Loyalty: The Reach of the Noble Heart by Bob Sorge

Author:Bob Sorge
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Philosophy, Biblical Teaching, Religious Aspects, Loyalty, General, Religion, Christian Life, Christianity
ISBN: 9780970479174
Publisher: Oasis House
Published: 2004-06-27T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

Commitment Versus Loyalty

A sister once said to me, “Loyalty is commitment, isn’t it?” My answer was, “No, loyalty and commitment are quite distinct from each other. Commitment has to do with faithfulness, whereas loyalty has to do with love.”

It’s quite easy to be committed to someone without being loyal to that person. Commitment is a function of the will that springs from the fountainhead of an excellent spirit. A servant can be committed to you and faithful to all his responsibilities without actually being loyal to you. That’s not a negative thing; it’s just an honest reality.

If you’re the leader of a team, it’s quite normative to expect commitment from every team member. You expect them to be faithful to their responsibilities, to be physically present at certain places and times, to be true to their word, dependable, punctual, and standing at their post when duty calls. You may even have a list of expectations that each member embraces before joining the team. To expect this level of commitment is totally reasonable because it is essential for team-building.

You cannot, however, expect your team members to be loyal to you. Commitment can be required, loyalty cannot. It’s the difference between faithfulness and love.

While everyone on your team may be committed and faithful to the cause, not everyone truly loves. So if you’re the leader of a team, chances are pretty good that not everyone on your team is loyal to you. That’s not a bad or a wrong thing, nor should we be critical of those who don’t have it; it’s just something to be aware of. For team members to become loyal to their leader, God must do something sovereign in their hearts. Either God gives them loyalty or they don’t have it. Loyalty is the product of God’s grace imparting love to the human spirit.

The distinction between commitment and loyalty is important, but is not always fully understood. Some team leaders are taken by surprise, for example, when disloyalty arises from among some of their most committed members. The wise leader knows that just because someone is committed to the team does not guarantee that that person is loyal to the leader.

I say it this way to team leaders: Require commitment, and promote loyalty. You can ask people to be faithful, but you can’t ask them to be loyal. For loyalty to be pure, it must by definition be voluntary. When you see loyalty being voluntarily evidenced by someone in your team, mark that person. You will be safe in giving him or her greater authority and responsibility in the team (provided that other qualities like faithfulness and humility are also present).

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t reward those who are committed to the team faithfully, for it’s scriptural to do so. But you will be safest in giving the highest entrustments to those who are loyal.

Commitment may be for a season, but loyalty is often for life.

If you perceive that one of your team members is not

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.