The Power of Meekness at Work
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The Power of Meekness at Work
The Power of Meekness at Work
The Power of Meekness at Work
Meekness is the most important superpower at work because meekness is power under control. The leader who is meek is confident in their strengths and comfortable with their weaknesses — not concerned about what others say — fearless about doing the right thing. Those that are truly meek know exactly where they’re going.
Meekness is the most important superpower at work because meekness is power under control.
The leader who is meek is confident in their strengths and comfortable with their weaknesses — not concerned about what others say — fearless about doing the right thing. Those that are truly meek know exactly where they’re going.
Meekness is —
- Selflessly Purposeful
- Quietly Strong
- Humbly Confident
- Approachable Supremacy
- Openly Teachable
- Gently Bold
- Surrendered to Ultimate Outcomes
And to be clear, meekness is not —
- Unwillingly Pushed Over
- Aimlessly Compromised
- Defensive of Self
A person who is meek rarely starts with, "I want to_____”, because they have surrendered their rights, their assets, and especially their egos to the One who has given them everything.
The Problem With Egos
Large human egos seem to be everywhere today, and that’s a big problem. Human egos are one of the most dangerous things on the planet. Egos get in the way of doing excellent work everyday in all types of organizations. If a business, a school, a hospital, a church, or a government is led by a person with a big ego, decisions will be centered on the need to puff up the ego of the leader instead of on doing what is best for the people the organization is intended to serve.
In his book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, Tim Keller points out three problems with the human ego:
- Empty - It's over inflated and empty with nothing at the center.
- Painful - It’s painful, it hurts because it’s always drawing attention to itself.
- Busy - It’s incredibly busy trying to fill the emptiness.
In that same book Keller reminds us what C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity. “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next person. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better-looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about.”
The opposite of pride is meekness. Meekness is gospel based humility.
“The essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.” - Tim Keller, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
Meekness Is a Gift
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” - [.no-reftag]Matthew 5:5[.no-reftag]
The meek know they are blessed and know they are rich — they know they will inherit everything. The meek at the deepest part of their heart, mind, and soul know they lack nothing (Psalm 23:1). Those that are meek are able to turn their attention to the One who gave them every gift.
The meek want to have the very same attitude and life approach as Christ Jesus, who saved us and enlisted us in the very same work (John 14:12) He came to earth to do. Jesus is a preeminent example of everything that is good. Jesus is the ultimate example of meekness.
"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!" - [.no-reftag]Philippians 2:6-8[.no-reftag]
Jesus had it all as God. Jesus gave every part of humanity. Jesus was perfectly faithful to His purpose from His Father and to those He came to serve — us!
Jesus knew He lacked nothing. Jesus knew the end of the story. Jesus knew.
"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - [.no-reftag]Philippians 2:9-11[.no-reftag]
These verses perfectly explain meekness, the invitation for our lives, and the promise for those who are meek — they will inherit the earth.
Meekeness at Work
“Meekness is essentially a true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to others. It is therefore two things. It is my attitude towards myself; and it is an expression of that in my relationship to others.” - Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones’ summation of meekness is incredibly helpful for how we take meekness from our heads and hearts to apply it every day to be a better leader and to build better teams.
Leaders who are meek are ok with the spotlight on them or off of them because they are not working for themselves. They are working for the One who enlisted them and they know they are not working by themselves because they know Jesus has given the Holy Spirit to guide them.
The meek are not just better leaders, but they build better teams with their gift of humility. In his book The Ideal Team Player, Patrick Lencioni says, “In the context of teamwork, humility is largely what it seems to be. Great team players lack excessive ego or concerns about status. They are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention for their own. They share credit, emphasize team over self, and define success collectively rather than individually. It is no great surprise, then, that humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player.”
* The Table Group
Here are the benefits of meekness / humility in building a healthy and effective organization. Each of us can do these when we know we are covered and lack nothing.
