What does it take to be a good leader?
Here are a few things we all need to know about being a good leader:
1. Good leaders remember that someone is watching and taking their lead from them. They understand the importance of their example and influence. They conduct their lives with others in mind. They realize that real and positive leadership starts with being the right personal example to others.
2. Good leaders understand that responsibility is a good thing -- something to be embraced, not avoided. Leadership is all about accepting responsibility to be a servant, a help and blessing to others. It involves consistently choosing to demonstrate responsible actions and attitudes in all relationships and duties.
3. Good leaders are learning and growing. They have developed an appropriate degree of self-awareness that makes them sensitive to inconsistencies in their character and weaknesses in their example. As they see these things, they take action to address them. They have a teachable spirit.
4. Good leaders look back from time to time to carefully inspect the fruitfulness of those who are following them. Are good things happening in the lives of those they are influencing? Are they actually taking people under their care to new levels of spiritual life, character, productivity and responsibility? Are they truly growing? If not, they assess and determine what needs to be done to improve this situation. They immediately take strategic steps to improve the quality of fruit they are producing.
5. Good leaders honestly own up to their mistakes and failures. Nothing engenders respect more than an appropriate, honest and sincere owning of one’s mistakes and failures. Admitting to imperfections, weaknesses and needed areas of growth also helps followers do the same. It is an expression of humility that attracts God’s grace in a person’s life.
6. Good leaders are good followers. To be a good leader a person must first learn how to follow and must maintain the characteristics of a good follower.
God is ready to help us become good leaders!
Pastor Dale
