Men's Leadership

There is a glaring disconnect between men’s interest in leading grand enterprises like multi-million dollar corporations, non-profits, and political campaigns, and their interest in leading their families. We gravitate toward the one, and think these pursuits worthy of our utmost attention as if lives depended on us–and to be sure, they do–yet we run from the other with unholy fear.

How many politicians have you seen in the news who have built great followings with soaring speeches and pleasant words, but who set low bars for moral and spiritual leadership at home? Broken marriages and ruined family relationships are the result, because there is no one who sees the disconnect better than those who know him best. The disconnect invariably affects the worldly empire he has built, and like a wrecking ball, destroys the tower of good will that was once enjoyed.

The reason the disconnect occurs is that we men tend to compartmentalize our lives into various “profiles.” We create multiple profiles, not unlike the personal identities, or avatars, used for social networking sites. For one, we create a more business-like profile. For another, we relax a bit and talk about more personal things. If we’re really bold, we’ll mention God in one of them.

I think this tendency to compartmentalize is an organizational tool God built into us to allow us to do great things. There is certainly something within the male psyche that wants to go out and conquer the world, and the ability to leave our home life at home when we enter the competitive business world assists us in that. But is that really the ideal for men wanting to imitate the leadership model of Jesus Christ?

While there is certainly a place for presenting ourselves differently to different audiences (think Paul preaching on Mars’ Hill), it’s a worthy goal to infuse all of our social identities, whether as a businessman, employee, church leader, or head of household, with the leadership character and boldness of Jesus. We should not be ashamed to wear the name of Christ publicly and profusely, and more importantly, live the life of one who bears that name.

Does that mean we’ll always live up to the Gold Standard of leadership? Of course not. Nor does failure mean we’re not truly a believer, or saved, or a good husband or father. But as we integrate the message of the cross into every compartment of our lives, we make progress toward our overreaching goal of being a leader 24/7, not just in the workplace.

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