Leading Through Uncertainty: Embracing Humility and Stewardship

"Leadership is a stewardship. Now we don't use the term stewardship very much, but in ancient times a steward was someone appointed by a king to represent the king. So a steward had the authority of their authority, the king, because the king loaned it to them. It was given to them, and it could be taken away. And as we're gonna discover, this is true of our influence and our leadership as well." [00:03:05]

"Not only is it a stewardship, it's temporary, it's temporary. The clock is ticking. Time will eventually run out on your influence. Time will eventually run out on your authority. Eventually it'll either be taken away from us, or we will simply give it away, because it's temporary. And the reason it's temporary is we're temporary." [00:04:12]

"And we are accountable. Everybody is accountable to somebody for how they steward or manage their influence. But today's narrative, today's narrative reminds all of us that our accountability, our accountability as leaders goes beyond a boss, a board, a constituency, or a base." [00:05:13]

"That all the world would know that 'the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.' So when Nebuchadnezzar wakes up from this dream, he is terrified, and he knows it has something to do with him." [00:09:20]

"King Nebuchadnezzar, here's what the dream means. 'The Most High God has decreed that you will be driven away from humanity. That you're about to become like a wild animal. That you're going to humiliate yourself publicly. And that this will go on until you finally acknowledge,' and then maybe he takes another step back, 'until you finally acknowledge that the Most High God, not you and not Marduk, is sovereign over the kingdoms of men.'" [00:12:18]

"Leadership, even kingship, is a stewardship. It's a gift, it's temporary. Leaders and kings, leaders and kings are accountable. And so we dare not, this is our lesson, we dare not leverage our power, we dare not leverage our influence to oppress." [00:25:17]

"Your talent, your education, your family connections, your hard work, your discipline, or maybe just your plain luck, you know, puts you in a place of influence. But what you do with that influence determines whether or not you are a leader worth following, a leader worth emulating." [00:26:00]

"When we view our influence, however great or small, when we view it as a temporary stewardship for which we are accountable, we will be far less likely to spend it all, focus it at all, or leverage it all on ourself. And we will be far more inclined to leverage our leadership and our influence for the sake of those we have the privilege to lead." [00:27:24]

"We won't need to be reminded that greatness is more than progress. When we embrace this definition of leadership that incorporates the idea that it's a stewardship, that it's temporary and that we're accountable, we won't have to be reminded that people matter, that people matter most, that what's best for people is always what's best." [00:28:37]

"We won't need to be reminded that people matter to God, because we will live with the understanding that it's God who loaned us our temporary opportunity to begin with. So, whether you're leading a family, a business, a nonprofit, a division, a department, a team, a city, a state, or a nation, remember this." [00:29:55]

"Leadership, leadership at every level, leadership is always a stewardship. It is always temporary. And you are accountable. And here's why. Because the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men, and he gives them temporarily to any one he wishes." [00:30:12]

"Now all of that is simply the setup or the context for where we're going over the next three weeks. And next time we're gonna tackle the first of these three essentials for leading through times of disruption and uncertainty, so please, please, please, don't miss part two of 'Leading Through.'" [00:31:38]