Garwood Presbyterian Church

Being a People Person

Mark 10:42-45 and I John 4:7-12

Introduction To be a great Godly leader, we need to have 4 key character qualities in our life: reliability, learn ability, confidence, and the #1 quality of caring. We need to care about our people and let them know this. As the Bible says in I John 4:7, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God." But what is the best way to let our people know that we care about them?

1. Communicate With Your People
   1. We should meet with our people regularly, possibly once a week, one on one, and communicate with them.
   2. A newspaper article from last month in the Star-Ledger on Yankees' manager Joe Girardi pointed out that "A manager's job is mainly to manage people. And there Girardi has had problems. Girardi's shortcomings this season have been a lack of communication with players and some of his coaches." On the other hand, another Star-Ledger article on Mets manager Jerry Manuel said, "His communication skills drew rave reviews with players, something that was a point of contention with Randolph."
      1. We see the importance of communication for a leader when it is specifically pointed out as a key component for a baseball manager to have in two newspaper articles.
   3. When we meet with our people, the most important thing is not anything we say, but that we ask questions, and especially if there are any problems, and then listen to what they say.
      1. Jesus did this. See Matthew 16:13-16.
2. Make Your People Successful
   1. A number of years ago, the New Jersey Nets traded their best player, Stephon Marbury, for Jason Kidd, and many people criticized this because Stephon Marbury was a better player individually. However, Jason Kidd was able to make all his teammates better and more successful, and the Nets had their best years with him on their team, twice going to the NBA Finals.
   2. The best leaders do what's best for their people and help them as they need it.
      1. King Rehoboam of Israel did not do this and the results were disastrous, II Chr. 10.
      2. Jesus did this as a servant leader, Mark 10:42-45.
      3. Husbands are to do this with their wives, Ephesians 5:25.
      4. Elders are to do this in God's Church, Acts 20:17, 28.
   3. Great, Godly leaders solve their people's problems, instead of giving them problems.
      1. Ask your people what their problems are, and how you can help them to solve them.
3. Empower Your People
   1. Evaluate them as to how much they can handle, and what they need to be successful, and help them where necessary.
   2. Be a model for then, especially by your attitude and work ethic.
   3. Expect them to succeed and let them know this. Be a prophet of the positive & their success.
   4. Give them the authority to make decisions and carry out actions on their own.
   5. Show confidence in them and publicly give them your support.
   6. Give them feedback, both privately (mistakes) and publicly (successes).
   7. Release them to lead on their own.
   8. As a Christian, God also empowers us with His Spirit within us, Acts 1:8.
   9. One reason Toyota and Honda are successful is because they empower their employees, while GM and Ford follow the old leadership model of management versus labor.

Conclusion: God is the ultimate leader and communicated His love to us by sending Jesus, I John 4:10. And Jesus communicated with us as the Word of God, came as a servant leader and did what was best for us, including going to the cross, and empowered us, including sending God's Holy Spirit to us. To become God's great leader, be a people person and incorporate these principles into your own life.