One day as Jesus was walking with his disciples, he asked them a curious question, “Who do people say that I am?”
They said that the jury was still out; some people thought he was Elijah, some thought he was a reheaded John the Baptist, and some thought he was one of the ancient prophets back from the dead.
He then asked a follow-up question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responded immediately, “You are the Christ of God.”
As leaders, these are two of the most important question we can ask.
1. Who do the ministry leaders, the staff and the congregation, the customers, say that I am?
What is their perception of me as a leader?
2. Who do you say that I am?
As my direct reports, the people who work closest to me, the people who are most responsible for carrying out the vision I have cast, how would you describe my leadership style?
In order for these questions to be effective, two things must be true.
First, you have to be a leader who is comfortable in your own skin.
Jesus knew who he was. He wasn’t looking for validation or flattery; he wanted to know how he was perceived in the eyes of his followers. There is a great deal of risk in getting this kind of feedback, and you may not really want to know the truth.
