I used to be hesitant to share my faith. Maybe even a bit fearful. I did not want to offend others. I did not want to lose my empathy or value of someone else’s beliefs.
It took me awhile to realize a couple of things: If (and when) I offend someone, that is their choice and not my intention, and if I leave my faith out of my story, I’m not telling the whole truth. It is my hope that my empathy and respect for others has grown since I came to my faith in Jesus.
My biggest hurdle beyond being transparent of my beliefs, is believing it was even possible to be like anyone in the Bible, especially Jesus. I still struggle with that today. After reading through the New Testament, there was one word that stuck out to me about Christ. He was responsible. It may sound simple, but this word, concept, impacted me and my style of leadership. I believe responsibility is one of the most defining characteristics of a leader.
In business, and in our own life, we impact our organization, and the world around us through the amount of responsibility we assume and hold. A true leader, like Jesus, takes the fault above and beyond their own. If something goes wrong in my company, it’s my fault, meaning it’s my responsibility. This stance is empowering because it positions us to make change and impact others. Harry Truman once said, “The buck stops here,” meaning you did not have to go to anyone further than him to get an answer to a problem.
When Jesus died on the cross, he assumed responsibility for every mistake, past, present and future. If we read history, not just the Bible, really read world history, we will find the biggest killer is not wars, disease, or famine, it’s indifference: “It’s not my problem.”
People want to change the world; I have learned, and am still learning, we can start by taking responsibility for problems outside of our own lives.