298 Global Ethics for Leadership
ism. But modesty in leadership requires that the leader considers himself
or herself as organically integrated into the community one serves. In his
reflections on Christian leadership, Nouwen says that good leaders are
those who consider themselves “ as vulnerable brothers and sisters who
know and are known, who care and are cared for, who forgive and are
forgiven, who love and are being loved.” That connotes mutuality be-
tween the leaders and “the led.” To know and to be known underscores
the mutual vulnerability but also mutual trust. It is akin to the ministry
according to Jesus whose model of leadership is that of shepherding. A
good shepherd knows his own and his own know him. The good shep-
herd is ready to sacrifice even his own life for the sake of his own. Lay-
ing down one’s life^227 for the sake of the people means, “making your
own faith and doubt, hope and despair, joy and sadness, courage and
fear, available to others as ways of getting in touch with the work of
life.”^228 Gandhi and King, like Jesus, paid the ultimate price for their
servant leadership in the liberation struggles of their respective peoples.
Other virtues associated with modesty include gentleness and meek-
ness. “Gentle Jesus meek and mild;” is a popular hymn that was tradi-
tionally sang in many Christian churches around the world. And the Bi-
ble refers to Jesus as one who does “not break the crushed need, or snuff
the faltering wick”^229. But gentleness is a virtue that is hard to find in
our societies of today that admire toughness and roughness. In a world
where people are impatient with results we are encouraged to get things
done and to get them done fast, even when people get hurt in the pro-
cess. In our world of today, there is no place for gentleness because all
that counts is success, accomplishments, and productivity regardless of
ethical and moral cost involved. But one is gentle who is attentive to the
strengths and weakness of the other and enjoys working together more
227
228 John 10: 14-15.^
229 Nouwen, 1997.^
Mathew 12:20