can afford to be humble.
19. The proof of Love for God is serving people: “Peter if u love me feed my sheep.”
20. What is Leadership? – Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration, Ignited by passion, guided by a vision, Motivated by Purpose.
www.thejourneyofexcellence.com
Oscar Bonga Nomvete (MBA MSc) is a Leadership and Management Consultant based in London UK. He facilitates Leadership workshops for Organizations and Companies. His Passion is to train on the Principles that enhance Personal, Management and Leadership effectiveness. He is the Managing Director of First Pinnacle LTD and pursuing Doctoral studies in Business Leadership. An Entrepreneur, Author, and a Public Speaker. www.oscarnomvete.co
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