The Chris Christie Culture

The culture a leader creates around himself speaks volumes about his leadership style. Last week, revelations about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s staff ordering a shut down of the nation's busiest bridge—the George Washington Bridge—grabbed headlines. Apparently a key member of the the governor’s staff texted an order to close down traffic lanes on the bridge as political retaliation against the mayor of Fort Dix, New Jersey, for not supporting the governor’s re-election bid last year. The resulting traffic mess made daily travel for hundreds of thousands of citizens all the more chaotic. All because of petty politics and the fact that a staffer had the power.

Governor Christie denies ordering the closure and adamantly defends his position that he knew nothing about the order given by his staff. So be it. Whatever new facts may emerge let’s just look at what we do know. A close member of the governor’s personal staff knew that by ordering a lane closure on the bridge they would be serving some petty political vendetta, settling a score, as some may call it and they would get away with the action. A person whose job is to serve the governor elected by the citizens of the state put out a call to disrupt the daily life of of its citizens. How does that serve the public interest? It doesn’t. But this staffer knew they could do it. How?

It's not hard to imagine a conversation in the governor’s office or in the closed meeting discussing political strategy: “The guy won’t support me, so let’s make his life tough. Let’s let him know the price of not playing ball with us.” The idea is out in the open, it gets planted in a mind, and one person decides to take action.

Jesus Christ told those gathered around Him that true leadership starts with taking the attitude of a servant. “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:25-26). A true servant, in this case a public servant whose salary is paid by taxpayer’s dollars, would not even think about ordering mayhem in the daily lives of people on the street. But in New Jersey someone did. If that “someone” worked for someone who they knew would never approve of such a thing, they wouldn't have don eit. But their leader, in this case the governor, created a culture that allowed this to take place.

It's a lesson to all who influence others in any position of leadership. By virtue of your position, you are mentoring those who work for you and under you. The biblical term for that is discipling. You create the culture that produces people and actions of service.

Are you teaching service?

Do you inspire your people to look after the needs of others in a spirit of kindness and love?