Is this an odd question?
I can tell you that many individuals who had amazing
leadership qualities and giftedness, were not called upon to step up into position of leadership because of their
wives.
In my case, I had one incident where I was removed from leadership as a result of something my wife had said.
There is a legend of Mrs.
Cranmer, wife of the first
Archbishop of Canterbury.
Henry the Eighth had succeeded in breaking the iron rule of
Rome, and the
Church of England, at last, was an entity in itself. the Archbishop set a brave precedent in marrying. However, the populace was not yet ready such scandalous behaviour. As a result, Mrs. Cranmer spent most of her married life in hiding. It is said that when the Archbishop desired that his wife travel with him, she was forced to journey in a wooden box with ventilation holes in it.
Wish I had another story of a women in leadership and what she had to do when her husband travelled with her - but alas, I could not find one.
Here are some points that I think the supporting spouse, whether they themselves are leaders or not, should be aware of. ---
- be dignified
- do not gossip
- if the children are present, be the responsible parent at the event
- if hospitality is required, be the manager, promotional and operational to ensure success and if yourself influential, balance between obtaining favour for your spouse and ensuring that your better half is getting the due attention they acquire.
- remember our ultimate call is to - serve
- model what a Christian marriage looks like and what a Christian family looks like
- you are a team - have each others back
- understand each others gifts and use them whenever possible to ensure the success of each other
- you are no leader at all if you cannot lead your family and in particular, I am suggesting your children - make this a point of priority and do not grudge your time with them for each moment of personal, intimate time is a building block to a leader of the future.
