“Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Your speech should always
be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person”
(Colossians 4:5-6, CEB).

 

     When I came into ministry nearly thirty-seven years ago, I wanted to be the best leader I could be. I wanted to influence people in positive ways. I wanted to help others become the best versions of themselves. However, the person from whom I learned most about leadership is the
Apostle Paul.

     Paul was a magnificent leader. Under Paul’s direction, the church expanded from a few
dozen frightened disciples of Jesus located in Jerusalem to an untold number of Jesus followers
throughout the Roman Empire in a matter of a few decades. Under Paul’s leadership the church
grew larger. The church made more money. And the church leveraged greater influence.

     Yet, the reason for the church’s wild success hinged upon one word: graciousness. Let me
repeat what Paul wrote: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt…” (Colossians 4:6).
Gracious in this context means pure. In other words, whenever you interact with people in public,
be certain that your words match your actions. Another way of describing the purity of one’s
speech is moral authority. And moral authority is understood as the credibility you earn by
consistently practicing what you say.

     I recognize moral authority in a leader when there is no doubt in my mind that that
individual leader believes what she says she believes. I may not agree with that person’s beliefs, but
I can determine by the congruency of that person’s words and actions that she is sincere. She
speaks honestly and absolutely is committed to her words. There is no duplicity, no hidden agenda,
no ulterior motive that separates her speech from her actions.

     And, when you find yourself in the same room with this individual the power of her moral
authority is greater than any position she may hold. So, regardless of whatever leadership position
you may hold, be it a parent or a supervisor or a teacher or a mentor or small business owner, the
purity of your speech, your moral authority is what gives you credibility and influence.

     Just ask Boris Yeltsin. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Boris Yeltsin became the
leader of Russia. During a military coup by the communist party, Yeltsin did a courageous thing.
He walked right up to a tank, jumped onto the turret and extended his hand in friendship to the
tank commander. With a handshake, Boris Yeltsin invited the commander over to the cause of
democracy. The stunned commander responded, not by taking Yeltsin hostage, but by taking his
side.

     When asked what gave him the courage to stand his ground against communism, Yeltsin
credited Lech Walesa. Walesa was the electrician who brought democracy to Poland a few years
earlier. When asked what inspired Walesa to stand up to the forces of evil, he credited Martin
Luther King, Jr. MLK, Jr. was the leader responsible for the rise of the civil rights movement in the
1960’s. And, when asked who inspired him Martin Luther King, Jr., credited a small, African
American woman by the name of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was no more than five feet tall, 100
pounds. It was Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama that
began a bus boycott.

     Now, think about that. A tiny, poor, working-class woman helped spell an end to the Jim
Crow laws in the South. What’s more is that her influence can be traced to the fall of communism.
Rosa Parks proved that you don’t have to be a giant in order to have big impact. Yet, what

     Moral authority is like a stone that is thrown into a pond. The ripples it creates can lead
toward great change. And the more stones that are cast the greater the impact will be. Just ask
Boris Yeltsin.