servant leadership

Spiritual leadership is the leadership of the Good Shepherd. As Jesus says, good shepherds know their sheep, and their sheep know them (see John 10:14). There must be a true mutuality between shepherds and their sheep. Good leaders know their own, and their own know them. Between them is mutual trust, mutual openness, mutual care, and mutual love. To follow our leaders we cannot be afraid of them, and to lead our followers we need their encouragement and support. ... Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd to show the great intimacy that must exist between leaders and those entrusted to them. Without such intimacy, leadership easily becomes oppressive. Henri Nouwen Bread for the Journey

So much of Nouwen's writing provokes thought and when reflected on I can find real circumstances where people feel oppressed or walked over or ignored. Often we don't need to change things for things sake. We need to change ourselves for God's sake. As I listened on my trip I found so much which reminded me of this. Christian leadership is not about management but about recognizing who is the owner/leader and being attentive to Him.