- Building a Cohesive Leadership Team - Without ego or defensiveness, we can clearly evaluate what the team needs without feeling the need to defend ourselves or past hiring decisions.We will be able to focus on what is needed for organizational health and to best complement the current team.
[.text-color-blue]Key Question:[.text-color-blue] How do we improve our team to better serve all stakeholders?
- Create Clarity - Without the need to prove ourselves we will be able to see clearly about the needs of others — employees, clients, investors, and the community. We will be able to receive feedback from all stakeholders and work with their team to focus on what is most important.
[.text-color-blue]Key Question:[.text-color-blue] What do those who depend on us need most from us? What are the gifts of the organization that could be best deployed for the benefits of the world?
- Over-Communicate Clarity - Without the worry of “what will they think of me if I keep saying the same things,” we will be able to say what is needed over and over as necessary. So much of good communication is repeating simple things often. Without the need to be seen as the smartest and the most creative the leader can communicate what most needs to be said.
[.text-color-blue]Key Question:[.text-color-blue] What is a better way to communicate effectively with each of our important audiences? What do they most need to know?
- Reinforce Clarity - With the ability to be teachable we will put in place systems that reinforce clarity by reporting how we are doing against our most important objectives for our intended audiences. We will not be afraid to let systems guide us and report the truth. As Fred Smith once said, “the tracking of the package is as important as the package itself.”
[.text-color-blue]Key Question:[.text-color-blue] Are we doing what we intended to do? Where can systems or technology help us keep our promises?
Great organizations thrive on purpose and have a collective vision for where they want to go and who they want to serve. Great organizations have a mission to help others flourish and to meet the needs of the world. This is how a meek leader runs an organization for the glory of the One who made him, because they are sure they will inherit everything.
Resources:
Article: The Advantage of Being Poor in Spirit | Howard Graham
Article: Be Blessed, Build Teams, and Change the World | Howard Graham
Article: Strategy is Clever-Clever Planning on Purpose | Howard Graham
Book: The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business | Patrick Lencioni
Book: The Ideal Team Player | Patrick Lencioni
Book: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness | Tim Keller
Sermon: Blessed are the Meek | Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones
Sermon: Coming to Christ | Tim Keller
Meekness is the most important superpower at work because meekness is power under control.
The leader who is meek is confident in their strengths and comfortable with their weaknesses — not concerned about what others say — fearless about doing the right thing. Those that are truly meek know exactly where they’re going.
Meekness is —
- Selflessly Purposeful
- Quietly Strong
- Humbly Confident
- Approachable Supremacy
- Openly Teachable
- Gently Bold
- Surrendered to Ultimate Outcomes
And to be clear, meekness is not —
- Unwillingly Pushed Over
- Aimlessly Compromised
- Defensive of Self
A person who is meek rarely starts with, "I want to_____”, because they have surrendered their rights, their assets, and especially their egos to the One who has given them everything.
The Problem With Egos
Large human egos seem to be everywhere today, and that’s a big problem. Human egos are one of the most dangerous things on the planet. Egos get in the way of doing excellent work everyday in all types of organizations. If a business, a school, a hospital, a church, or a government is led by a person with a big ego, decisions will be centered on the need to puff up the ego of the leader instead of on doing what is best for the people the organization is intended to serve.
In his book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, Tim Keller points out three problems with the human ego:
- Empty - It's over inflated and empty with nothing at the center.
- Painful - It’s painful, it hurts because it’s always drawing attention to itself.
- Busy - It’s incredibly busy trying to fill the emptiness.
In that same book Keller reminds us what C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity. “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next person. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better-looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about.”
The opposite of pride is meekness. Meekness is gospel based humility.
“The essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.” - Tim Keller, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
Meekness Is a Gift
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” - [.no-reftag]Matthew 5:5[.no-reftag]
The meek know they are blessed and know they are rich — they know they will inherit everything. The meek at the deepest part of their heart, mind, and soul know they lack nothing (Psalm 23:1). Those that are meek are able to turn their attention to the One who gave them every gift.
