Characteristics of Great Leaders
“Character is like bells. They ring out sweet notes, but when you touch them accidentally, they still resound with sweet music.” Unknown
Spiritual leaders learn, grow, and continue to change until they have the character God requires. This is what makes them successful in leadership.
Good character is not optional for leaders. It is essential. Christian leaders lead people to God. They should be good examples to the people they lead.
This chapter discusses a number of character traits of great leaders. It is not a complete list as there are many other good character traits that can be attributed to spiritual leaders.
1. Great leaders are flexible
“The bend at the end of the road is not the end of the road, unless you refuse to take the turn.” – Anonymous
Flexibility refers to a leader’s ability to adapt and adjust to a changing environment. Among the variety of tasks for which leaders are responsible, is influencing others and setting goals. Both these tasks require a leader to adapt to and create change. In order to influence others, strong leaders adapt to the different people with whom they interact. In order to set goals, leaders are constantly learning of the changes occurring in their work environment.
Strong leaders stay ahead of the changes that are occurring in the world around them. Without flexibility leaders are limited in the number of situations in which they are successful and the number of people with whom they can work. Sometimes better results can be obtained when not insisting on perfection or even on complete agreement.
2. Great leaders encourage others
1 Thessalonians 3:2 - And sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the Gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith.
While it is possible to lead without encouraging, good leaders have learned to use this important spiritual tool. Strong leaders are those who, through encouragement, can restore confidence and enthusiasm to a group of people who are discouraged and depressed and remind others that failure is not the end of the world.
Since followers are bound to fail often, the role of encourager is crucial to the leader’s ability to maintain morale. Encouragement coming from a leader often has more impact for good than that coming from others.
3. Great leaders are visionaries
Proverbs 29:18 - Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Great spiritual leaders lead by communicating their vision clearly to others. This is a vision which they have received through divine revelation and it is often a strategy for the future based on Biblical principles.
It takes courage, conviction, and commitment to follow a vision. Usually followers of visionaries accept the leader's vision as their own. They find themselves highly motivated to attain the vision, usually without much consideration for personal gain.
4. Great leaders endure persecution
2 Timothy 2:3 - You therefore must endure hardships as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
There is a price to be paid to be an effective leader and this includes hardships. Those who lead often suffer more than others.
Great leaders endure persecution for their witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Suffering and persecution form part of following Jesus.
Leaders know how to avoid focusing only on their own suffering even during times of intense pain and they are able to keep their eyes on their spiritual goals. Leaders who lose their composure when suffering usually forfeit influence with those they lead.
5. Great leaders are good listeners
James 1:19 - So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
A good listener does not only listen to words being said but also to the words not being said. They are able to hear those things that are not verbalized.
6. Great leaders develop others
Matthew 28:19–20 - “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
A leader who develops other leaders shows spiritual maturity and does not feel threatened by others. This also ensures that a legacy of real Christian leadership is left for others to follow.
7. Great leaders produce results
Matthew 7:20 - Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Leaders must achieve results. This is the vital purpose of leadership and vision. It adds credibility and substance and it brings success, reward, and recognition.
Great leaders do not just set the example for others to follow but they also play a big role in achieving the goals they have set for themselves. Through their leadership skills, they maintain a high level of performance and are able to help keep their teams motivated even when faced with a seemingly impossible situation.
8. Great leaders are people of excellence
Proverbs 18:9 - He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
Romans 2:18-20 - And know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
A leader who has the qualities of excellence will not tolerate a lack of commitment from those they lead. God deserves excellence. According to Scripture, God’s name and His works are excellent. A spirit of excellence in a leader is a reflection of one of God’s attributes.
Excellence is regarded very highly and should be attained through service to Christ.
9. Great leaders are enthusiastic
Great leaders are enthusiastic about their work or cause and also about their role as leader. They bring a sense of urgency, excitement, or passion to their vision and this becomes contagious. People are drawn to passionate, excited people as they seek passion and excitement in their own lives. This is a great way to influence other people.
People will respond more openly to a person of passion and dedication. Leaders need to be able to be a source of inspiration and to be a motivator towards the required action or cause.
10. Great leaders are team builders
Strong leaders are effective at bringing others together in a team. Although the responsibilities and roles of a leader may be different, the leader needs to be seen to be part of the team working towards the goal. These kinds of leaders are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty.
Bringing people together and helping them overcome barriers to understanding, personal resentments, jealousies, and prejudice is typical work for leaders. Good leaders often engage in conflict management with peaceful results.
Team-building also means that the leader is a consensus former. The leader is able to persuade more than one person to agree about key values or directions of movement.
