What If Leadership Isn’t About Power At All - Leadership Part 2

If leadership is “getting people to do what you want,” you can win a lot of battles and still lose your kingdom. We pick up part two of our leadership series with a hard contrast: Rehoboam’s power-driven instincts versus the Savior’s Christlike model of service, influence, and love. The world calls the person with the most authority “great.” Jesus teaches that the greatest leader is the one who carries others. 

We walk through why Jesus was misunderstood from the beginning, not born into status, not surrounded by elites, and not riding in as a conquering king. Then we sit with one of the most confronting leadership moments in scripture: the Last Supper. No speeches, no spotlight, just a towel, a basin, and the Lord of heaven kneeling to wash feet, even Judas’. That single scene shows what servant leadership really means when people don’t “deserve it,” when nobody is clapping, and when love is the point. 

From there, we get practical. Christlike leadership begins with seeing people, not counting them. We talk about distraction, phones, airports, and the way modern life trains us to miss the souls right in front of us. Using the idea of situational awareness from aviation, we explore spiritual awareness: noticing who in your family feels discouraged, who in your quorum feels forgotten, and who in your neighborhood is carrying grief you can’t see. 

We also draw a clean line between authority and influence. Authority can force results fast, but influence changes hearts over time and that’s what discipleship requires. We close with a self-audit that hits home: Do people feel lighter after being with me? Do I listen more than I lecture? Do I correct with patience or frustration? If Jesus were leading my home, my calling, my workplace, what would he do differently? Subscribe, share this with a leader you love, and leave a review with the question that challenged you most.

Transcript

Part Two Setup And The Stakes

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Welcome back to part two of Todd Talks. Spirit by Design, where I help you design your spiritual life so that you're prepared for the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Okay, this is part two. Part two of our discussion about Rehoboam, leadership mistakes, his mistakes that split a kingdom, and how to keep your own life from falling apart. So the world, I'm gonna try to do this in a way that you can understand. Talking about leadership, but it's spiritual leadership, right? Today we're gonna talk go a little more in depth on the opposite of what from what Rohboam did. He wasn't very good. He wasn't a very good leader. He thought he was, but he wasn't. He doubled down on bad practices. The world says the greatest leader is the one with the most power. Jesus Christ taught that the greatest leader is the one who serves with the most love. I already did uh an episode on servant leadership, but we're good. This part two delves a lot more into what kind of leader Christ would have you be. In the first part of this episode, we watched a kingdom divide because one man believed leadership was about protecting his position and his power

The World’s Power Model Vs Christ

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and getting one over on others instead of serving his people. He knew what they needed, he knew what they wanted. He had tons of opportunities to make changes, to preserve the kingdom his father had built. Instead, he sought counsel, he heard wisdom, ignored counsel, ignored wisdom, listened to pride, and the rest is history. Story leaves us with a question. If Rehoboam represented the world's view of leadership, what does God say true leadership looks like? We don't have to speculate on this. The Savior answered that question perfectly. So we're gonna look at the leadership style presented to us by the Lord. He was totally misunderstood and misjudged when he came to the world. You know, everyone in Israel expected the Christ, the Messiah, to establish his earthly kingdom. They expected to overthrow everybody. They expected someone who would overthrow Rome, someone who would be a conquering Messiah, someone who would restore Israel's political independence, someone who'd reign with visible power and might. They'd kind of been misled in that regard. Instead, he was born in a stable. He spent much of his earthly ministry among fishermen, widows, shepherds, publicans, and sinners. He didn't surround himself with political elites, and they were kind of pissed off about that. He surrounded himself with ordinary people. People whose hearts were willing to change. Even his triumphal entry into Jerusalem was unlike that of worldly kings. He rode a donkey. Donkey instead of a war horse. Palm fronds were thrown at his feet. Everything about Jesus challenged the assumption of his day. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in his teachings about leadership. So his disciples, they wanted greatness. If you've seen the uh the TV show The Chosen, you could see it. They kept being confused because they expected him to do all these mighty things to conquer Rome and all the things that I just discussed. One day, the mother of James and John approached the Savior with an unusual request. She asked that her sons be given places of honor in his kingdom on his right hand. One on his right hand, one on his left. The other disciples heard the request and became indignant. Why? Because they wanted to be that themselves. They were thinking like the world thinks. Even faithful disciples can sometimes misunderstand what greatness really means. They were imagining a kingdom built of rank, privilege, status, prestige, power. Jesus saw the moment as a teaching opportunity. He gathered them together and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority on them, but it shall not be so among you. Matthew 20, 25 and 26. Think about those words. It shall not be so among

