96 | Session 13: Leading in the Design and Construction Professions We follow a God who cares deeply for the poor and the voiceless; a God who created a world that human beings have systematically taken advantage of and are destroying; a God who calls us to integrity, to action and to everdeepening relationship with Him. Thus being a leader in our professions is first and foremost about taking what we know of God into our professional context and setting an example in the way we both design and deliver our projects, knowing that at all times we are to work hard and serve the Lord (Col. 3:22-4:1). As we have seen, being a leader is not just about issuing instructions from above. Leaders motivate, inspire, encourage, and invest in those around them. Even those who do not necessarily think of themselves as leaders can become leaders just by modelling a different way of working that inspires those around them. In practical terms, at EMI, all of us have the opportunity to be leaders in our profession by modelling a holistic, integrated, and integrityfilled way of working. If we look at 1 Peter 2:4-25, God calls us to be living stones and a royal priesthood, to keep our work so honourable that “they may see your good deeds and glorify God.� That means seeking God in all aspects of our work and aiming to glorify Him in all we do. It means working with integrity, being clear about what we can and cannot provide, the scope of our projects, and the length of time it will take to deliver them and keeping to our agreements. It means treating our clients, contractors, and end-users with dignity, seeking to empower and encourage them. It means investing in ourselves and our professional development by learning about sustainable development, new and alternative technologies, and building regulations in different contexts. It means promoting local solutions to local problems and challenging the status quo that the developed world has all the answers. It means giving preference to national staff and volunteers, listening to local expertise and investing in the development of local professionals.
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