5 Traits of a Faithful Christian Boss
It’s so easy to live a segmented Christian life. The temptation is really strong for Christians to live in two separate spheres with two different ethics. Even though we may faithfully attend church on a weekly basis, are involved in mid-week fellowship gatherings, and are intentional about personal and family devotions, we may feel as though we are entering a different world with different “rules” when we enter the workplace. Often, we struggle to see how what we hear on a Sunday morning has any bearing Monday morning when the workweek starts.
I think that this is especially tempting for “bosses” — people in leadership and/or management positions at work — to go through their workweek either oblivious to or honestly confused about their calling to be Christians in their vocations of leadership. It’s a shameful fact that many Christian bosses are almost indistinguishable from non-Christian bosses in the way they lead and manage the people that report to them.
Perhaps you are a Christian in a position of leadership or management at work and you want to know what it means to be a Christian in that vocation. In God’s providence, you and I have been placed in this position for a reason and with a mission, and it’s so important for us to know what those are in order to effectively be salt and light in this world.
Here are 5 traits that I believe the Lord requires of a faithful Christian boss who lives out the gospel.
- Be Willing to Take the Fall for Those Whom You Oversee
A boss who is unaware of the story of the King who took the fall for his own will “look out for number one.” Such a boss will be quick to funnel and redirect the blame to those who report to him/her, regardless of where the fault belongs.
A boss whose heart has been impacted by the gospel will live out the template of the gospel by laying down his/her life for those whom he/she oversees (cf. John 15:13). He/she will put reputation and status on the line and take the fall even when a subordinate is at fault because he/she only fears the reputation and status God confers (cf. Luke 12:4).
Even more so, a Christian boss will be willing to take the fall both privately and publicly if he/she is called to it. Personally taking on the burdens of the failures of a subordinate is right and fitting in the eyes of someone who has been captivated by the God who took on the burden of his people’s innumerable failings in a public display on the cross.
2. Lavishly Give Credit Where It’s Due
It’s tempting to place all the blame on those beneath you and to take all the credit for successes yourself. But the Christian boss recognizes that the successes of a workplace has multiple players, and often the ones who make the most impact on the ground are those who have the most difficult, menial tasks, not those in leadership or management.
When others praise you for your leadership or management when you are successful, make sure you aren’t robbing credit from those to whom it’s due (cf. Romans 13:7). Rather, lavishly give praise to those who report to you and rejoice over them in their successes. Hoarding praise only puffs up the heart like an overfilled balloon.
A Christian boss doesn’t need any more praise because they’ve received the highest honor of being called a child of God. Out of the abundance of their heart, they can pour into the lives of those whom they oversee (cf. Luke 6:45). They can take the spotlight off themselves and onto those who work behind the scenes, often under-appreciated though they work their hearts out.
3. Be a Servant First, Not a Lord
Jesus himself says that those who want to be first must be last of all and servant of all (Mark 9:35). This is most directly talking about the church — the institution where the firsts are last and the lasts are first — but we shouldn’t let ourselves off the hook that easily. The church is the best “sparring arena” for this practice of servant-leadership so that Christians can go out into the world and be servant-leaders in the workplace, especially as Christian bosses.
What this means is that Christian bosses don’t see anything as “below” them or too uncomely for a person in leadership or management. He/she should be willing to stoop down and help out in the nitty gritty tasks rather than simply sit comfortably, detached from the on-the-grounds work.
Being a servant means following the example of Christ who did not sit as Lord to be served from afar, but came down from heaven to serve all (cf. Matthew 20:28). A Christian boss is only as good as he/she is “in tune” with the struggles, frustrations, and hard work of the person in the lowest of rank under his/her supervision. A Christian boss readily asks for the needs of those he/she oversees and does the best he/she can to meet these out of service.
4. Be More Than Generous in Compensation, Even at Cost to You
Understandably, Christians are more often bosses of Christian non-profits. Sadly, “non-profit” often means “no profit” for employees while those in leadership get decent pay and other perks. But this applies for Christian bosses of for-profit and not Christian companies as well.
A Christian boss will know that a livable wage should not be the lowest bar to meet. Christians are called to promote the thriving of all image-bearers, especially those whom they have say about their paychecks (cf. Romans 15:2; Jeremiah 29:7). A Christian boss will aim to be prodigal in generosity out of gratefulness to the prodigal God who lavishly gives — almost foolishly — to wretches and enemies (cf. Luke 15:11–32).
This requires a willingness to take upon yourself a cost. This can mean a cut to your salary to give a thrivable wage to your employees. Or, it can mean refusing benefits and perks as a boss — expensive hotels, meals, car rentals, flights, expanded vacation hours, fancy equipment, etc. — to give your employees the wage they need for them to thrive. Paul himself, as a follower of Christ, shows us what it means to refuse even the things we are due as a leader in order to benefit others (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:15–18). We should not constantly circle back to what we are due as bosses, but we should see that much has been given to us, therefore much is expected in our treatment of those in our care (cf. Luke 12:48).
5. Don’t Live as Though You Own Those Whom You Oversee
Lastly, if we’re honest, it’s so easy to be a boss who loves control and micro-management. It’s also easy to make fear be the operating motivation for those who report to you to do a good job — fear of a loss of a job, or fear of never making steps forward in their career.
But a Christian boss makes clear boundaries of the scope of their leadership and management, and makes this apparent. There are many ways that bosses can live as though they own their employees. This can be in creating subtle expectations of unpaid “off the clock” work, calling employees outside of work hours for work-related issues, overwhelming employees with tasks beyond their position requirements, disregarding or belittling emotional and mental health, making employees sign highly restrictive agreements that prevent them from using their God-given gifts and talents to develop themselves in their vocations, etc.
A Christian boss receives respect by giving respect to their employees, their time, their space, their work-life balance, their dreams, and their other life commitments. The gospel is not much different, if we think about it. Jesus doesn’t demand respect and obedience, but he softens our hearts with his overwhelming grace so that we respond with deepest, heartfelt gratitude.
Conclusion
In closing, we who are in positions of leadership and management have a real unique opportunity to serve those in our care and supervision. The calling is demanding and the bar is set high, but our Savior gives grace by his Holy Spirit to please him in the workplace. We should not settle for mediocrity as Christian bosses, but cast a vision for a renewed workplace. What would it look like if we lived out the gospel as bosses where God has placed us? How can we serve and bless through our leadership and management and demonstrate in our vocation the difference the gospel makes in the day-to-day? Dream that vision with me, and let’s make it a reality in God’s strength.
