One of the most tragic stories of WWII, in a vast sea of many, was the plight of the Italian soldier. Italy started the war on the side of the Axis Powers (Japan, and Nazi Germany), but midway through the war (circa 1943), Italy had a civil war and their fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, was ousted from his position. The new regime began making secret treaties with the Allied Powers (England, US, and France) and eventually switched sides.
This had unbearable consequences to the Italian soldiers fighting in the war. Once Italy switched sides, Hitler immediately captured all of the Italian soldiers fighting in the field. Half of the Italian army were rounded up by the Nazis and given two choices: they could either join the German Army along with all of its privileges or they would be sent to a forced labor camp inside Nazi Germany.
Ninety percent of the Italian army captured chose to be sent to a forced labor camp rather than be a Nazi. The conditions they faced were inhumane. Hitler, furious that the Italians had switched sides, changed their designation from "Prisoner of War" to "Italian Military Internee". This slight change in designation had horrific repercussions. Because the soldiers were not considered Prisoners of War, they were not under the protection of the Geneva Convention and the Red Cross was not aware of their plight.
After the captured soldiers arrived in the forced labor camp, they were given another chance to join the Nazi army and three quarters of the soldiers refused. Hitler then considered them traitors and the soldiers were put in hellish conditions that were only slightly better than the Jewish Concentration Camps.
To make this story all the more tragic, Hitler's propaganda machine buried the story and the tragedies that befell these soldiers didn't come to light until the 21st century. Because of that, for the rest of their lives and long after the war was over, these brave men were seen as incompetent cowards in the eyes of the world.
An interesting footnote in all of this was that the majority of the Italian Army that did join the Nazi regime were officers. The poor soldiers who held to their convictions and refused, despite the hell they were living in, were the victims, not just of the Nazis, but of bad leadership.
When we think of leadership, we may think of character traits like strength, charisma, and persuasion. Becoming a leader is such a value in any organization that there are numerous podcasts and books on what makes a good leader. Leadership appears to be so complicated and lofty that it is something only a select few get to partake in.
But, if you were to interview most people in the workplace, more often than not they have been a victim of a bad leader. How is it possible that with so many resources there seems to be a heavier ratio of bad leaders to good leaders?
Perhaps we have been valuing the wrong characteristics of what makes a good leader?
In Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus lays out a simple formula in how to recognize a good leader:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them."
Matthew 7:15-20
Interestingly, Jesus uses such a simple item in his analogy, fruit. Fruit, on the surface, does not have an immediate benefit to the tree itself. Its creation is for the benefit of other living creatures, It is only after the fruit is used that the original tree receives the benefit when the seeds of the fruit are planted to create more trees.
Jesus also never clarifies what are bad actions versus good actions, he just says "actions". It may be because that answer is so simple: good actions benefit others, bad actions benefit you, just like good fruit nourishes, bad fruit poisons.
In most cases, one action does not make or break a leader, but a pattern of actions will.
There are two actions in Jesus' life that can inform us on what makes a good leader, and on the surface, they can seem completely unconnected, but when you read the life of Jesus in context it can reveal what a truly amazing leader Jesus truly was.
Within the narrative of the life of Jesus, both actions occur as Jesus is in the final week of his life.
The first comes right after Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, marking the final countdown to the cross.
Jesus was coming back to Jerusalem after a brief stay in Bethany, he was hungry and he noticed a fig tree in the distance. It was full of life but did not have fruit. Jesus without hesitation curses the tree so that it will never bear fruit.
A curious action, whose deeper meaning may have been lost on the disciples at the time. But within the context of Jesus' life, he was giving a natural example of his earlier message.
"Don't be swayed by the outward appearance."
Sometimes we are drawn to a leader through their power, promises, and persuasion, but without action, those attributes are just like the beautiful leaves on an empty tree. If actions don't match words, then the "fruit" can quickly change to bullying, pandering, and flattery.
The fact that Jesus curses the tree may be his way of showing the disciples the danger of letting a bad leader continue to thrive. Something was wrong with the tree, and perhaps, when the fruit did grow, it would be a risk for another weary traveler. The heart of Jesus cursing the tree was to protect and serve those who trusted him.
Jesus' heart toward those following him would play out again on the last night of his life. When Jesus was being arrested, chaos ensued, he was betrayed by one of his disciples and the Roman garrison was waiting for him.
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, emotionally decided to take action. He pulled out his sword and lopped off the ear of one of the soldiers. Jesus immediately intervenes and heals the ear of the soldier.
When this is preached, it is often in the context of Jesus' love for his enemies. But there may be more to this story. Jesus may have been protecting Peter. Jesus only wanted himself to be arrested, he didn't want harm to come to his disciples. Without Jesus’ intervention, Peter's action would have put him right up on the cross with Jesus.
Even in Jesus' weakest moment, he was still looking out for those that trusted him and he knew they were willing to do whatever they could to protect him. Quite the opposite action of the officers and leaders of those brave Italian soldiers full of integrity.
As we look around at our world today, leadership may be more in line with the Italian officers than Jesus. And whether it be in politics, religion, or even the workplace, good leadership seems to be sorely lacking. It seems to be an anomaly considering how many resources there are available to develop good leaders. Perhaps it's because we put too much emphasis on the results of being a leader and not on the responsibility that accompanies the title.
Jesus showed us that the main action that makes a good leader is serving, not leading. As we try to navigate our way through a world that oftentimes makes little sense, maybe it's time we stop promoting the idea of leadership until we start promoting the heart of what makes a good leader, servanthood. It is only when servanthood is as admired as the title of leader will the actions we make truly change things in our world. If we don't then the majority of the world will be filled with more bad fruit then good.