Leaders and Followers

An article from an Educational Leadership magazine in recent months made me think seriously about our styles of leadership. The question raised was very simple – why do people follow you? And of course, why would they? There is an old maxim that appears in leadership journals occasionally: if you’re out there leading and nobody is following, then you’re really just out for a walk. Alone.
The seasons of Lent and Easter have made me reconsider the followers of Jesus and the tough decisions they had to make. It must have been exciting when Jesus was welcomed into town like a hero. It was probably amazing when large crowds gathered to hear him. There must have been unnerving moments when he was arrested – when the option of violence against the Roman authorities was tested. And then of course there were huge disappointments – Judas the betrayer possibly trying to force Jesus’ hand, and Peter the broken leader who denied knowing his leader three times. And most fascinating of all – the young John Mark who escaped the clutches of the arresting authorities by wriggling out of his clothes. They were heady times.
During the term in various classroom conversations we have examined a range of situations where people have made bad decisions - often mislead by bad leaders, or threatened or bullied by the kind of people you wouldn’t vote into power. It is a sobering thought that many of us, placed in similar tough circumstances, might also have found it difficult to do the right thing. We make wrong decisions even in peacetime, never mind situations challenged by war or oppression.
The story of Easter – the Christian tradition in its customary form - is about the apparent failure of a good man and beloved leader – who seems to allow himself to be cruelly tortured and executed without offering any real defence. The God-person Jesus bears intolerable pain and suffering, a punishment undeserved and probably meted out by corrupt and selfish religious and secular leaders.
The excitement of Easter – in this same Christian tradition – surpasses the thrills of Easter egg hunts and mandatory holidays. The gloom and darkness of a failed leadership campaign, and a gruesome execution, is eclipsed by a forty day period of resurrection encounters – where followers of Jesus, up to five hundred at one time – find that he is alive again.
Easter’s themes of new life, spring (in the northern hemisphere), and fresh beginnings are hopeful and invigorating glimpses of a better world, and the victory of love over hatred, and forgiveness over resentment and bitterness.
The life and death of Jesus are inspirational. Easter is a celebration of that life and death. The resurrection brings new energy to discouraged people at every level. The same power (literally “spirit”) that raises Jesus from the dead is offered to us – transforming our frail physical and emotional lives with a new vitality and energy, an enlivening and joy-filling encounter.
We often find ourselves weary and stretched as school terms come to an end. And in our personal lives we face all manner of challenges both practically and spiritually. The hope of Easter is once again our mainstay. We have the promise that Jesus is still with us through his ever-present Holy Spirit – to strengthen us and give us peace.
May you be blessed at this Easter time with all that you need to inspire and guide you, and may you be a great leader in your field, both at home and at work or play – with followers who are inspired by you and from whom you also learn and grow.

(Written for the School Magazine before Easter)