LEADERS NEED PRAYER TOO

With an ever changing corporate landscape & huge demands placed on Leaders to “Cut Costs”, now more than ever it is extremely critical to understand the importance that “Leaders Need Prayer Too”.  As Christians, we innately Pray for those people who are closely associated with us.  We Pray for our Spouses, our Children, our Parents, our Siblings, our In-Laws, & I’d be willing to bet most of us even Pray for our Pets.  However, when it comes to the people we work with throughout the day/week, the people we spend most of our time with & specifically those who are in an Authoritative Role above us, I wonder how often we lift them up in Prayer?  I Pray the answer to this question is at minimum – daily. 

 

Depending on the strategic initiatives set for an organization especially as it relates to operating at peak performance to increase revenue while decreasing costs, often times Leaders are faced with making difficult decisions in order to maintain being competitive in the market place.  Initially, this was something that I struggled with until I came to the realization that it was not about me or those in Leadership, it was about GOD & honoring what HIS word says about Leadership.  Matthew 20:26 says, “Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,” My connotation of what this means is that while I am in Leadership myself, I am still an Employee who reports to a Leader, who is an Employee that reports to a Leader, who is another Employee who reports to another Leader.

 

As a Servant Leader, not only am I there to “serve” those in Leadership, I am personally there to serve my Direct Reports & other cross functional teams I work with as well!  In doing so, when I’ve faithfully gone to GOD in Prayer, I’ve seen how situations & circumstances have changed right before my very eyes.  Most recently, I had the pleasure of witnessing what I believe Leadership at its best as a Director of an organization sacrificed herself in order to save the jobs of several others reporting up to her.  As the organizational changes were outlined & I learned of her fate, I immediately recalled the Scripture, John 15:13 “Greater Love has no other than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  Throughout our conference call, I silently wept because of the relationship that had been formed with this Leader & so many of her staff over a span of greater than 10 years.  My sentiment was shared amongst many of the other Leaders as she will be sorely missed.

While most people would literally save themselves & state “Every Man for Himself & GOD for Us All”, while she will never admit it, I believe she did the direct opposite of what most of us would have. In doing so, I am humbled by her expression of Love, for her Leadership & the Leadership experiences she’s not only taught me, but has shown me over the years.  I’ve learned so much from her style in how she handles difficult situations & how she exemplifies what it truly means to “Care” for your employees.  With that, the absolute least I could do is to continue lifting her up in Prayer daily as I’ve done for the last 10+ years.

 

She has left a Leadership Legacy that so far is unmatched & at minimum, it takes nothing for me to Pray for someone who has sacrificed for myself & others.  I’ll continue this charge & my GOD given responsibility Praying for my New Leader as I walk into the next chapter of my life.