“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
Matthew 5:6 (NET)
I came across an interesting diagram that, I think, simply and clearly shows what leadership looks like in practice:
What this illustration tells me is that leadership is much more of a relational practice than a matter of task accomplishment.
That may not be a groundbreaking statement. However, while we recognize its truth, we tend to structure all our organizational systems, policies, and governance frameworks around performance and task completion. If the process of achieving the task truly involves the ups and downs, twists and turns shown in the diagram, then it seems that maintaining the right relationship should be more central in our leadership paradigms and organizational accountability frameworks than it currently is.
I’ve often used soccer as an example of this. The goal of a soccer game is straightforward: win by scoring more goals than the other team. But if a soccer game went like the top part of the diagram, where’s the fun in that? No, the real action is where the sport happens. And for that action to be exciting for spectators, the team needs players who know how to play well together.
I’ve been to little kids’ soccer games. At this stage of their development, they definitely understand the goal: get the ball in the opponents’ net. But during the game, what typically happens is a bunch of very cute little kids all huddled around the ball with the same goal in mind, but with no sense of team or strategy. Just a mass huddle moving up and down the field, all trying to get a good kick in.
As players develop their skills, they realize that winning depends on teamwork. They grasp the basic mechanics of the sport, such as technique, positions, physical conditioning, and rules. But more importantly, they learn about each other, recognizing teammates’ strengths and weaknesses and how they respond in different situations. They also learn about sportsmanship and fair play. Additionally, they learn to read their teammates while spread out across the field without the advantage of verbal communication. The more they practice, the more they build trust and relational knowledge, which helps them manage the unpredictable movement of the ball as a team. That’s how the game is ultimately won.
But suppose a “star player” hits the pitch full of himself and decides he will hog the ball and make all the calls on his own. He skips over teammates and keeps the ball to himself, showing off his skills. The team might win the game, but he’ll have some unhappy teammates and will start to make a name for himself as a grandstander.
When Jesus tells the crowd that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied, he is speaking to those who have been mistreated and marginalized. The word Jesus uses, often translated as righteousness (dikaiosynē), has a much broader meaning than just personal rule-keeping and morality. It signifies doing the right thing within the context of right relationships. It is, in fact, a deeply relational concept rooted in covenantal faithfulness, both in God’s faithfulness to his people and in our faithfulness to him and one another. It reflects a profound longing for justice, wholeness, and for all things to be put right so that we can flourish.
I believe our idea of righteousness has become watered down over time to mean strictly following the rules or to follow our own convictions, regardless of how others are impacted. But as much as that sounds like high-minded integrity, Jesus condemns the religious leaders of his day for this kind of confused thinking:
“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! (Matt. 23:23-24, NET)
We need to address the relational issues present in our leadership environments. Otherwise, we miss out on the richness, depth, and beauty that come from maneuvering the natural ups and downs of doubting, learning, failing, practicing, feeling lost, understanding, and struggling together before reaching the goal. Navigating this process in and through right relationships with others produces a well-cut diamond, an achieved goal that is skillfully and brilliantly crafted with the wisdom, talents, insights, perspectives, and treasures of everyone on the team.
Perhaps there is no more powerful place to practice this kind of righteousness than in conflict. When emotions run high and our perspectives and personhood are challenged, we are more tempted than ever to adopt a mindset of completing the task by any means, even if that means sidelining or silencing others who stand in our way. I’m sure we can all share painful stories of when that happened to us—when we were treated like obstacles rather than as beloved and valued colleagues and teammates. It is dehumanizing: all our personhood, all our great qualities, and all our meaningful contributions are harshly cut down, and we are boiled down to nothing more than a problem to be fixed.
Conflict involves both task and relationship components. It’s not just about differences in how a task should be completed, but also about how we address the issues in a way that honors each person as valued colleagues and as image bearers of the God who created them. When we navigate conflict by holding task and relationship together tightly, we have the best chance of letting justice flow into reconciliation and peace. But when we dominate, refuse to listen, create narrow narratives about others that diminish or dismiss their perspectives, refuse to welcome others to the table who think differently about relationships and tasks, or fail to remove the logs from our own eyes, we do not practice righteousness as Jesus instructs. Instead, we neglect what is more important in the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. And without love, our accomplishments become nothing but disharmonious “clanging cymbals” and “noisy gongs” (1 Cor. 13:1-3). We gain nothing.
Below are some ways you and your team might consider practicing right relationship in your leadership contexts.
Prioritize relationships over mere task completion
Design leadership around how people work together, not just whether goals are achieved.
Cultivate deep knowledge of your team
Learn people’s strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies, not just their roles or output. Remember that diversity is a gift to your team that enables you to navigate the challenges of leadership with wisdom, accountability, and a deeper understanding of your mission and environment. People are wired differently; neurodiversity exists alongside many other forms of diversity. Learn to listen to others with curiosity, aiming to understand and appreciate their differences.
Build trust through shared experience
Engage in the process of struggle, learning, and growth together, not just outcomes.
Practice humility instead of self-centered leadership
Avoid being the “star player” who dominates. Instead, share responsibility and credit. Be careful to protect and promote others’ agency. Agency is a person’s ability to perform their specific job responsibilities.
Value collaboration over individual performance
Encourage teamwork in which success depends on interdependence, not on individual heroics.
Pursue justice, mercy, and faithfulness
Focus on what Jesus calls the “weightier matters” (Matthew 23:23):
- Justice (fairness and rightness)
- Mercy (compassion)
- Faithfulness (relational integrity)
Engage conflict relationally, not just functionally
Handle disagreements in ways that honor people, not just solve problems.
Listen actively and resist dominating conversations
Avoid silencing others, make space for voices that differ from your own, and listen with humble curiosity. Be quick to celebrate others’ differences.
Reject reductive or dehumanizing narratives
Do not turn people into “problems.” Recognize their full personhood and value. Reconciliation and repair are far more valuable than “being right.”
Practice self-examination and repentance
“Get the log out of your own eye,” own your blind spots and failures in relationships.
