Blake Lea
Lead 510
Lead Like Jesus Summary
Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges
In chapter one, Blanchard seeks to answer three questions and they include Am I a
leader?, Am I willing to follow Jesus as my leadership role model?, and How do I lead like
Jesus?. He describes leadership as a process of influence. “Anytime you seek to influence the
thinking, behavior, or development of people in their personal or professional lives, you are
taking on the role of leader.” (p. 4). His point is simply that leadership is merely one’s ability to
influence another or impress their ideals, thoughts, or actions on another.
The most common misconception of leadership is that you need to be in a position of
leadership in order to lead others, but this is false. The platform of a leader only amplifies the
effect and scope of his/her influence. This is why mothers and fathers can be leaders even if they
are janitors or garbage men/women. An occupation only has the ability amplify a person’s
leadership and does not determine whether or not they are a leader.
He answers the second question, Am I willing to follow Jesus as my leadership role
model?, by juxtaposing what Jesus says about leading others and what is commonly known
within the world about leadership. Jesus describes leadership as serving others and becoming the
least amongst others with the heart posture of humility.
He asks the second question because that is extremely difficult to do as a result to Jesus’
way being the complete opposite of our way. People are used to seeing the leader or the boss as
the ultimate goal to reach in life. There is nothing higher than a king, chief, president, or CEO.
However, Jesus comes and completely flips what is considered to be the greatest amongst
people, and those are the servants. They are the people are care more about the conditions of
others rather than themselves. They view people as the asset and not the position.
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Lead 510
Blanchard then answers how to lead like Jesus. He describes it as, “more than an
announcement; it is a commitment to lead in a different way” (p. 19). In order to lead like Jesus,
you first have to know Jesus. Once you know Him and pursue Him, your heart will start to
change into His heart for others and you will prioritize them over other things.
In chapter two, Blanchard discusses the heart of a servant leader. “A heart motivated by
self-interest looks at the world as a “give a little, take a lot” proposition. People with hearts
motivated by self-interest put their won agenda, safety, status, and gratification ahead of that of
those affected by their thought’s actions” (p. 40).
He proposes that the heart has two potential “EGO’s”. Does the leader’s heart Edge God
Out? or does it Exalt God Only? This question leads to whether or not a leader is a self-serving
leader or a servant leader. A self-serving leader is one who influences according to their own
selfish desires, goals, and/or motives. A servant leader is one who influences people to work
toward a goal that will benefit everyone and glorify the Lord.
There are two things that occur when leaders edge God Out. One of them is when you put
something else in God’s place as the object of the individual’s worship. Moreover, the individual
trusts in something other than God. They value the opinions of others instead of what God says
in His word. The biggest two problems that come with Edging God Out is Pride and Fear. Both
of these attributes hinder the individual’s ability to see and experience God within their personal
lives and that in turn effects their surrounding relationships.
In terms of Exalting God Only, the individual worships God only and responds to the
Lord’s invitation into grace. They depend on God completely for all of their provision, their
sense of identity, and for whatever it is they need in order to accomplish the tasks they are being
Blake Lea
Lead 510
lead to complete. They exalt God as their only audience and judge. This eliminates the
temptation to please people or to do things out of selfish ambition.
In chapter three, Blanchard illustrates the head of a servant leader. The journey of servant
leadership starts in the heart with motivation and intent. Then it must travel through the head,
which is the leader’s belief system and perspective on the role of the leader. “All great leaders
have a specific leadership point of view that defines how they see their role and their
relationships to those they seek to influence and are willing to teach it to others. Jesus leadership
point of view proclaimed that leadership was first an act of service” (p. 83).
Blanchard goes over the two roles of servant leadership: the visionary role and the
implementation role. The visionary role sets the course and the destination for people to head
towards. The implementation role focus on the practicing of serving others. Some people think
leadership is about vision while management is about implementation.
A compelling vision tells people who they are, where they are going, and what will guide
their journey. When creating a compelling vision, you must figure out what your purpose is.
Once you figure out why you are here you can start to paint the picture of the future. This is
essential because without vision it is impossible to accomplish to meet goals. The power of a
vision is this: “A vision, or view of the future, is an ongoing, evolving, hopeful look into the
future that stirs the hearts and minds of people who know they will never see its end or limit” (p.
89).
After the vision is clearly communicated then implementing the vision goals is the next
step. This is where it is time for people to roll up their sleeves and execute what it takes to reach
the desired goal. As a leader Blanchard stresses the danger of “nurturing ducks” and instead to
strive to serve others so that they “soar like eagles” (p. 104).
Blake Lea
Lead 510
In chapter four, Blanchard goes over the hand of the servant leader. Leading like Jesus is
deeper than just a theory, it is means making a commitment to change your behavior to be more
like Jesus. Once goals are clear, servant hearted leaders should be available to teach people the
answers, so that people can meet their own personal God-given goals.
From the call to the commission, there are a few stages that believers walk through. The
first stage is the novice. Novices are people who are just starting out to perform a particular task
or to accomplish an assigned goal. They need the leader to provide basic information in order to
carry out their assigned responsibility.
The apprentice is the next stage. Apprentices are people in training who have not yet
mastered all the information and skills to work alone. They need to be assured they are doing the
right thing in the right way and to be corrected when they do not have it. They also need
someone to put their progress in the right perspective, so they do not become overconfident with
early success or discouraged with initial failure.
The journeyman is the stage after the apprentice. They may become cautious, lose
confidence, or have a diminished sense of enthusiasm for the job due to a variety of reasons. If
ignored by inattentive leaders, journeymen quietly drift into apathy or retreat from taking risks
due to a feeling of lost competence or connection with their calling. Journeymen can lose their
skills and ability to perform and become disillusioned critics and skeptics who poison the attitude
of those who work around them.
The Master is the final stage. Masters are people with fully developed skills, confidence,
and motivation to produce excellent results as individual performers, as well as the wisdom and
insight to teach others. They need to be given the opportunity and challenge to pass on what they
know to the next generation of learners (p. 135).
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Lead 510
In chapter five, Blanchard discusses the habits of a servant leader. We have an external,
task-orientated self that is used to getting jobs done, and we have an internal, more reflective self
that is very thoughtful. Both of these work together in order to create patterns that people
continue for extending period of time.
There are five habits that Blanchard discusses: the habit of solitude, the habit of prayer,
the habit of dwelling in the word, the habit of trusting in God’s unconditional love, and the habit
of intimate community. The habit of solitude reflects when Jesus went away from the people to
go spend quality time with the Father and recharge. This is so essential because solicitude helps
recharge all that was depleted doing the work of ministry.
The habit of prayer is the actual lifeline that equips believers to carry out all works of
ministry. Jesus was the example of this. He left all the work of ministry that was doing so that he
could be constantly strengthened by the Father to do what the Father wills Him to do. This is so
important for believers to follow in because without prayer, they do not have any connection to
the Father.
The habit of dwelling in God’s word is what helps believers know more about the God
they serve. This is a crucial habit for believers to develop because the word is the greatest tool
God uses to sanctify His people. Without this habit, it is nearly impossible for believers to know
the voice of the Lord leading them.
The habit of trusting God’s unconditional love is what gives believers endurance when
they are going through trials and tribulations. Trust is foundational in any relationship and it is no
different in their relationship with God