Group dynamics take place when leaders and followers pursue a cause single-mindedly as a well-knit team, which ultimately leads to the effectiveness of the leader.
11. Great leaders take initiative
Initiative is a basic quality of leadership. To take initiative means to make the first move. Initiative is one of the true elements that set people apart from others. It is what sets performers apart from non-performers. It is about taking the first step in something productive that has meaning.
12. Great leaders are creative
Mark 2: 2-5 - Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Leaders demonstrating creativity skills are able to develop innovative solutions to old problems. The diversity they build in their organizations helps them to develop more comprehensive answers to routine questions. Greater competence is given to Spirit-led leaders who can produce creative ways of solving complex organizational problems.
13. Great leaders study God's Word
Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
An essential characteristic of Christian leadership is the ability to receive truth and wisdom from God’s Word. Leaders are readers. Christian leaders are devoted to the study of God’s Word. Knowing the Word of God will enable leaders to apply Biblical principles in every situation.
14. Great leaders pray
Acts 6:4 - We will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.
Spiritual battles are won in prayer. The weakest link in the life of a spiritual leader is probably prayer. Leaders, by their nature, are activists. They want to get things done and prayer is often seen as an interruption of the work.
The discipline of prayer forms part of the life of leaders. Jesus spent long hours in prayer. He often withdrew from the crowds to a solitary place so that He could seek God in prayer. The leaders of the early church made important decisions unanimously after praying.
Christian leaders need to develop a strong and intimate relationship with God through daily prayer if they are going to be successful.
15. Great leaders work hard
Psalm 104:23 - Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.
Leadership in God's Kingdom is not a life of executive privilege but that of hard work.
16. Great leaders lead by example
1 Corinthians 11:1 - Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
Great leaders set a good example for others to follow. Imitation is fundamental to maturity. It’s easy to see how children, as they mature, begin to imitate their parents and the other adults in their lives more and more.
God has established spiritual leaders who imitate Christ and lead others by example.
17. Great leaders have compassion
1 Peter 3:8 - Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous.
Effective leaders create followers through their genuine, heart-felt concern for the needs, feelings, and aspirations of those they lead. They are able to build effective teams because they care about those whom they are serving as much as they care about the goals they are seeking to achieve.
Goal attainment, in the long term, is achieved if the leader cares about people in such a way that they are encouraged and united in love. Jesus demonstrated this time and again in His work with His disciples.
The true key to success lies not as much with programs and practices as with the quality of the relationship the leader develops with his or her followers.
18. Great leaders are humble
Matthew 18:4 - Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
A spiritual leader must be transparent before God. Without humility the spiritual leader is inaccessible to the blessings of the Lord. Some leaders tend to wear masks and put on a show for the world to see. A humble leader is willing to be known before men as someone known by God. Humility is also the gateway to honor in God’s Kingdom.
Modesty is a quality of a humble person. While Jesus walked the earth as a man, He was an example of submissiveness and humility.
Humility speaks of a broken or a submissive spirit. Although humility and meekness are synonymous, their quality differs. Humility is a quality of the mind and meekness a quality of the spirit.
Spiritual leadership involves humbling oneself and doing the tasks that no one else wants to do. Spiritual leaders who have a spirit of humility will attract followers not because they have to follow, but because they will want to.
19. Great leaders are anointed
Acts 1:8 - But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
The spiritual leader must have an unquenchable hunger and thirst for God. Hunger and thirst is the expression of someone who is desperate for more of God. David longed for God when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
This hunger and thirst for righteousness is not a one-time experience, but a continuing act. Spiritual leadership can be exercised only by Spirit-filled people. There is no substitute for the anointing. This is probably the most important and possibly the most neglected principle in leadership development. Without the power of the Holy Spirit upon the life of a leader, there is little or no possibility of success in leading others in ministry.
Jesus did not begin His ministry until the Spirit of the Lord descended upon Him at His baptism in water by John the Baptist. He never sent anyone out before empowering them.
The anointing was essential for Jesus to fulfill His ministry. Likewise, the anointing is essential for great leaders to fulfill their Godly purpose.
20. Great leaders are merciful
Luke 6:36 - Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
To have mercy means to have pity, compassion or sympathy. God is a God of mercy and is the source of mercy. The most important evidence of His mercy is the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, for the sins of mankind.
Sometimes a leader may need mercy from someone else and therefore needs to be merciful.
21. Great leaders live a pure and holy life
Psalm 24:2-5 - For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
Purity means to be clean and unsoiled. The Pharisees pretended outward purity, but their hearts were full of dishonesty and defilement. Outward washings and cleansings formed a principal part of the Jewish religion.
Those who are not set free from all sin through the blood of Jesus can have no Scriptural hope of ever being with God.
