Self-Interest to Public-Interest

James and John act out of self-interest:

Master, we want you to do us a favour. Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory (Mark 10).

It has been the genius of Australian society that we have been able to turn self-interest into public-interest for a very long period of time, and on major social issues. Think the generation of wealth and its distribution.

Jesus denies the request. He wants to form them in Christian leadership:

You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I must drink?

Leaders need to ask two important questions, ensuring self-interest becomes public-interest, enabling a momentum away from personal ego towards collective ego:

Do I know what I don’t know?

Where are the people who know what I don’t know?

Simply form the team with the assembled talent. A good work ethic is critical and a deep conviction that ‘doing the right thing’ is a non-negotiable.

The art of communicating is essential. The best leaders are able to articulate the goal of the organisation with great clarity.

It turns out that leadership is very fulfilling.

Amen.