The meek want to have the very same attitude and life approach as Christ Jesus, who saved us and enlisted us in the very same work (John 14:12) He came to earth to do. Jesus is a preeminent example of everything that is good. Jesus is the ultimate example of meekness.
"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!" - [.no-reftag]Philippians 2:6-8[.no-reftag]
Jesus had it all as God. Jesus gave every part of humanity. Jesus was perfectly faithful to His purpose from His Father and to those He came to serve — us!
Jesus knew He lacked nothing. Jesus knew the end of the story. Jesus knew.
"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - [.no-reftag]Philippians 2:9-11[.no-reftag]
These verses perfectly explain meekness, the invitation for our lives, and the promise for those who are meek — they will inherit the earth.
Meekeness at Work
“Meekness is essentially a true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to others. It is therefore two things. It is my attitude towards myself; and it is an expression of that in my relationship to others.” - Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones’ summation of meekness is incredibly helpful for how we take meekness from our heads and hearts to apply it every day to be a better leader and to build better teams.
Leaders who are meek are ok with the spotlight on them or off of them because they are not working for themselves. They are working for the One who enlisted them and they know they are not working by themselves because they know Jesus has given the Holy Spirit to guide them.
The meek are not just better leaders, but they build better teams with their gift of humility. In his book The Ideal Team Player, Patrick Lencioni says, “In the context of teamwork, humility is largely what it seems to be. Great team players lack excessive ego or concerns about status. They are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention for their own. They share credit, emphasize team over self, and define success collectively rather than individually. It is no great surprise, then, that humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player.”
* The Table Group
Here are the benefits of meekness / humility in building a healthy and effective organization. Each of us can do these when we know we are covered and lack nothing.
- Building a Cohesive Leadership Team - Without ego or defensiveness, we can clearly evaluate what the team needs without feeling the need to defend ourselves or past hiring decisions.We will be able to focus on what is needed for organizational health and to best complement the current team.
[.text-color-blue]Key Question:[.text-color-blue] How do we improve our team to better serve all stakeholders?
- Create Clarity - Without the need to prove ourselves we will be able to see clearly about the needs of others — employees, clients, investors, and the community. We will be able to receive feedback from all stakeholders and work with their team to focus on what is most important.
[.text-color-blue]Key Question:[.text-color-blue] What do those who depend on us need most from us? What are the gifts of the organization that could be best deployed for the benefits of the world?
- Over-Communicate Clarity - Without the worry of “what will they think of me if I keep saying the same things,” we will be able to say what is needed over and over as necessary. So much of good communication is repeating simple things often. Without the need to be seen as the smartest and the most creative the leader can communicate what most needs to be said.
[.text-color-blue]Key Question:[.text-color-blue] What is a better way to communicate effectively with each of our important audiences? What do they most need to know?
- Reinforce Clarity - With the ability to be teachable we will put in place systems that reinforce clarity by reporting how we are doing against our most important objectives for our intended audiences. We will not be afraid to let systems guide us and report the truth. As Fred Smith once said, “the tracking of the package is as important as the package itself.”
[.text-color-blue]Key Question:[.text-color-blue] Are we doing what we intended to do? Where can systems or technology help us keep our promises?
Great organizations thrive on purpose and have a collective vision for where they want to go and who they want to serve. Great organizations have a mission to help others flourish and to meet the needs of the world. This is how a meek leader runs an organization for the glory of the One who made him, because they are sure they will inherit everything.
Resources:
Article: The Advantage of Being Poor in Spirit | Howard Graham
Article: Be Blessed, Build Teams, and Change the World | Howard Graham
Article: Strategy is Clever-Clever Planning on Purpose | Howard Graham
Book: The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business | Patrick Lencioni
Book: The Ideal Team Player | Patrick Lencioni
Book: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness | Tim Keller
Sermon: Blessed are the Meek | Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones
Sermon: Coming to Christ | Tim Keller