Did you happen to catch the new reality show, "Undercover Boss," after the Super Bowl last night? I'm not normally a reality show viewer, but this show now has my interest. The first episode featured Larry O'Donnell, president and COO of Waste Management, who went undercover in his own company to see what life at work is like for his front line employees. He picked up trash, he cleaned portable restrooms, and other tasks you'd hardly associate with men of the financial means of Larry O'Donnell.
There is much to love about this show, but throughout the episode I kept thinking, pastors can learn a whole lot from this show. Here are three lessons I learned.
Being willing to get messy. First, Larry went well beyond simply meeting this employees. He got his hands dirty with them and really found out what it was like to live in their shoes. He ate dinner with manager and her family and learned about how they were close to losing their home because of rising taxes, he talked with a recycling truck driver about how she has to pee in can if nature calls while while she's out in her truck, he talked to man about how he under goes dialysis twice a week while holding down a full-time, physically demanding job, and he saw how one man finds joy in cleaning toilets for a living (we all could learn a lot from that man).
He learned all of this while working alongside these men and women, doing what they do, learning what they know, and feeling the exhaustion they feel at the end of each day. In other words, he really sought to know his employees, beyond the surface level, and in many ways resembled what it means to show those we encounter the love of Christ. Of course Larry had to go undercover in order to experience this level of authenticity, but he did it, not because he had to, but because he really wanted to know what life is like for those who work for him.
He learned all of this while working alongside these men and women, doing what they do, learning what they know, and feeling the exhaustion they feel at the end of each day. In other words, he really sought to know his employees, beyond the surface level, and in many ways resembled what it means to show those we encounter the love of Christ. Of course Larry had to go undercover in order to experience this level of authenticity, but he did it, not because he had to, but because he really wanted to know what life is like for those who work for him.
Being about changing people, not directing people. Second, it was clear as I watched Undercover Boss that Larry's motivation for going undercover went beyond seeking to understand how he could be a better leader - he demonstrated a genuine desire in changing the lives, as best he could, of those working for him. This is what spiritual leadership ought to be about too. The aim should "not so much at directing people as it is at changing people. If we would be the kind of leaders we ought to be, we must make it our aim to develop persons rather than dictate plans. You can get people to do what you want, but if they don't change in their heart you have not led them spiritually. You have not taken them to where God wants them to be." (Piper, 1995)
Understanding what your sheep are really like. Pastors rarely get to know what the people they serve are like Monday through Saturday. We see the polished Sunday versions of people, but often not what they're like outside of the our church buildings. This usually isn't because pastors don't have an interest in really knowing their congregation, but because people typically don't want their pastors to know what's really going on in their lives for fear of judgment, either from their pastors or those within their congregations.
It's rare that someone is broken enough to really share their struggles. By going undercover, Larry was able to access a window into the hearts and minds of those who work for him. Clearly pastors can't go undercover in their own churches, but we should seek opportunities to really get to know those in our churches. How? By being willing and open to experiencing what life is like for those within our congregation. Eat in their homes, get to know their kids, share their leisure activities with them, and be with them as much as possible outside of the church-building walls. Obviously a pastor can't do this for everyone in his congregation, but he can help establish structures to make sure that everyone is receiving this kind of spiritual leadership.
I highly recommend that pastors check out Undercover Boss and seek to learn from the lessons the CEOs are learning from their employees.
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