Leadership 101: Don't ever be so smart that you think you know it all

Tom Crenshaw Dec. 12, 2023

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Adobe Stock

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant." These wise words came from Max De Pree, the former chairman and CEO of Herman Miller, Inc, the furniture maker that was once named one of Fortune magazine's 10 best managed and most innovative companies.

Today I still member De Pree's book The Art of Leadership which I read over two decades ago while on a cruise with my wife and family. Few books on leadership have impacted me more than this one. The fact that I still remember the time I read it after so many years is a testimony to the impact it had on me.

One of the key aspects of De Pree's leadership involved a principle he learned from his father. It was called 'the rule of abandoning oneself to the strengths of others.'

His father was always open to the ideas and suggestions of others. He cultivated the kind of relationships with his employees that made them feel that their input was not only welcome but encouraged. He knew that he could learn from the experts, but he was far more interested in learning from the rank and file. They were the ones who knew the company best, and who were in the best position to recommend the kind of suggestions that would strengthen the company.

He introduced the Scanlon Plan, a plan by which workers made suggestions to management for ways to improve such things as customer service, quality, and productivity. In 1987-88 Herman Miller employees made suggestions that led to cost savings of some $12 million dollars.

Regardless of your position, I believe this principle of 'abandoning oneself to the strengths of others' has significant implications for those in any form of leadership. The best leaders, administrators, coaches, teachers, pastors, and yes, even parents, are generally the ones that are open to the possibility that they can always learn something from the suggestions of others. They are not so arrogant to think that they have all the answers and can never learn from those with whom they work.

Some of the most valuable lessons I have learned as a parent, coach, teacher and pastor have come from those times when I was willing to 'abandon myself to the strengths of others.' Such learning can provide a valuable dimension to one's growth. If we think we know it all, and that those we work with can't teach us anything, we are indeed foolish.

The legendary basketball coach John Wooden was fond of saying, "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

A number of years ago the late R. C. Sproul, a brilliant theologian, was the resident scholar at Pittsburgh Seminary. He was one of the most creative and intellectual scholars of our time, and he was giving a heavy lecture to a group of his students. One of them raised his hand and asked a very complicated question. Dr. Sproul smiled and said, "The answer to that is very simple, I don't know."

Those who are willing to confess that they don't know it all, are the ones who are most teachable. God is not looking for those who profess to know it all. He is looking for those who are willing to be quiet and ready to listen and learn from others.

And oh yes, don't forget, "The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces" (Proverbs 10:6, The Living Bible).

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Tom Crenshaw serves as Connections Pastor of the New Monmouth Baptist Church (non denominational) where he previously served as a three year interim.He has been married to Jean for almost 50 years, and they have four children, all of whom are teachers.Tom loves perennial gardening, umpiring high school baseball, coaching baseball and football, fishing for small mouth bass, rooting for his favorite team, the Cleveland Indians, and listening to ‘real’ country music, the classic kind. Learn More »

• What unforgiveness does to your brain (by Charles Stone)
• Three ways to create a sense of urgency when you communicate (by Carey Nieuwhof)
• Check off these 5 things to address conflict graciously (by Jordan Raynor)
• Self-leadership: the foundational skill every leader needs to build a thriving culture (by Jenni Catron)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now