Tag Archives: Marketing

Imaging Leadership: When Image is More Important Than Anything

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One of the surest ways to kill an organization is to be driven by image.

One of the surest ways to identify a toxic leader is to find one driven by image.

The Bible is repleat with examples and the modern business and Christian organization world is full of them. It is a huge temptation for any organization that feels more dependent on donor funds than God.

Only in the Christian organization it is spun as “being an example for Christ.”

In other words, truth does not really matter. What really matters is if appearances are kept up for the public. Then Christ is glorified.

And it just so happens, the money flows better that way. Contributions roll in unabated.

But, Jesus never told his people to fake it until you make it. In fact, He most commonly called those who do hypocrites and that was not a positive assessment of their spiritual state (Matthew 6).

Saul and Image

King Saul reigned in Israel approximately 1021–1000 BC. He was their first king, which is a story in itself (not to be discussed here).

At one point he was told by the prophet Samuel to attack Amalek. He did as commanded by the Lord. But, though being told to destroy everyone and everything, Saul spared the king and held onto the best of the sheep and oxen.

Samuel came to Saul having been told by the Lord, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” (1 Sam. 15:10)

As Samuel confronted him, Saul immediately began shifting the blame to the people. Samuel told him the Lord was stripping him of his kingship. Saul responded,

“I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the LORD your God.” (1 Samuel 15:30 (ESV))

“I have sinned.” Sounds like he got it right. But listen to those words following.

“Honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. . .” His image is of greatest importance here. His confession is only a ploy to please the prophet. His desire for honor far outweighs his relationship with the Lord.

Samuel seems to think so as well.

He tells Saul that he will not return with him and walks away. However, Saul won’t stand for it and grabs the prophet’s robe, tearing it. Samuel in turn uses Saul’s disrespectful action as a metaphor and tells Saul that God is tearing his kingdom away from him just as he tore Samuel’s robe.

And then Samuel returns with Saul and finishes the job Saul was supposed to do.

Outward Appearances

Saul is a good (evil) example of the image-driven pastor, organizational leader, or business CEO. The Lord does not look on outward appearances (2 Cor. 5:12) and you will never get away with being driven by an image rather than the real deal (1 Sam. 16:7). God sees through that. God knows your character through and through.

You cannot put on airs with Jesus like you do for your adoring public.

Jesus will bring it to light at some point.

If you have the opportunity to join an organization that seems to have it all together and never airs its dirty laundry . . . run.

It is unhealthy and hypocritical.

If you have the opportunity to join an organization that seems to have it all together and tells you all the ways that it does ministry better than anyone else . . . run.

It is unhealthy and they are lying.

We Will Crush You

When an organization is driven by image, you can be assured it will do anything to keep that image alive.

That means the leaders will lie about wrongdoing. They will crush dissent. They will refuse criticism . . . even constructive criticism. They will put on a facade for the donors.

On a side note, this is of what NDAs are made. NDAs are often intended to keep that image alive through silencing its victims while offering cold cash for the buyout.

I worked for a mission agency like this. I watched it in action. And I drank the Koolaid for several years. I am not above being sucked in.

My wife had to confront me (in her gracious way) following a missions conference when I came away all blustery about how our mission was so much better than all those other missions.

It was less than a year later that all that image crumbled before me and we left the mission beaten and bruised by the toxic leadership.

It is insidious. Don’t take part in it . . . it will kill you.

For helpful information on “impression management” by Wade Mullen:

Like a Shepherd Lead Us: Looking Outward

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How often do you hear a leader of a Christian organization being called a shepherd?

Yet, all Christian leadership should look like shepherding.

I mean every Christian who is acting in a leadership role. He could be a CEO, low-level or mid-level manager, church deacon or elder, committee member, or head of the home.

Jesus Christ is the ultimate leader. Here is what he had to say about his leadership:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

John 10:10-12

Do Nothing Selfishly

Underlying all leadership should be the understanding that I am looking out for someone else’s interests. In Philippians, the Apostle Paul seems to be amplifying Jesus’ words.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)

There is always self-care: look not only to our own interests. We need to consider our own needs for emotional and physical safety. But Paul emphasizes looking outward probably because we are naturally inward-looking. We most naturally look out for ourselves…it takes work and a disposition molded by the Holy Spirit to consider the needs of others.

Who Are the Needy?

Who are the needy? They are the stakeholders of our ministry.

As a leader I am responsible for the needs of my subordinates in the organization and the recipients of my ministry. In addition, I am accountable to ministry donors. Unfortunately, in the broken world of service, there are sometimes competing interests at work between all of these stakeholders.

Toxic organizational leaders do what is necessary to get from these stakeholders. They consider their own needs as more significant than other’s.

As a result, all manner of manipulation and control of their employees, ministry recipients, and donors takes place by the leadership to achieve their goal of getting from them.

The leadership might hide behind such lofty goals as, “We are here to serve the empoverished [i.e. recipients of the ministry].” Or maybe, “We are accountable to those who give generously to our ministry.“

Image, Image, Image

But for the toxic leader, that is only a smokescreen for serving themselves as leaders. He cares little about the stakeholders God has given him.

The organization’s stakeholders are only cogs in his wheel of ego production. And he may care little but for the image of the organization to build his own ego or pocketbook.

The leadership of one mission organization for which I worked focused mostly on image-building in what appeared to be an attempt to keep the contributions rolling in and for their own sense of greatness.

When a donor agency sent a team to evaluate the educational ministry of the organization, the CEO instructed the science teachers to prominently display science equipment that was rarely used and never at that point in the students’ studies. The teachers were to have the students working with the equipment when the donors arrived. The equipment was immediately put away following the visit.

One student remarked, “I wish this was the normal, but obviously [the leaders] just want to make an impression.”

The deception was quite apparent to the students and the Principal of the school, who told me of it later. He was embarrassed by the duplicity.

In another sham, the ministry produced a promotional brochure to raise donors that featured two students on the cover. The brochure explained that the students were “orphans.” When it was discovered that they were not orphans, and were quite offended by the deception, the ministry leader shrugged it off and explained that the students had signed off on having their picture on brochures when they registered for the school.

We just scratched our heads.

Image, image, image.

The wiseman had something to say about this:

Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 18:12 (ESV)

Putting Our Foot Out

There is certainly nothing wrong with putting our best foot forward. We espouse our strengths in a job interview and we bring attention to our services as an organization to those with whom we seek to partner financially.

But “marketing” for the Christian is really about humbly making known the gifts God has given us so that we may have opportunity to minister to others with those gifts.

It is not about manipulating others for financial gain or ego gratifying image-mongering. When God has gifted individuals or a ministry with the ability to serve others, it is right to make that known that there be those who may receive the ministry the organization provides.

Paul, in essence says this to the Corinthians:

But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.

2 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

Paul will boast in “regard to the area of influence God assigned.” He will “glory” in the abilities God has given him that he might serve others.

But as we put our best foot forward, it is important to make sure it is our foot (the “foot” God has given us) we are putting forward, not someone else’s as Paul goes on to say. We must act in integrity and consider all our “stakeholders,” whether they be our employees, donors, or ministry recipients.

Integrity, integrity, integrity.

Leadership is a work of shepherding. It is about feeding the sheep – all the stakeholders.

It means loving others. Considering others as more important than your own comfort or ego or image.

2600 years ago, God spoke through the prophet and priest, Ezekiel. [Jesus was likely referring to this bit of Old Testament prophecy as he spoke of his ministry as the true Shepherd of Israel – John 10]. God said,

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.”

Ezekiel 34:1-6

Amen and amen.