By Greg Kozera

We just celebrated the feast of the Three Kings (the Magi) also called Epiphany. The kings saw a star at its rising and followed it to find baby Jesus, the Savior. For some religions, Jan. 6, the feast of Epiphany, is bigger than Christmas because Jesus Christ was introduced to the Gentiles (the rest of the world, not just the Jewish people).

The story of the Magi is one of our oldest son Corey’s favorite Bible stories. As a child, Corey liked stories before bedtime. The Magi visit King Herod in Jerusalem to ask where the new king is. “We saw his star at its rising.”

Herod was horrified by the threat of a new king to his power. He tells the Magi, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you find him, come back and report to me so I can pay him homage too.”

After Corey heard the story the first time, when I read it to him again, he said, “Dad, he doesn’t want to worship Jesus, he wants to kill him.” The story of the Magi is a story of good triumphing over evil. The Magi were told in a dream about Herod’s intentions and “returned to their country a different way.”

Power can corrupt. Those who have it don’t want to give it up. Those who want it will do anything to get it, even lie to others. Herod was about power. Even though Jesus was an infant, in Herod’s mind, if he was a king, he was a threat. Herod took no chances. He had every infant under the age of 2 in the Bethlehem area killed. In a message from an angel in a dream, Jesus’ father, Joseph, took Mary and Jesus to Egypt, keeping the child safe. They stayed in Egypt until Herod’s death.

The purpose of telling this Bible story is to show humans have not changed much in 2000 years. Vladimir Putin started the Ukraine war over his need for power to restore Russia to its former glory. Thousands of Russian soldiers who don’t care about Putin’s power have died in the war. Other Russians are suffering because of the war.

Dictators seize power by force and need force to stay in power. Those who are a threat sometimes quietly disappear. In places like China, the Communist Party is in charge. Those in power can feel threatened by people in the party who are rising stars and find ways to move them out of power positions. For thousands of years, leaders gained power by birthright like a king or a queen or by conquest.

The USA changed the world with the idea of a president, a leader from the people elected by the people. George Washington was elected unanimously by the Electoral College in 1789. At the time, there were no term limits for the president in our Constitution. Washington did something unheard of – he willingly gave up power after two terms. Washington set an example. No president served more than two terms until Franklin D. Roosevelt. A constitutional amendment now limits the president to two terms.

Those who gain power through force can lose it by force to someone stronger. Real power does not come from force. It comes from the ability to influence, not conquer. Conquerors use fear and force to keep their subjects in line, not leadership. Some in management positions take this approach and become underachievers. No matter your faith, one of the best examples of leadership is the New Testament of the Bible. How many companies or organizations do you know that exist and thrive after 2,000 years? The church Jesus started still exists today.

Jesus led by servant leadership and taught his followers to do likewise. In Matthew 20:25, Jesus told his disciples, “You know the leaders of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave. The son of man came not to be served but to serve.”

At the last supper before Jesus’ crucifixion, he gave an example for his disciples to follow when he washed their feet in John 13:1-17. “Do you understand what I have done for you? Now that I your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

Leadership is more difficult than command and control or creating fear, a short-term motivator. A leader must be able to communicate and show care about the needs of others, not just their own. Leaders influence by earning the respect of others. They have a vision others want to be part of. People choose to follow a leader.

Some of the best leaders are those who successfully lead volunteer organizations like PTAs, churches, youth sports teams and trade associations. They can’t give raises or promotions or cut salaries. They can fire their volunteers, but then they don’t have help. Followers stay and work by choice out of respect for and influence of the leader. Followers believe in the leader’s vision and want to be part of it.

We should elect leaders who care about people more than their own power, who understand what it takes to keep our lights on and energy economical.

The greatest and most consistent success comes from those who can lead. The founders of Shale Crescent USA all have businesses and companies of their own. They donated money and their valuable time because they believe in the vision of bringing high-wage jobs back to this region and raising the standard of living for people here. Their vision is becoming reality.

Leadership works. As we start a new year, becoming a better leader is one of the best ways to make our dreams come true.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a masters in environmental engineering and over 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and many published articles.