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C. Gene Wilkes, Jesus on Leadership: Discovering the Secrets of Servant Leadership. Wilkes reflects keen awareness of good literature on leadership (e.g. Robert Greenleaf, Max De Pree, Warren Bennis), but the real value of his work arises out of his own experience of being humbled into leading like Jesus. He combines this experience with learnings from scripture and leadership theory to derive seven principles of servant leadership:

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1. Humble your heart – servant leaders humble their hearts and wait for God to exalt them.

2. First be a follower – servant leaders follow Jesus instead of seeking a position.

3. Find greatness in service – servant leaders give up personal rights to find greatness in service to others.

4. Take risks – servant leaders can risk serving others because they trust that God is in control of their lives.

5. Take up the towel – servant leaders take up the towel of servanthood to meet the needs of others.

6. Share responsibility and authority – servant leaders share their responsibility and authority with others to meet a great need.

7. Build a team – servant leaders create a sense of togetherness, empower with authority and presence, account for the mission and the team’s actions, and mentor.

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About the Author

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C. Gene Wilkes is married to Kim (McHan) Wilkes (1975) and is the father of two daughters, Storey (21) and Summer (17). He is the pastor of Legacy Church in Plano, Texas, where he has served since 1987. The church has transitioned during Gene’s ministry to more effectively carry out its mission to make disciples in the North Dallas/Plano mission field.

Gene is the author of Jesus on Leadership: Discovering the Secrets of Servant Leadership from the Life of Christ.    LifeandLeadership.com Summary