Real Man’s Toolbox – The Greatest Leadership Role Model of All 

By Leo Hellyer 

As men, we have many tools in our toolboxes, and we use most of those tools more than once. In living our lives as Christian men, we should be using the tools in our Real Man’s Toolbox repeatedly as well. Our lives are a compilation of many life experiences: good, bad, challenging, hectic, confusing, mountaintop, and valley, etc. 

Men are expected, gifted, and challenged to be leaders in many areas of what we call life. To accomplish life as well as we can, most men look at role models or mentors to demonstrate to them how to be a good leader. In the business world, Ken Blanchard’s book “The One Minute Manager” has been a beacon of light to many men, leading them on how to lead in the world of business. He has also written a very inspirational book called “Lead Like Jesus.” As it says on the cover, this book is a number of “Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time.” 

Blanchard discusses that there are four domains of leading like Jesus. He says that when we align our hearts, heads, hands and habits, our perspective of life is changed. He also points out that when these four domains are out of alignment, our work is unfocused and relationships are broken. 

Of course, in referring to Jesus’ leadership, Blanchard references many Scriptures. A key Scripture to all of the rest that are referenced is Proverbs 4:23, which says that, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” The condition of our heart determines the direction we go in all other aspects of life. Our hearts must be healthy in order for us to lead others into a productive life experience. 

With all of the distractions of life, we must keep our focus on God and not on life in general, our challenges, or wondering what’s in it for me. If we are willing to follow, Jesus will lead us in all areas of our lives. To effectively communicate with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is through frequent, heartfelt prayer. While we need to always honor the power and wisdom of God, we should communicate with Him as though we are talking to our best friend. A big part of the effectiveness of prayer, regardless of exactly what type of prayer it is, is for us to take time to be still, quietly expecting and receiving guidance directly from God Almighty. 

As a servant leader, Jesus is invested in our success. We are a top priority of His. Jesus wants us to succeed, and He invests a lot into us to guide us on the path towards success. As a Christian man, we are to be more and more like Jesus on a daily basis. If we are doing this, we need to be building into the lives of those people Jesus brings along our path. We need to respond to the divine appointments that Jesus creates for us to minister to others as servant leaders. 

 A very important trait that Blanchard points out is crucial to leading like Jesus is the lack of ego. He references 1 Timothy 1:5, where Paul expresses to Timothy that, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” People with egos are not living a life which reflects this statement from Paul. 

There is a great need for the proper type of leadership in the lives of men today. Unfortunately, for various reasons (too many to count), many men have not had someone in their lives who reflected Christ-like leadership to them in any manner. Many men are making valiant attempts to lead well; but unfortunately, they are failing because they really do not have an achievable goal in sight.   

Men of Christ, we need to come alongside of our brothers who are doing their best to lead without really knowing where they are going. Take the opportunity to add “Lead Like Jesus” by Ken Blanchard to your Real Man’s Toolbox. There are many men who are searching for a real-life role model to follow. If we are living our lives out in a Christ-honoring way, and are doing our very best to lead like Jesus, then we can mirror what true leadership is and how to achieve it. Particularly in this area of life, it may not be as much about what you say as it is about how you live your life that has the most impact. We never know how many other men are watching how we live the various facets of our lives to see how they should live their lives.    

As you live your life, keep your focus on Christ; receive your strength and direction from Him. Be obedient to Him and let Him work in the hearts of other men while using you as a servant leader. On the back cover of Blanchard’s book, it says, “Leading like Jesus will make a profound difference in your life and in the lives of those you influence.” 

Seek Jesus in your life, model Jesus as you become a servant leader to other men, and see the fruits of your labor as you see other men become Christ-like servant leaders to those people Christ brings along their paths. 

Leo Hellyer is a non-staff pastor with a local church and has been married to his wife Norma for 50 years. The couple volunteered with the Boise FamilyLife Ministry Team for 20 years. Leo has also been serving with Boise Rescue Mission Ministries for more than 20 years and is currently serving at the River of Life Rescue Mission. He is president and chief firearms instructor with Helping Hands Firearms Training LLC. If you have questions about Real Man’s Toolbox, or need other assistance, he may be reached at [email protected] or (208) 340-5544.