Before any formal training, effective leaders need to believe in their purpose and the people they work with. John Katzenbach and Douglas Smith, authors of The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization, says that the stronger this belief is, the more effectively leaders will strike a balance
between action and patience as they work to build effective teams.
Jesus illustrates this leadership skill effectively when he asks Peter, “Who do you say I am?”. He wasn’t engaging Peter in an intellectual discussion but was helping Peter to reflect on and grasp Jesus’ identity and purpose. Peter’s answer not only identifies Jesus as Christ but also shows that
Peter has some understanding of his purpose. The Christ’s purpose is to redeem and save. Jesus responds by affirming Peter’s answer and expresses his confidence in him and his ability by entrusting Peter with a leadership role. He gives Peter the “keys” to the Kingdom.
There are two invitations for us as we ponder this text today.
First, we are invited to identify the times and people who have believed in us and, by doing so, have helped us have a clearer idea of our God-given purpose. We all need people who can affirm us and help us find our mission - or purpose; people who have given us the “keys” we need to the Kingdom.
Perhaps someone has helped you by doing more than affirming you. There may be a person who has entrusted you with a role that has, in the end, brought clarity to what you now believe your purpose in life is. Today, God invites you to be grateful for the person or people who have helped you. Bring them to mind and pray for each one of them now.
Second, we are invited to help others find their life niche and purpose. This may mean we pose an important question to someone, as Jesus does to Peter, to help them grapple with issues around identity and purpose. Or, perhaps, we are being invited to believe in someone else by entrusting them with a role that will help them find their purpose.
Take a few moments now to ask the Lord for the gift, especially if you are in a leadership position, to have the grace to believe in and entrust responsibility to someone else. So often, leaders need to improve at delegating responsibility. By assigning something to another, we might be doing much more than giving them responsibility; we might be helping them discover the call, the purpose God has for them.
Our acts of believing and entrusting could also be moments of allowing God to work through us and in another. Might there be someone you must believe in and entrust with something - the “keys” of the Kingdom - at this time in your life?
Reflections by Fr Russell Pollitt SJ
