I have always considered the language of “soul” this or that as a little weird. I understand the biblical language of “soul”, but always have seen the use of the term as a bit new-agey. However, biblically this is the meaning:
ψυχή psychē. . . the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life; the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body). [Strong’s Concordance]
It is not an easy concept. However, it is helpful in recognizing the dichotomy of man; men/women are made up of the physical and spirit. “This concept divides humanity into the physical self, subject to decay, and the spiritual self, capable of renewal.“1
A passage in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians caught my attention. In 2 Corinthians 5:16 Paul says,
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.”
Paul was an important leader of the early Christian church. He was respected, even revered—one passage related that he was regarded as a “god” by the people in one instance (Acts 14:12). Be rest assured he rejected their worship emphatically.
In this one sentence from 2 Corinthians 5:16 I believe we can learn a valuable lesson in leadership:
Leaders should view their subordinates as immortal souls and that perspective should mold their treatment of them.
Flesh can mean a variety of things but he uses the term in this passage for “mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God.” Mind you, he does not use “flesh” in this instance for “physical” man, rather for “sinfulness”.
If we see an individual simply “in the flesh” we see brokenness and rejection of the higher order of God’s rule in the world. Rather we should look at others as those whom God influences; we should see a soul as defined before. This does not mean we fail to distinguish the brokenness of man because of his sin, but we rather take a more optimistic view of God’s working in man.
God, in His sovereign work in this world, influences every person. He is Ruler of heaven and earth and does not stand far off but is rather always involved.2 There are those who welcome and take joy in that “influence” and those who refuse to acknowledge it and reject this grace.
Seeing as Soul
What I would suggest is that the leader, in seeing his or her subordinates as souls, should see them as those of whom God is working in and through . . . no matter the subordinate’s personal reception of Jesus’ grace. Much as Paul addresses the pagans in Athens in Acts 17:26-28
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
This should mold how leaders interact with those under their authority—and their expectations for them.
- Those who are influenced by the Lord will often fail. They will sin—go against God’s desires—or simply make technical mistakes in their jobs. Every one of us does so no matter the level of sanctification and skill level. Humbly recognizing this, the leader can take an active role in encouraging godliness—loving neighbor—and skill development. He/she should seek the subordinate’s growth as a person and worker.
- Every man and woman has been given the task by the Lord—whether they know it or not—to take an active part in making the world better. It is called the “dominion mandate” in theological terms. It is not a harsh, authoritarian dominion of which we often think. It is a loving, building, encouraging, gracious development of good in the world. It means using our God-given skills and talents to build good products that help people. It is in making things of beauty. It is serving our neighbor as we do ourselves.
- And finally, the leader should him/herself model Christ’s love for his/her employees. This is both in word and action. But, that modeling needs to be sincere—it must come from the heart. He/she must truly love his subordinates.
Getting the Heart
As noted in that last bullet point: it must come from the heart.
One thing sorely lacking—though not absent—in secular research regarding leadership is a view to the motives of leaders. It is an understandable oversight in that the focus in leadership training is on what the leader does; what can be visibly perceived of that leadership. There is a sense that the actions of man—or woman—can be more readily changed than the motives, or what I would call, the heart—the whole inner working of man including cognition and emotive.
However, biblically it is from the heart that comes these behaviors. Those behaviors are not caused by outward influence but by the heart. So, if you want to fix behaviors, you need to the get to the “heart”. Yes, others—including followers—can encourage the actions of the leader whether for good or evil. But it is in the heart of the leader where actions finds their root.
Consider these passages:
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life. [Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)]
You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. [Matthew 12:34-35 (ESV)]
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. [Matthew 15:18-20 (ESV)]
When a toxic leader tears down a subordinate he/she is simply speaking from his heart.
When a toxic leader manipulates with sweet sounding words he/she is simply speaking from the heart.
When a toxic leader takes all the credit for the work of his subordinates he/she is simply acting from his/her heart.
When the toxic leader steals from the organization, he/she is simply working out his/her heart.
Therefore, we must change the heart of leadership.
There must be heart change. Leaders must recognize and believe their subordinates are souls—immortal beings who are created and influenced by the God of the universe. Truly getting this can make all the difference in what our leadership looks like.