Heaven’s Upside Down Pyramid

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you. In other words, my disciples lead differently, my kingdom operates by different laws. My followers measure greatness by a different standard. The Savior wasn't merely offering leadership as advice. He was describing the way things are done in heaven, the culture of heaven. The world's ladder, the world often pictures leadership as a ladder. You start at the bottom, work your way up, gain influence, gain recognition, gain authority. Eventually you arrive at the top where everyone serves you. That was Rehaboam's model. He inherited the throne. He believed the throne existed to serve him, to elevate him, to keep him in power. Many organizations still operate that way. Titles become more important than people. Power becomes more important than purpose. Image becomes more important than integrity. Look at Hollywood and Washington, DC. Look at the EU. Look at all the governments in the world. Leadership becomes something to possess rather than something to consecrate. The gospel turns that entire idea upon its head. Christ's kingdom is built more like a pyramid turned upside down. Imagine an upside down pyramid, and I'm not talking about the food pyramid. That got turned upside down, and it's much healthier for you. At the very bottom is one person carrying the weight of everyone else. That's the Savior. He supports all of us. Then imagine every leader in God's kingdom taking the same position. Parents carry children, teachers carry students, mission leaders carry missionaries, bishops carry wards, employers carry employees, husbands and wives carry one another. Instead of climbing above people, they kneel beneath them. That is what Jesus demonstrated every day of his mortal ministry. He wasn't asking his disciples to do something he himself refused to do. I talked about it earlier in a previous episode. He said, Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister, and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Matthew 20, 26 and 27. Notice what Jesus did not say. He didn't condemn greatness, he didn't discourage leadership, he didn't teach that ambition itself was sinful. Instead, he redefined the path. The greatest should be the servant, the greatest should be the least. God wants us all to become great. But greatness in his kingdom isn't measured by the number of people serving us, it's measured by the number of people we help become stronger disciples of Jesus Christ. President Howard W. Hunter taught true greatness is measured by how faithfully we serve. That principle echoes throughout every dispensation. Whether you're a father, the Leaf Society teacher, young men's advisor, CEO, pilot, especially pilots, your greatness is not determined by your title. It's determined by your willingness to bless the lives entrusted to your care. So the Savior, he came to minister to us. He pointed to himself. He said, Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20, 28. Those words should stop us in our tracks. Jesus possessed all power. He was in a position where he could have removed himself from the cross. He could have told everyone to stop. But he commanded the worlds without number. He commanded the winds and the seas. He raised the dead. He spoke and things existed. He forgave sins. If anyone

The Towel Basin And Judas

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could rightfully expect him to be served, it was him. Instead, he chose a towel, a basin, a cross. The creator became the servant. The master became the minister. The king became the sacrifice. Every act in his life testified that love expresses itself through service. The Last Supper is a perfect example of the moment that this captured. The disciples entered the upper room, their feet were dusty from the roads. Normally the lowest servant in the household, as I said before, would wash the guests' feet. None of the disciples volunteered. They weren't gonna do that. That's menial work. They were disciples. Each may have assumed someone else should do it. And Jesus stood. No announcement. He just walked over, wrapped himself in a towel, poured water into a basement, and knelt before each disciple. Peter freaked out. Peter watched the Lord of heaven kneel before him. John, James, Thomas, even Judas. Jesus knew Judas would betray him. Within hours. Yeah, he still washed his feet. That may be one of the greatest demonstrations of Christ-like leadership ever recorded. He didn't serve only those that deserved it. He served because serving reflected his father's character. President Thomas S. Monson frequently reminded us we are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness. That is the heart of discipleship.

