The EGO in Leadership

John the Baptist reveals what Disciple-making Leadership looks like

As I have continued to slowly work through the Blanchard and Hodges book Servant Leadership, page 26 stopped me in my tracks. The authors share how ego can create issues in leadership; however, they do not stop with that discussion. Instead, they offer a piercing analysis that ego is really a heart issue - not a psychological one - and then describe good and bad ego with a simple acronym of the word itself.

• Bad ego - Edging God Out

• Good ego - Exalting God Only

Far to often, we “edge God out” of our lives and focus on ourselves. The antithesis of that action in Scripture is John the Baptist (JtB). Yes, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the best example, but I want to focus on an entirely human one as it removes the excuse of “well, Jesus was God.”

If you think about JtB, his entire life could be summarized in one quote. He delivered this amazing line as his followers came to him and shared that Jesus was getting a following. These students were “edging God out” but JtB quickly corrected their thinking by “exalting God only.” Do you know the verse I’m referencing? Here is that one statement from John 3.

John 3:30 (ESV)

30 He must increase but I must decrease.

Why does this matter for Disciple-making Leadership? JtB’s entire existence was to make disciples but, then, to point those disciples to Jesus. It was never about him and the number of students he had, but it was always about truth that flows from the Son of God.

As you fulfill your God-given call to make disciples, pause and ponder your real motivation. Is it to brag about the numbers of people you’ve discipled? Is it to say “look at what I’m doing”? Is it to absolve a guilty conscience that you should be doing something? All of those are “edging God out.”

Make sure that your ONLY motivation for discipling others is to glorify God as others learn to love Him supremely.