Remember The Six Million Dollar Man from the late 70s? In the show, astronaut and Air Force Colonel Steve Austin is almost killed in a horrific plane crash. The US Government decides to rebuild him with experimental cybernetic parts which give him superhuman strength, speed, agility and the ability to see considerable distances. Totally plausible, right?

In the lines from the TV show opener they say:

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him.
We have the technology.
We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic man.

I had a friend growing up who used to LOVE watching reruns of that show. He would make the techno-beat sound from the show as he imagined himself as Steve Austin running 80mph and breaking through walls with his fist.

On one occasion I remember my friend attempting to prove how high he could jump by setting up a chair that he would leap in a single bound. The only problem was that he set the chair up in a doorway so when jumped and cleared the chair he hit his head on the doorframe. Ouch.

Ok, let’s bring the conversation from 70s TV shows to the present. We’re called to spread the gospel and make disciples (Mt. 28:19). Jesus set the ultimate example by choosing 12 unlikely candidates to train up as leaders and spread his message around the world.

We Can Build A Better Leader. We Have The Technology.

What is interesting is that the individuals Jesus chose wouldn’t be the people we would have picked. He chose fishermen and tax collectors. If you lived in those times and were given the responsibility to find 12 people to start a worldwide movement, don’t you think you might have chosen people with more “leadership material?” I mean, throw some religious or civil leaders in them mix or at least a PTA president.

Instead Jesus poured into those unlikely, unqualified disciples and the greatest single movement to sweep the world is the result. I’d like to look a little closer at a few of Jesus’ leader-building principles in the next few posts but let’s discuss your ideas and experiences first.

Because you read my blog I’m going to assume that I’m talking to a group of leaders who find ways to grow as a leader and improve their leadership reach. Let’s take it a little deeper though and talk about being a leader who builds other leaders.

What tools, programs or resources would you use if you were asked to build the six-million dollar leader?