One of my favorite bosses throughout my entire career was hard as a rock at times. Yet, in the next moment, he could also be as gentle as a feather.
I think it was this rather odd mix of tough and gentle that was appealing to me. You see, he was capable of steel-eyed determination one moment, and immense compassion the next.
In today’s parlance, he was a leader who possessed great situational awareness.
I don’t know about you, but I prefer to work with a balanced leader who has situational awareness.
I have worked for several guys who were hard as a rock all the time. They were effective in a crisis, but they ground up employees with their harsh, never-ending demands.
I have also worked for a couple of leaders who were gentle as a feather all the time. They were compassionate, morale builders. However, they failed to lead the organization when faced with a crisis.
In my experience, the most effective leaders in a variety of circumstances were all situational leaders. As balanced leaders, they were all part rock and part feather.
In studying the Scripture, I see several examples of balanced leaders with a situational leadership style. However, I believe there is one person, in particular, who exemplifies this balanced situational leadership style and is an example to us all!
The Balanced Leader
It should come as no surprise; the balanced leader I have in mind is Jesus.
Think about it. Jesus assembled this rather odd collection of twelve apostles together (Luke 6). He developed them over the course of three years. Finally, when they were ready, He delegated the work of building the Kingdom to them (Matthew 28:18-20).
Reviewing those three years of Jesus’ leadership, we see Him both as a rock and as a feather, both tough and gentle.
Part Rock
Jesus demonstrated his rock-hard toughness early in his ministry. Jesus had just done His first miracle turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). From there, he visited his mother in Capernaum for a few days before bringing the disciples with Him to Jerusalem.
When they got to Jerusalem, Jesus and the disciples went to the Temple. On the Temple grounds, they found a group of moneychangers and people selling oxen, sheep, and doves.
Jesus was furious at these merchants who had desecrated the Temple area. So, he grabbed some cords and drove out the animals, then turned over the tables of the moneychangers (John 2:12-22).
Jesus said to them, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”
Remember, Jesus was relatively unknown at this early point in His ministry. He had just done His first miracle. The disciples were probably just getting used to His leadership.
Then pow! Jesus deals a knock-out blow to all the merchants doing business in the Temple. He certainly was not afraid to stand up and confront the wealthy merchants or the Temple priests. He knew what they were doing was wrong, and he wasn’t about to let it continue.
This was Jesus, the rock-hard tough leader, demonstrating to His disciples the importance of standing up for what is right.
Part Feather
As tough as Jesus could be, He could also be gentle as a feather. In the later part of His ministry, Jesus returned to Jerusalem. By now He was well known. People came to Him for His teaching and to be healed. At the same time, the priests and leaders were trying to arrest Jesus.
Despite the risks, Jesus returned to the Temple area one morning and began teaching the people. Suddenly the scribes and Pharisees brought out a woman who had been caught in adultery (somehow they missed the guy). They said the law required she be stoned.
Jesus responded, saying, “If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).
Then Jesus knelt down and started writing in the sand. One by one, the woman’s accusers left. When all her accusers had gone, Jesus asked, “Where are your accusers, is there no one to accuse you?” With no one to accuse her, Jesus told her, “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).
This was Jesus, the leader who was gentle as a feather. He didn’t ignore the woman’s sinful behavior, but He demonstrated great compassion in dealing with the woman.
There are times when every leader needs to be a rock—someone capable of bearing tremendous pressure. But there are also times when every leader needs to be as gentle as a feather.
The test of a great leader is whether they know when to be part rock and when to be part feather.
Another Article on Situational Leadership
Here’s another article I wrote on situational leadership:
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Are you a balanced leader with situational awareness? Do you tend always to be a rock or a feather?
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Category: Skills | Situational Leadership
When I became a police sergeant I had to learn the hard as stone side of myself. My natural nature was easygoing, but I developed a tough side too, and the balance served me well my whole career. Great examples of how Jesus exemplified both qualities!
John, I think one of the hardest parts of being a cop would be making those decisions about when to be part rock and when to be part feather. I guess with experience you develop a sixth sense of when to be which, but there is still a lot riding on those decisions.