The importance of connecting with other leaders

Ken Gosnell Jan. 5, 2023

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Becoming a Kingdom Factor is important to any Christian leader and CEO. Recently I was able to sit down and ask a leader in the field of marketplace ministry for over 20 years a few key questions about how any leader can become more of a Kingdom Factor in their organization.

Ray Hilbert, the founder of the Kingdom Factor, is the author of several books and has worked with many business leaders, pastors, and Christian CEOs. He understands the importance of leading with others and never leading alone.

Question: What have you found to be one of the most essential benefits of bringing groups of leaders together?

Ray Hilbert: Anyone can offer truth. Truth is truth, no matter where it comes from. This fact is pretty straight to the point. One example I have often considered is a story in the Old Testament.

In Exodus 18:14-24, the reader will find Moses' father-in-law Jethro, who looks at how Moses was leading the nation of Israel. In this story, Moses—a leader of millions—receives advice and counsel from his father-in-law Jethro. Jethro was a humble shepherd and priest. It was not known for him to have a position of prominence, and there is no indication that Jethro was in a high-profile position of authority.

In verses 13-27, there is an exchange between Jethro and Moses, where Jethro essentially calls Moses out on the decisions and leadership style he is demonstrating. At one point, in verse 17, Jethro says to Moses, "What you are doing is not good."

So in the story, leaders find a humble (and likely not well-known) man of apparently modest resources and assets telling an extraordinarily prominent and "successful" leader that what he is doing is not working and needs to change.

Jethro lays out for Moses a wholly different and more decentralized form of leadership, a way for Moses to empower his people to govern and lead. Jethro also does that in a way that provides Moses with a sense of peace and confidence that the people that he cares about will be well taken care of and have their cases heard by capable leaders.

At this point, Moses had a choice, he could either ignore the advice from Jethro, or he could consider it and put it to use. Moses could very quickly have taken the posture that because he (Moses) was so "successful" and influential in his leadership, he had nothing to learn from Jethro. He could have said something like, "What do you know about leading this many people, your "organization" is so much smaller than mine."

But Moses was wise. He listened to what Jethro was telling him and made the changes Jethro suggested. And Moses ended up being much more productive and effective as a leader with the new changes, and the nation of Israel was in a much better place.

So as it relates to a person who thinks they may not receive value from others whose businesses/organizations are smaller or from someone who does not have much experience, this story from the Old Testament clearly indicates that wisdom can come from the most unexpected sources. Truth is truth no matter who speaks it to us or where God chooses to allow it to come from.

Question: Can you give an example of how that story has been reproduced in modern-day businesses?

Ray Hilbert: Yes! One wise business leader who was doing more than $400 million in annual revenue was asked why a business owner of his size would engage with other business leaders from much smaller organizations. He responded, "I am simply a $1 million business that replicates 400 times. I have a lot to learn from owners/leaders of businesses smaller than mine. They are more nimble, able to quickly adapt and respond to customers' needs and changes in the marketplace. The day I lose that mindset is the day I am in big trouble. I have a lot to earn from them and need to constantly be reminded how important it is to have the mindset of a small business owner while being the owner of a large one."

Question: What do you find that CEOs and business owners enjoy most about being in a cohort of their peers?

Ray Hilbert: It is interesting that many business leaders enjoy more about what they can give others than what they receive from the group. The Bible reminds us, "It is more blessed to give to others than to receive from them."

In Acts 20:35, the Apostle Paul conveys the biblical principle that giving is better than receiving. That principle is as true today as it was then.

Every leader is better when they seek what they can bring to others rather than what others will bring to them; this attitude is pleasing to the heart of God. Remember, the Lord "Loves a cheerful giver," according to 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.

Question: Is there a benefit for businesses or organizations that have achieved a level of success to be around companies or organizations that are just getting started?

Ray Hilbert: Yes! No one achieves success on their own. As the saying goes: "If you ever see a turtle on a fence post, you know they had help getting there." Every leader needs the help of others to get where they are today, and every leader will need the help of others to get where they want to go tomorrow.

Zechariah 4:10 states, "Who dares to despise the day of humble beginnings?"

It is wise for successful leaders to think about the names of individuals who helped them along the way. They might want to consider individuals who went out of their way to mentor, coach, guide, and advise them. As they do, they will recognize that many of those individuals did so with essentially nothing to gain; they did it simply because they wanted to invest in someone else.

One of the most rewarding things a leader could do as a successful business leader is helping others succeed, build them up, to share lessons learned and mistakes made.

Question: How diverse can the leadership cohort be?

Ray Hilbert: One of the most incredible aspects of a cohort or a team is the incredible diversity of backgrounds and experiences. A typical CEO cohort will have more than 200 combined business experiences and hundreds of years of combined experience in their relationship with Jesus.

Some team members are very experienced, mature, and confident in their business experience and acumen. Others are much more mature in their faith.

Some of the most successful in business are among the least knowledgeable in the Bible and less mature in their faith and Christian walk. Some of the more seasoned believers have a deep understanding, knowledge, and application of Scripture and examples of how their faith pulled them through the most challenging times and yet lack business expertise.

The beauty is how all these blend together and how those most successful in business receive value from the more seasoned spiritual team members and vice versa. It all works together as a beautiful mosaic and puzzle that blends into a powerful and transformational experience for all.

To find out more about Ray Hilbert and Kingdom Factor, go to https://kingdomfactor.us/.

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Ken Gosnell is CEO and Servant Leader of CXP (CEO Experience). CXP is a premier coaching and executive roundtable business that serves Christian CEOs in Washington DC, Maryland and Florida. Ken serves leaders by helping them and their teams to have great experiences that both transform the leader and their organizations to go further faster. Learn More »

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