The 4 M’s of Leadership Excellence

This morning’s men’s cross-trainers group featured an impactful speaker in honor of Veterans Day: Major Sean Quinlan, USMC Ret. As a seasoned warrior and leader, he has navigated some of the most formidable campaigns our nation has faced. Though his address lasted only an hour, it was rich with essential insights that men not only need to remember but, more critically, to implement in their lives. As he articulated, “The measure of a man is to do with what you have. To realize your spiritual gifts, and to put it into practice.”

Leadership Excellence

Though the following was briefly touched on for lack of time, it’s important to expound upon the main points of Maj. Quinlan’s talk on the following 4 M’s of Leadership Excellence and how exceptional men are made and apply it to building the kingdom of God in Christ.

Excellence is not just a word, but a core expectation embedded in culture, leadership, and daily conduct. It is knowing the standard and surpassing it with quality. It’s accepting the values of preparedness, honor, courage, and commitment all the while bearing difficulty with initiative and enthusiasm. It’s followed 24/7, 365 days a year non-stop, it never takes a vacation, and is upheld 100% of the time.

The way this is done is through the four elements of leadership: Model, Motivate, Mentor, and Multiply.

Model

Before we can start discipling another man in the body of Christ, we have to look at the man in the mirror and make sure we are a man that we want someone to follow. Are you a man that models excellence in all that he does?

And who is our example of excellence? Jesus Christ. He was the greatest example of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, humility, sacrifice, and laying down His life so that those can live. He was the model of what right looks like. He embodied all those things—and more. 1 Peter 2:21 says, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in His steps.” And what steps did He walk in on this earth? He willingly took the punishment He did not earn for our sin upon the cross that we deserved.

Though our main example is Christ, we too are to be examples to others, especially the men around us. And there is nothing wrong with that; for Scripture even declares that we should imitate those around us who are imitating Christ, and be imitated. Here are several:

• “Therefore [because I, Paul, am your spiritual father in Christ] I urge you, imitate me.” (1 Corinthians 4:14)
• “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)
• “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:11-12)
• “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 1:11)

One of the most important and thorough ways a child learns is through imitation, and that doesn’t stop when we become adults. We must become the best in what we want to see in men. People are watching you—believers and unbelievers. Are you setting the example of a godly man?

Motivate

The OneLook Thesaurus and Dictionary defines motivation as To provide reason for action. To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage. As leaders, we must cultivate an environment where individuals can learn, grow, and embrace their roles as part of the body of Christ. It is essential that we recognize their unique contributions and inspire them to fully engage in all that Christ has planned for them. We must empower them to accept their calling and walk boldly in it.

Christ was motivated by love expressed through humility, obedience, and self-sacrifice. He motivated His disciples to embrace the same and difficult things they would endure to become all that He had in store for them. Read through the gospels and you will find countless examples of Christ challenging them and motivating them to have faith in the shadow of fear. But we must remember that Jesus didn’t leave them alone to figure it all out on their own, but gave each one of them the Holy Spirit to empower, equip, and embolden them to fulfill their ministry; the same Holy Spirit we are given to us today.

But we as leaders must be motivated ourselves to keep going and do the work God called us to do. Complacency kills. When we are complacent (content and self-satisfied despite potential risks) we run the risk of hurting ourselves and others. We always need to remember we are in a real war with a real enemy with real motives and desires to thwart the work of God. Satan hates you and has a horrifying plan for your life. He wants to kill, steal, and destroy your witness, your family, and your church. Therefore, we need to be watchful in our walk while also looking out for others.

Mentor

Mentoring someone is taking a Christian who has the Holy Spirit under their wing and help make them better in Christ and fulfill their ministry. To guide and support someone from experience, not just head-knowledge, but—wisdom.

One of the most problematic issues in the church today is the lack of discipleship. I’ve written several articles on this already including:

• The Most Troublesome Problem in the Church Today
• It Does Me No Good
• In the Game, Sidelines, or Stands?

But do you know why I feel there is a problem in the church? Because we have men (and women) who have been saved for 20, 30, 40+ years and have never shared the gospel, mentored a person in the church, or pursue leadership positions all the while sitting in the pews learning and not applying or teaching what they have learned. They are metaphorically fat Christians always eating, never exercising to expound energy with what they take in. The bigger they get, the more immoveable they become, warming the pews every Sunday service.

We need men and women equipping, challenging, and motivating those of like gender to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ and be watchful of an enemy who wants to kill them. It is a journey of faithfulness, love, and transformation into the image of Christ from worldly patterns and our old nature (Romans 12:2).

Not only this, but we need to mentor and teach those to make disciples themselves. That is the true essence of multiplication and disciple-making.

Multiply

We are not to be like potted plants confined indoors as our roots bound up, just getting fed once a week, limiting their potential and carried everywhere, being dependent upon other people for their nourishment. We are to be planted, spread out with our roots running deep into the soil of God’s Word and our constant nourishment from our Creator. Our seeds should fall and our roots spread to grow. The same should be true of the church.

As mentoring takes place inside the church, evangelism takes place outside the walls of the building and into the world, reaching those who do not believe and are not part of the body of Christ. Jesus said to not only go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15), but more importantly to make disciples (Matthew 28:19), and teach others to go and do the same. That’s where real multiplication takes place. It’s not going into other churches and recruiting those who have had issues with their church to come to yours, which is actually displacement; it is raising up an army in the church to go as soldiers into the world controlled by the enemy to share the gospel and make disciples themselves, thus actually adding to the family of God. We need each person in the body of Christ to do this, otherwise the few who are will get exhausted and weary as the above video suggests.

This model works well with leadership in business and organizations, but it is truly effective in the body of Christ.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV