A Global Perspective on Servant Leadership

About The Podcast

As the son of immigrants, a successful businessman, and former pastor, Tommy Lee has learned plenty about relating to God and bringing his faith to work. This founder and president of Resource Global talks with Redeemed founder Paul Amos this week about how servant leadership is transforming countries around the globe. They even talk some about fantasy football.

Show Notes

Timestamps

Discussion

1. Let’s start with a question that has guided Tommy throughout his life, especially early on in his career: Are you faithful to where God has placed you right now? Are you making the most of your current life circumstances, even if they’re challenging or unsatisfying? What mundane aspects of work, marriage, family life, or community involvement have helped you make valuable discoveries you weren’t expecting? 1 Corinthians 4:2
2. At your current workplace, how do the people you work with share their faith? Do they openly display things like Bibles and quote Scripture, or are they more subtle in how they share their faith? What’s your reaction to these different styles? Do you get uncomfortable or irritated when you feel like people are preaching to you? Are there good people in your workplace who you sometimes wish would be more open about their faith? Matthew 5:16
3. If you’ve traveled abroad, which city, country, culture—or even individual person—has made the most lasting impression on you? What have you experienced in other cultures that you wish people would exhibit more of in your country? What about your country do you think are unknown or under appreciated in the rest of the world?
4. How good would you say you are at delegating? Are you comfortable putting important things in other people’s hands and giving them an opportunity to shine, or do you get nervous if you’re not in control? What traits or experiences in your life might have influenced you to be this way?
5. Would you describe your job as fast-paced or more laid back? When things are busy or you’re “in the zone”, do you still take time to reflect on God’s role in your life and desires for your journey? If not, what could you do to make quiet reflection a regular habit? Matthew 6:33
6. One of the most important lessons of servant leadership, Tommy says, is that “it’s not all about you.” Have you internalized this lesson? Do you most often find yourself talking about tasks, problems, and general events in terms of how they affect you, or do you take a broader view that includes others? Philippians 2:4
7. Looking back over your career, who would you say is the best leader you’ve ever worked under? What were the things he or she did (or is doing) to get the best effort out of their employees, lift morale, and make everyone feel valued and heard? What aspects of servant leadership did this person embody well? How have you tried to emulate those traits in your own life?

Additional Resources:

Tommy’s podcasts:

Up Next (servant leadership and faith in the workplace)

NFL Fantasy Matchup (fantasy football)

Tommy also mentioned the professor and theologian Ray Bakke. His best-known books include:

A Theology as Big as the City

The Urban Christian

Encounter God in the City: Onramps to Personal and Community Transformation