Leadership Begins With Seeing People

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So leadership, in this instance, in every instance, what we're learning through this is that leadership begins with seeing. Jesus truly saw people. How well do you see people? Do you see them as numbers? When I was in the military, we were all seen as numbers. The army definitely sees everybody as a number. He noticed the woman at the well, who others avoided. He noticed Zacchaeus hiding in a tree. He recognized the widow placing two mites into the treasury. He stopped for blind Bartimius while crowds tried to silence him. He blessed children. He noticed when the woman touched him. He mourned with Mary and Martha before raising Lazarus. Jesus never treated individuals as distractions from his mission. They were his mission. How often do we miss opportunities because we're too busy pursuing our own agendas? Or how often do we miss the people because we're on our phones? How many not how many. Get this. More and more I've been walking. I like keeping my phone in my pocket so it counts my steps. So as I'm walking, I'm looking. And it is amazing to me how many people almost run into other people at airports because they're looking down at their phone. People walk into the street, almost get hit by cars, or do get hit by cars because they're looking at their phones and they're missing the individuals and the people all around them.

Phones, Airports, And Awareness

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As pilots, we're trying to maintain situational awareness. That's scanning our environment, monitoring instruments, watching for traffic, maintaining alertness. And that grows the longer you fly, the better you do it. Your situational awareness grows and then expands. Spiritually, disciples need it too. Who in your family is discouraged? Who in your quorum feels forgotten? Who in your neighborhood is carrying grief no one else can see? Christ-like leaders develop spiritual awareness. They pray for eyes to see what others overlook. Rohboam possessed authority. Jesus possessed influence. Much more than the influencers on social media. I'd say a whole lot more. Because his influence was real. Influence invites willing discipleship. Authority may produce immediate results. Influence changes hearts. That's why parents eventually discover that rules alone can't build testimony. Managers discover that fear rarely

Authority Gets Compliance, Influence Changes Hearts

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produces loyalty. That's why they're managers, not leaders. Church leaders discover that programs can't replace personal ministry. Only love transforms people's hearts. President Russell M. Nelson repeatedly taught that the gathering of Israel happens one by one. The Savior ministered that way. He helped one leper, one blind man, one grieving widow, one woman taken in adultery, one repentant thief, one doubting Thomas, one broken Peter. The kingdom of God advances one soul at a time. Perhaps our leaderships should too.

Self Audit Questions And Part Three Preview

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As we come to the end of this part, I'd invite you to ask yourself a few honest questions. Don't feel guilty, but I want you to look to grow, okay? When people leave my presence, do they generally feel lighter or heavier? Do I listen more than I lecture? Do I correct with patience or frustration? I definitely heard a lady sitting behind me when I was having dinner, a lady and her husband at the airport. It's so sad. Correcting, not gently or with patience, but definitely correcting their small children with frustration because they were stressed. Am I more concerned about protecting my reputation than blessing another person's life? When someone disagrees with me, do I become defensive or curious? Do I seek opportunities to serve when no one will notice? And most importantly, if Jesus were leading my family, my calling, my workplace, my friendships, what would he do differently? These questions have a way of exposing the difference between world leadership and Christ-like leadership. In the next episode, part three, we'll turn to one of the greatest examples of servant leadership in the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin. I already discussed him earlier in my shorter servant leadership. We're gonna delve deeper. We'll discover why his reign became one of the most peaceful periods in Nephite history and how his example reflects the Savior's leadership. Heaven's greatest leaders have never sought to be above others. They have chosen to kneel beside them. This has been Todd Tox, part two of our three-part leadership series, helping you to learn to be a servant leader, a Christ-like leader, not a leader after the manner of the world, which I deem more as managers. Namaste and have a blessed day.