If you find yourself in a position of leadership—at work, in the local church, or in the community—what kind of leader will you be? How will others perceive your style?

Too often, positions of power are occupied by people who seem to relish authority and even flaunt it. Their attitude frequently sounds something like this:

“I’m in charge. You can give your input, but I call the shots. The buck stops with me. When I say ‘jump,’ you ask, ‘How high?’ I won’t take kindly to pushback or criticism. I’ve been designated ‘leader,’ and that comes with certain expectations. When it’s your turn to steer the ship, you can call the shots, but right now I’m in the captain’s chair. Is that clear?”

When you’re in charge, will people whisper, “She’s on a power trip—it’s all gone to her head?” Will those you once worked with say, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely?” Will you pound your fist at the table, dominate meetings, and demand loyalty to your ideas alone?

Perhaps these examples sound exaggerated. The reality is that many leaders are far too smooth and savvy to flaunt their power so openly. They know how to appear “collaborative and sensitive,” yet still leave meetings with things going their way. They leave every meeting pretty much with what they went in with. They got what they wanted. The reality is most people see through that game and resent the approach.

Leadership often gets reduced to hierarchy—a pyramid with the leader at the top. King of the castle! That’s how many imagine leadership: climbing higher until you stand above everyone else. Organizational charts reinforce this idea, with the CEO firmly at the top.

But Jesus offered a radically different model of leadership. When He described it, eyebrows must have raised and jaws dropped. Two of His disciples, with help from their mother, tried to secure top positions in His kingdom. The other disciples were indignant. That’s when Jesus called them together and explained what true leadership looks like:

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant… For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25–28, NLT)

Jesus described an inverted pyramid. In His model, those at the “top” are actually at the bottom—supporting, serving, and lifting others.

This was no surprise if they had been watching closely. They had only ever seen servant leadership from Him. He never bullied or dominated. Instead, He was attentive to the hungry, the broken, the hurting. He removed barriers and restored lives. When crowds interrupted His plans, His first impulse was to serve. He didn’t stay in an office with fixed hours; He went to where the people were. He listened not only to their words but to their unspoken needs. What a Shepherd-Leader He was. What a Servant-Leader He was!

In John 13, Jesus stooped to wash His disciples’ feet. Then He said:

“Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:12–15, NLT)

When it came to His self-sacrificing approach, He went further than all – He gave His life to benefit others. The ultimate sacrifice! How could we ever seek to climb the ladder of top-down power when He so humbled Himself! (Philippians 2:5-8) How could we ever arrogantly flaunt our authority when our Lord led with such humility and grace?

If you want to be a respected supervisor or manager, choose the inverted pyramid model. Serve, support, and enable your team to thrive. Do all you can to motivate those on the frontlines and keep them focused on the mission. Use your position to build them up and bring out their best.

If you are a young Christian who may one day serve in leadership within the local church, remember: you are there to serve others, and by doing so, you serve Christ. Sadly, some older overseers can lean toward a heavy-handed, top-down style, making little effort to listen or communicate with the flock. That is not healthy for the vibrancy of the local church.

Paul reminded believers that he was their servant for Jesus’ sake—not their boss (2 Corinthians 4:5). Peter told overseers to shepherd God’s flock, warning against heavy-handed, domineering approaches, and urging them instead to be examples of Christlike humility (1 Peter 5:2–3).

Yes, overseers may fail, and their shortcomings may be obvious. When they come to mind, respond humbly: confess your own sin, pray for them, and resolve to learn from their weaknesses so that one day you can serve differently, as Christ leads you.

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In closing, dear Christian—the servant leadership model is not only relevant to your career and community roles, but essential to your spiritual responsibilities. Spiritually, no other model is of God. Learn your leadership style from Christ Himself.