Self-Leadership #10 Balance Ego and Humility

For a leader, part of humility is the recognition that you get meaningful results only through the effort of others. It is one way of embodying truth and reinforcing character. An effective leader understands that even the most powerful person is only a bit player on the larger stage of life. Chrysostom once said, "Humility is the mother, root, nurse, foundation, and center of all other virtues." A leader needs to be humble and in humility is how he should lead.

Though humility is essential for a leader, this is not enough. "Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself," explained Charles H. Spurgeon. But "it is no humility for a man to think less of himself than he ought." A leader needs a little dose of ego. He shouldn't think less of himself. The progress of the human race has been built upon the egos of great coaches, soldiers, entrepreneurs, teachers, scientists, and educators. All good leaders have healthy egos (though few might not want to admit it). Ego is a self-pusher that pushes you to accept nothing less than your personal best because your name and reputation are on the line. The more we believe in ourselves, the higher our self-esteem as leaders, and the more tension and anxiety we can endure on the road to achieving our goals. Ego, therefore, is closely tied to performance.

Steve Jobs, considered as a great visionary leader, had ego and it was a vital contributor to his worldwide success. In fact, it's hard to think or imagine likewise when you read the way he leads in his biographies (try reading one by Walter Isaacson). Every time he embarked on new projects with his Apple team, you saw it. The design departments experienced it often. So much so that Young Steve Jobs was knowns as an ‘egomaniac' leader. The same ego that helps him achieved greatness also caused him almost permanent downfall (he was fired from Apple but years later returned as a more matured-thinking man). Ryan Holiday, the author of Ego is the Enemy, says that "Ego almost destroyed Steve Jobs' career." Nothing will sink a leader faster than an over-ego attitude.

To emphasize the paradox of leadership between ego and humility, Saeed Al Muntafiq illustrates that "If ego is the engine and horsepower in the car, then humility is the traction control that keeps it on the road." This fine analogy illustrating clearly the balance between the two qualities to be found in any great leader. The balanced proportion of (healthy) ego and humility defines the capability of each individual to take on leadership roles.

How to balance ego and humility? Here are several things to think about:

Ego Is Necessary: Ego is a determination to never do less than your best. As such, it is critical to a healthy performance.

Beware of Over-Ego Attitude: Never lost sight of the dark side of ego – the ego that is self-serving and therefore interferes with leadership that supposed to be serving others.

Give Credit Where It's Due: Humility is about giving credit where credit is due. If you did it, take the credit. If you had help, recognize those who helped you. If it’s a work of a team – praise them!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Apakah Respon Musa Apabila Ada Orang Lain Bernubuat Seperti Nabi? (Bilangan 11)

“Maka keluarlah Musa lalu disampaikannya firman TUHAN kepada bangsa itu. Dia mengumpulkannya tujuh puluh orang daripada kalangan tua-tua bangsa itu dan disuruhnya mereka berdiri di sekeliling Khemah. Kemudian TUHAN hadir dalam awan dan berfirman kepada Musa. Diambil-Nya sebahagian daripada Roh yang ada pada Musa, lalu diletakkan-Nya pada kesemua tujuh puluh tua-tua umat itu. Ketika Roh itu turun ke atas mereka, bernubuatlah mereka seperti nabi, tetapi sesudah itu mereka tidak lagi bernubuat. Akan tetapi, ada dua orang tertinggal di perkhemahan, seorang bernama Eldad dan seorang lagi bernama Medad… Roh itu pun turun ke atas mereka dan mereka bernubuat seperti nabi di perkhemahan… Yosua anak Nun, yang menjadi pembantu Musa sejak masa mudanya, berkata, ‘Tuanku Musa, cegahlah mereka!’ Tetapi kata Musa kepadanya, ‘Adakah kamu mencemburui hal itu demi mendukung aku? Kalau sahaja seluruh umat TUHAN menjadi nabi kerana TUHAN mengurniakan Roh-Nya kepada mereka!’”
(Bilangan 11:24-26, 28-29, Alkitab Versi Borneo)

Musa sudah hampir burning out. Tugas yang diberikan oleh TUHAN kepadanya sangat besar dan adalah sangat mustahil bagi dia untuk melakukannya sendirian (walaupun Miriam dan Harun memimpin bersamanya). Jadi TUHAN meletakkan “sebahagian daripada Roh yang ada pada Musa” kepada “kesemua tujuh puluh tua-tua umat” atau pemimpin-pemimpin Israel. Selepas itu, Alkitab mengatakan bahawa ada dua orang daripada mereka – Eldad and Medad – keluar dari Khemah Allah dan mula bernubuat secara terbuka di kawasan perkhemahan orang Israel. Pada masa itu, Yosua merasakan ini merupakan suatu masalah yang besar!

Kenapa? Pada pendapat saya, Yosua melihat ‘tragedi’ ini sebagai suatu ancaman terhadap kepimpinan Musa. Sebelum ini hanya Musa yang bernubuat bagi orang Israel. Oleh itu, Yosua “mencemburui” hal itu kerana dia sangat ingin melindungi kepimpinan dan keunikkan tuannya Musa sebagai nabi orang Israel. Mungkin juga Yosua melihat Eldad dan Medad sebagai ancaman kepada kedudukannya sendiri. Dia menyeru supaya Musa mencegah atau sekurang-kurangnya menegur para nabi tersebut supaya tidak bernubuat lagi. Tetapi bagi Musa, dia tidak terasa diamcam. Malah dia mengalakkan supaya (jika boleh) “seluruh umat TUHAN menjadi nabi”! Musa tidak cemburu. Musa tidak rasa tergugat. Musa berharap semua orang diberkati oleh TUHAN, bukan dia sahaja. Memang padanlah apabila Firman Allah berkata: “Musa seorang yang begitu lembut hatinya, bahkan lebih lembut daripada semua umat yang berada di muka bumi ini” (Bilangan 12:3).

Dalam perkara-perkara rohani, ego boleh menjadi penghalang kepada kepimpinan kita. Melalui kes diatas, kita diingatkan oleh Musa supaya jangan terasa cemburu apabila ada orang lain dipanggil oleh TUHAN dan mempunyai kebolehan yang sama (atau lebih lagi) daripada kita. Semuanya tentang kemuliaan TUHAN, bukan tentang kemuliaan kita sendiri. Sebagai pemimpin, kita harus memberi galakkan dan mengajar orang lain untuk melayani TUHAN dan umat-Nya. Kita memimpin mereka supaya Kerajaan Allah yang harus diutamakan, bukan agenda kita didahulukan. Jika difikirkan baik-baik, sebenarnya kita tidak harus mendapat kredit apabila sebenarnya Roh Allah yang bekerja dalam kehidupan kita. Jauhi rasa cemburu dan ego dalam hal-hal rohani.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.