Status, Stature & Substance

In his book Mentoring Paradigms, Pas Edmund Chan reflected on the foundation of leadership which I thought was insightful.  Let me share and expand on the points he brought up:

Status: this has to do with the titles we have (such as Dr, Rev, Iman, Master, etc.) or the positions we hold (such as CEO, Director, President, Principal, Major, etc.).  These so-called leadership status are usually conferred/ordained/appointed by an institution or organisation to recognise the capability of people.  For political offices, they are being elected by the people and the party cadres elect appointment holders. In a performance-driven society, people are only interested in our status, with the result that we focus our energies on striving for higher status. 

Stature: there are two aspects to this - our credibility and our confidence.  Our credibility is derived from how people view us based on our work ethics and relationship with them.  Our confidence is derived from how we view ourselves.  If we have very low self-esteem, then we would not be able to carry ourselves well and as such would not project a good leadership stature.   We should not neglect this aspect of leadership in the pursuit of status.

Substance: this is the most important attribute of  a leader, which is how God views us.  We are people of substance when we have cultivated an emotional stability, security and humility which enables us to handle crises, criticisms and compliments effectively.  Joseph was a man of substance when he fled from Potiphar's wife, refusing to lie with her.  True inner security is an expression of the substance in leadership, not being swayed by the temptations of the world.  God is very much interested in us becoming (more like Him) than in doing (lots of things for Him). 

Of late, there have been many cases of people with status and stature in life who have fallen due to lack of substance.  It is instructive to read the proverbs of Solomon that personifies evil as a harlot: "at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks. She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said: ...."   Pr 7:9-13 (NIV)

Note the subtle work of the tempter; a clandestine operation that is carried out in the dark, when one is least expecting it.  She lurks at every corner seeking someone to devour; she is not timid or mild but unruly, forceful and defiant.  The Bible tells us to resist the devil and he would flee from you (Jas 4:7).  This means to run away or not to put oneself in the way of temptation.  It is often a battle in the mind that one has to wrestle with.  Thus to cultivate the character of God in our life we have been encouraged to think on these things:  "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy."  Phil 4:8 (NIV)