An Honorable Leader

“For Mordecai the Jew was in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was powerful among the Jews and popular with his many kindred, for he sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all his descendants.”

Esther 10:3

Good leadership is a difficult thing. Those who follow put their trust into the hands of their leaders, and leaders must honor that trust. In an age of Enrons and Tycos, what does it mean to be an honorable leader? The passage in Esther shows us one way: leaders honor the trust given to them by being dedicated to the welfare of those they lead.

On the battlefield, no leader worth his salt willfully endangers those in his command or knowingly leads them astray with false information. Likewise, those of us in leadership positions in churches, businesses, schools, and organizations must never lead in a way that harms those who have put their trust in us. Sadly, however, it happens too often. Church leaders betray their parishioners with spurious theology and weak moral fiber; business executives keep for themselves a disproportionate amount of the company profit; teachers fail their students simply by not teaching them with vigor and passion; and heads of organizations mislead their members with bad accounting and a lack of vision.

Perhaps the rules of the battlefield should apply in every other sector of life. Anything less than a total commitment to the welfare of those we lead is a dereliction of duty.

King Ahasuerus was a just king, and he put his complete trust in Mordecai, who was allowed to make edicts in the king’s name and serve as ruler over the Jews. The good rule of the king was freely extended through Mordecai and from Mordecai to the people. There was an unfettered flow of just rule from top to bottom, in other words, from CEO to janitor, captain to private, principal to student.

But here’s the rub. Being concerned for those under you, seeking the good of those you lead, interceding for the welfare of those in your keeping—all of this takes dedication, sacrifice, and perseverance. Good leadership doesn’t simply happen. One has to be intentionally committed to it. But what’s the payoff? The dedication, sacrifice, and perseverance of those you lead. Treat those who follow you well, and they will follow well. The rules of the battlefield, turns out, are also the rules of Christian leadership: Leaders who serve their followers will earn the loyalty of those followers.