10 Ducere Est Servire: THE LEADERSHIP JOURNAL OF DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. Although humans are created in God’s image, they still have limits. This is repeatedly highlighted by the apostle Paul, who frequently uses the metaphor of a body when describing the various members of the church. In 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, Paul states that each person is gifted for various acts of ministry and service within the church. The resulting implication is that no one individual possesses all these abilities. Therefore, there is an inherent need for one another to fulfill the church’s ministry effectively. Leaders who boast in their weakness embrace this understanding of Scripture. These leaders recognize that they lack all the necessary skills and traits to lead. Therefore, they attempt to utilize their God-given strengths and rely on the strengths of others to accomplish a goal. In her work, Multipliers, Liz Wiseman notes that the leader’s role is changing from one who knows and directs to one who unleashes others’ capabilities.12 Ron Heifetz, in Leadership Without Easy Answers, echoes this sentiment. Heifetz argues that leaders traditionally were expected to be the primary source of knowledge for solutions to organizational challenges. However, wise leaders learn to rely on the expertise and input from others within the organization to solve problems.13 These authors indicate that everything must not rise and fall on the success of the individual leader but on the group as a whole. Therefore, it is not incumbent upon the leader to possess all knowledge in making decisions. Instead, the leader can rely on the collective wisdom of those within their context to determine the path forward. The Gallup Organization also argues that influential leaders do not attempt to develop a wide variety of strengths and skills. Instead, these leaders cultivate only their natural strengths and rely upon the strengths of others.14 The Strengths Finder test, developed from this concept, helps leaders identify their core areas of strength and focus on developing them. Conversely, leaders can then lean on the strengths of others to help achieve a collective goal. In Leading with a Limp, author Dan Allender notes that God has a history of calling flawed men and women to lead His people. Allender believes God wants to use flawed but forgiven leaders to tell others how
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