July 13, 2026

Business by the Book

Isaiah 55:4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

As we discussed yesterday, this verse is about King David but written with an eye toward the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ.  To recap, in these two men we find a common trait that leaders need to instill into their own lives. That trait is variance. They both varied their personalities and the way they dealt with people routinely. David, and Jesus, could be compassionate, stern, hard, loving, devoted, standoffish, soft, firm, and varied in so many other ways.  The situation, the person, the time, the purpose they were trying to fulfill, the response of others, and many other situations demanded that they vary their behaviors.

Why does varying one’s behavior work for leaders?  Simple! Let’s say that a person is overly exuberant and extremely outgoing. They are this way all the time: day after day, conversation after conversation, day in and day out. Their style of behavior will attract a certain group of people, namely, those who like to be around overly exuberant and extremely outgoing people. But the overly exuberant and extremely outgoing individuals will not attract those who are comfortable around more conservative or mild-mannered people. By sometimes being overly exuberant and extremely outgoing and sometimes being conservative and mild mannered, a person can increase the number of people comfortable with them.

By varying one’s personality or manner of communication they can reach a broader spectrum thereby increasing the number of people they can influence which, after all, is the basic essence of leadership. Let’s say a leader has fifty employees. Some of those employees will need that leader to be outgoing, positive, always have an upbeat comment, and basically carry the conversation between the two. Some will need that leader to be considerate, listen, be thoughtful, and more reserved. Some need the leader to be strong and demand more of them because that is the type of motivation they respond to. Some will need the leader to be more pliable, understanding and softer in their approach for that is what their personality responds to.

Great leaders are able to give a greater number of people what they need by knowing how to vary their mannerisms without forfeiting their core belief system and underlying purpose or goal.  As a past manager in a corporate setting and now as a pastor, I understand that some need me to listen, some need me to be firm, some need me to encourage them, some need me to tease them and some never want to be teased. Leaders learn to discern what people need and give them that, even if it means a variance in the leader’s normal predisposition.

One of the greatest pastoral leaders (who had a church of about 20,000) of years past once said, “Every time I meet someone I ask myself, ‘what does this person need from me’ and I try to give them that.”  This is variance in leadership, and it is very effective as long as it does not become something hypocritical or contradictory to the core belief system or contrary to the overall corporate goals or purposes.

Dr. William Howe