The fruits of leadership done with creativity, wisdom, trust

There are moments in your life that you never forget.
 
For me, there was that first moment when I stood on the risers in Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University, in a sea of black gowns and tuxedos, struck with amazement that I was actually there and singing alongside consummate professionals behind an orchestra that, to this day, still gives me goosebumps. No doubt, my mom would have cried, had she been alive to see me there.
 
During our most recent performance, in June, after more than 20 years of being with the Tim Keyes Consort, I was again sitting on the risers, warming up on opening night before the audience came in, and I looked out at the orchestra in front of me, watching dozens of musicians with their eyes glued to one person – our director, our conductor, and suddenly I realized that the real gift of these many years was learning from his leadership.
 
Many people never have the opportunity to experience what can happen when you trust in a person’s leadership, when you welcome their direction, grow from their wisdom and are inspired by their creativity. More importantly, many never experience what it’s like to have a leader who trusts those he leads.
 
At every rehearsal and every performance, I am reminded that our conductor, who also composes the brilliant works we perform, trusts his creations to us. He brings his creations to the world through us. That trust in us nurtures our desire to do and be our very best. Our performances are the realization of a shared vision and purpose.
 
I imagine it was the same for the Apostles, though they may not have realized at the time what they were bringing into the world through their trust in Jesus and his trust in them – 12 men who are often described as a motley crew. Certainly, they were all very different, yet exactly what Jesus wanted and needed to bring his creation into the world. Still, the Apostles needed important lessons and the best leadership, as do we.
 
Certainly, the experience of Jesus washing the feet of his Apostles must have been a powerful learning experience for the 12.
 
For me, the Scripture account took on additional meaning when I read a catechetical version which explained that when the disciples secured the upper room for the Passover feast, they forgot to also retain the services of a servant to wash the feet of those who entered for the feast, as was the custom at the time. When the disciples realized their oversight, none of them volunteered for job. They deflected by arguing over who was the greatest.
 
Jesus decided this was a good time for a lesson, so after supper he stripped down to a garment around his waist, filled a basin with water, got a towel and washed their feet. After their initial shock, the disciples acquiesced, but I imagine every one of them was asking some version of “Why?” and playing out possible scenarios in their heads. Perhaps some of them thought it was his way of saying thank you for their accompanying him for so long.
 
But Jesus didn’t serve the Apostles because they were worthy or had done something to merit his taking on the role of the lowliest servant. As author John Maxwell put it, “Jesus wasn’t expressing gratitude, but grace,” something Jesus hoped would be “caught” by the disciples; an understanding that humility and sacrifice must be the foundation for disciples who were to lead others to God.
 
That same author stressed that Jesus was also an authentic leader, one secure enough in who he was “to get down on the floor and wash his disciples’ feet … he had nothing to prove, nothing to lose and nothing to hide. The insecure are into titles. The secure are into towels. Jesus’ security enabled him to both stoop and stretch.”
 
It would seem the Apostles learned their lessons, and had their own “view from the risers” experience when they came to understand the incredible potential that comes with faith, trust, wisdom - and Jesus as conductor.