最好的領導者擁有僕人的心志 NEW

作家布里安在最近的著作【加薪和升遷絕招】中列舉 21 項有關個人在公司中能快速趕過別人的方法，條條管用，其中若干篇的標題像是「早些開始，工作努力，而且晚點下班」、「萬事人放首位」、「專心基本工作」等，都是瞄準標的。不過，有一篇的抬頭「衝向前方」引起我的助益，似乎我不論從哪一個方向去看，人人都在衝向前，以得到升遷，在交通尖峰時快走在前面，甚至在排隊買咖啡時也向前擠。

聖經中提到一位稅吏長的故事，他名叫撒該，精於賺錢和晉升，但是他邁向成功之路卻用了許多不光明的手段，在他服務區域內的人都怨恨他。

有一天當他聽見耶穌要經過他那裡，撒該也試著想擠到人群前面，可惜他身量矮小，人人又痛恨他，所以他擠不進人群。他靈機一動，就跑到前頭，爬到一棵桑樹上，要看耶穌。耶穌看見他，決定在撒該家住上一晚，這完全出乎周圍眾人及宗教領袖們的意料之外。當撒該面對耶穌，就悔改認罪，痛改前非，從新出發，過完全不同的生活。（路加福音19:1-10)

撒該身為稅吏對一般人來說是有權有勢的，但當耶穌進入他的生命中，他看清權位不是萬能，並因而以正確和公平的方式去服務人民，耶穌說：「你們中間誰願為大，就必做你們的佣人。」（馬太福音20:27)

今天的領導人也得學習同樣的功課，我們的工作是服事我們所帶領的人。以下列舉聖經中一位偉大的僕人型領袖保羅的一些建議，幫助我們成為一位有僕人心志的領導人：

• 厚待他人

當你的本性要衝向前排時，也要讓別人一同前進。保羅告訴羅馬的朋友「要彼此推讓。」（羅馬書12:10) 讓別人感覺到他是最重要的人吧！

• 關心他人

我們和同事一起工作好幾年了，很慚愧的是和他們的交情卻淡如水。當我們說：「你好嗎？」卻只希望他回答：「很好。」就夠了，不要多囉唆。相反的，保羅卻吩咐他的同工提摩太向腓立比的門徒說：「我實在掛念你們的事。」（腓立比書 2:20)

• 協助雜事

當許多人看見美國前總統卡特先生親自混合水泥和磚塊，幫忙為世界上流離失所的人建造一個家，他們就受到感動，也在哈比他地區參加勞動，投入人道造屋計畫。保羅勸勉以弗所的同工們說：「甘心事奉好像服事主，不像服事人。」（以弗所書 6:7)

• 帶著愛的光環服事人

這個偉大的命令必須是我們所有行動的指導原則，讓我們以愛心服事人，來取代向前衝，保羅說：「不可將你們的自由當作放縱情慾的機會，總要用愛心互相服事。」（加拉太書 5:13 下）


The Best Leaders Are Those Who Serve

In his recent book, Get Paid More and Promoted Faster, author Brian Tracy is both clear and blunt in listing 21 ways to get ahead in the corporate world. Chapter titles like "Start Earlier, Work Harder and Stay Later," "Put People First in Everything," and "Focus on the Bottom Line" are straight to the point. But one chapter entitled, "Push to the Front," caught my attention. Everywhere I look, people are doing just that, whether it is pushing to the front for promotions, pushing to the front in rush-hour traffic, or pushing to the front of the line at the coffee machine.

The Bible tells of a chief tax collector named Zaccaeus who knew how to push to the front of the line when it came to making money and getting promoted. But his drive to succeed in gaining wealth and position led him to use dishonest means, and the people he was supposed to be serving hated him.

When he heard Jesus was coming his way. Zaccaeus tried to push to the front. But being small in stature and extremely unpopular, he could not get through the crowd - so he climbed a tree instead. Jesus spotted him and - to the complete surprise of the religious leaders and the crowd around him - Jesus decided to spend the day at his house. When Zaccaeus met Jesus, he made an abrupt turn in motivation, offering to right the wrongs he had done and live a different life.

Zaccaeus possessed significant positional power over people as a tax collector, but when Jesus came into His life, he realized that rather using his position, he needed to serve them in a just and fair way. Jesus stated it this way: " And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant" (Matthew 20:27)

As leaders today, we need to learn the same lesson. Our job is to serve those we lead. To help us become servant leaders, here are some suggestions from Paul, a great servant leader from the Bible:

• Give Others Preferential Treatment.
  

When your instinct is to push to the front, let someone else go ahead. Paul told his friends in Rome to "Honor one another above yourselves" (Romans 12:10). Make someone else feel like the most important person!

• Show Genuine Interest In Others.
  

Often we can work with people for years and never get to know anything significant about them. We ask "How are you?", but hope that no one will actually answer anyting other than to respond, "Fine." In contrast, Paul commended his associate, Timothy, "who takes a genuine interest in your welfare" (Philippians 2:20)

• Assist In The "Less Important" Work.
  

The sight of former American President Jimmy Carter mexing cement and laying bricks to build housing for homeless people aroung the world has inspired thousands of others to labor in Habitat for Humanity's building projects. A leader's servant heart shines through when assisting to complete the menial tasks. Paul told the Ephesian workers to , "Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not men" (Ephesians 6:7)

• Serve People With Love
  

This great commandment must guide all our actions. Instead of pushing to the front, let's be leaders who serve people with love! "But do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13b)