That we might be one . . .

As the Savior concluded His teachings to His disciples and prepared to step out into the night to face the suffering that awaited Him, He offered a closing prayer to His Father. In this prayer, His lessons on leadership and followership continued in a profound and significant way.

“Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” (John 17:1–2)

He then spoke to His Father of the men whom “thou gavest me out of the world.” (John 17:6) He reflected on how they had kept His word, and He prayed for them. He then declared, “All mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” Finally, He prayed for the Father to keep them through His name, “that they may be one, as we are.” (John 17:10–11)

The contents of this prayer provide an intriguing divine perspective on the relationship between leaders and followers. The purpose of both the leader and the follower is to glorify each other and, ultimately, God. Christ is empowered by the Father so that He can do the work that brings glory to the Father. This work is, of course, to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39) In performing the Atonement that brought this glory to the Father, the Son was also glorified, and their oneness was fulfilled.

This dynamic then cascades to the next level of followers. The Father gives the Son disciples, whom They both then empower to act in Their name. In doing so, the disciples further glorify the Father and the Son and become partakers of the same glory. The end result is that they too become one with the Father and the Son. Ultimately, this process continues to each of us who strive to follow.

What are the implications for divine followership?

1) Followers are not tools that serve to benefit the leader. They are partners in a process of co-creative effort that ultimately glorifies both the leader and the follower in oneness.

2) Because the glory of the leader is achieved in the glorification of the followers, just as the glorification of the followers results from the glorification of the leader, self-interest becomes irrelevant. The pursuit of a common purpose is what matters.

3) Leaders collaborate (as the Father and the Son do) to empower and glorify lower-level followers so that they too become one in the fulfillment of mutual purpose and glorification.

4) As the Savior taught earlier, the Holy Ghost is the critical guiding link that enables and empowers lower-level followers to connect to the Father and the Son and to influence others.

With these principles in mind, consider the following:

1) How does the work that you do as a leader—at work, in your home, and in your community—bring glory to the Father and the Son?

2) What are you doing in cooperation with the Father and the Son to empower and glorify those who follow you in this work?

3) What are you doing to acquire and maintain the guidance of the Holy Ghost in your leadership efforts to empower those you lead and bring glory to them and to the Father and the Son?