Kim Essenburg, Christian Reformed missionary and English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan, reflects on leadership:

Their 4 answers? Foot. Brain. Nose. Heart.

My 4 questions?

1. When you’re startled by a loud sound at night, what part of the body leads? Foot.
   
2. When you’re taking a calculus test, what part of the body leads? Brain.
   
3. When you come home late and smell dinner, what part of the body leads? Nose.
   
4. When you see a friend who’s crying, what part of the body leads? Heart.

My situation? It’s early morning on October 3. I’m leading devotions for 9 damp, footsore juniors who are on a 4-day hike with me. (Yesterday, we scrambled up a mountainside, hiked for hours, and barely got dinner cooked over a campfire before the drizzle turned into a downpour.)

I read Ephesians 4 about unity in the body of Christ. I ask, “What part of the body leads?” They answer, “The head.” The way they answer indicates that none of them feels like “the head.”

So, I ask 4 more questions about how the body functions. I share that depending on the situation, a different part of the body is needed to lead. I share that during our trip, we’ll see this principle at work.

My real question? It’s not “Are you a leader?” It’s “When are you a leader?”

My point? In the body of Christ, we’re all leaders. Know when to lead— and when to let someone else lead. (On the 2nd night, the boy who had trailed the group all day took the lead on building the campfire!)

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Comment: As Christians, we are members of the body of Christ. And as members of the body of Christ, sometimes we lead and sometimes we follow. When thinking of leadership, ask yourself 4 questions:

1. When should I lead?
   
2. When should I let someone else lead?
   
3. When should we lead together?
   
4. How can I use ___ to lead? (modeling, questions, stories, the mission statement, SMART goals, scoreboards, improvement plans, policy and procedure)