how to shape their messages to move
people to action.
Intellectual Stimulation
Gifted leaders ask piercing questions
and offer novel perspectives. When
they speak or write, others often
wonder, Why didn’t I think of that?
The messages of these leaders
push people to think more deeply, to
wrestle with facts and ideas, and to
shape their lives around a new way of
looking at truth.
Individualized Consideration
Leaders are effective because they
touch a few who become infected
with the same enthusiasm and
subsequently infect many others. A
great speaker may make a dent in the
masses, but the best leaders know they
need to focus on the few. Virtually all
revolutionary movements were begun
by individual leaders who captured the
imagination of a small group of men
and women. The followers became
enamored with the leader’s power,
certainty, determination, and, in some
cases, humility and compassion.
Jesus Was a Model Leader
Stephen points out that the leader who
exemplifies these traits most perfectly
is Jesus. Jesus can be our model, our
example, and our guide as we seek
to motivate people on our teams. In
his book, Stephen writes that some
pastors—and, by extension, leaders
in other fields—are long on vision, but
short on practical steps to get there.
Others have exemplary characters,
but they don’t provide much of a spark
32 • Solutions
to inflame the motivation of others.
Few leaders, Stephen notes, stimulate
deep reflection in their people. In
other words, most leaders don’t equip
people to think.
He writes about Christ:
Jesus continually challenged His
listeners’ normal way of thinking
about God and life. Over and over
again, people had to think more deeply
about what He said so they could
understand it and apply it, and the
disciples often asked Him to explain
His points.
Then Stephen asks us:
How often do people ask us to explain
more of what we’ve said—and do they
ask because it’s particularly insightful
and challenging or because our point
has been so opaque that no one
could grasp it? Don’t be intellectually
lazy. Find authors and teachers who
stretch your mind and heart. Dive into
their books and sermons, wrestle with
their points, and find ways to adapt