Great leaders lead a pure and holy life unto the Lord and encourage their followers to do likewise.
22. Great leaders are peacemakers
Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Peacemakers encourage and preserve peace. It includes all who make peace and those who attempt to make peace, though they fall short to succeed. A great spiritual leader will preserve peace at all costs.
Peace does not mean the absence of trouble. It means there can be peace in the midst of storms.
Peace is the ultimate form of life most human beings seek. The pursuit of happiness, contentment, and a world free of violence is something that one cherishes. There is always a price to pay for peace. Many of the world's greatest advocates of peace have paid the ultimate price for their convictions.
The Bible also shows that diplomacy can produce peace as in the case of David and Queen Esther. In the Bible, peace is always tied to Jesus. It never stands on its own. It is easy to get caught up in turmoil and to lose sight of the fact that Jesus calms the storms of life.
Peace is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. God fills His people with peace as they trust in Him and yield to the power of the Holy Spirit. This peace is not something that can be attained through human endeavors but it is the supernatural peace of God. To be at peace is to be reconciled and submitted to God.
23. Great leaders are people of integrity
Psalm 26:11 - But as for me, I will walk in my integrity. Redeem me and be merciful to me.
“Future leaders are not made in organizations, they are groomed in homes.” Author unknown.
The credibility of a leader plays a significant part in making a person an effective leader. This usually encourages the followers also to feel highly committed and motivated to the common goals. Integrity is a Biblical standard and primarily applicable to spiritual leadership. Integrity means compliance with God’s standards of character, conduct, and righteousness.
A spiritual leader’s integrity will always come under scrutiny such as dedication to God, application of Godly principles, work and ministry accomplishments, marriage and family life, and the handling of finances.
The Word of God exhorts believers to lead a life of integrity. A great leader has integrity. They have moral soundness in every area of their lives. They are not perfect but they admit to their weaknesses and continually seek to live a life that is above reproach. Integrity is a matter of the heart.
Integrity is built through making and keeping promises and commitments. It is consistency of life. God will not use a leader who lacks integrity. People are drawn to strength of character and tend to believe what strong people say. While they may feel sympathetic toward the weak, they tend not to follow them.
A leader’s determination and integrity dictate that they maintain consistency even in the face of suffering. It also means that a leader would continue to pursue the right goals and live for God even if no one else follows. Good leaders are not afraid of rejection by others because they are concerned with doing what is right and not being followed.
24. Great leaders are teachable
1 John 2:27 - But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
Great leaders are teachable. They make mistakes and learn from them and are willing to be corrected. Most great leaders in Christian history were also scholars and studied continually. People are attracted to those who know what they are talking about because of their deep study of the Word and the relevant knowledge they possess about everyday life.
The world is constantly changing especially in the area of technology. Great leaders will keep up to date with new and innovative trends which will ensure that they are able to lead effectively using the best methods and tools available.
25. Great leaders are committed
John 12:25 - He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
A great leader is willing to commit to long working hours without expecting any rewards. Committed people work hard and place everything they have into what is required to get the job done in order to deliver a quality of workmanship that would be hard to find otherwise.
God gave His best and therefore He deserves the best. Commitment involves consistency which is a good spiritual goal to have. To be committed also means to have endurance. The spiritual leader must have endurance in trials and in suffering.
26. Great leaders are servant-leaders
Mark 9:35 - And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
Secular leadership always wants to control, but the motive of Biblical leadership is always to serve. Jesus taught His disciples this lesson. The greatest people in the Kingdom of God are the greatest servants.
The disciples gathered in the upper room with Jesus for the Passover meal. Jesus showed the disciples the nature of Godly leadership by washing their feet. Jesus taught them that they were to lead by serving others.
Effective Christian leaders understand they are not the served but the servants. Jesus taught that the heart of spiritual leadership is servanthood.
People are attracted to those who have served them and helped them in the past and will often follow their advice. They are suspicious of leaders who put on airs and seem to feel they are too important to do common-place work. Such leaders forfeit influence.
27. Great leaders are stable
James 1: 6-8 - But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Many people are as unpredictable as the weather. It is impossible to rely on them. They are without direction, unreliable, and without vision. Their intentions are good, but they are emotionally unstable.
Good leaders tend to be relatively stable over a period of years. They tend to have long-term goals and visions which extend beyond their own lifetime. While poor leaders periodically strike off in radically different directions, good leaders commonly stick with their handful of central values and convictions.
Another common form of instability is quitting. Unstable leaders leave the work for various reasons, while good leaders are present and accounted for year in and year out. Many who demonstrate outstanding natural charismatic leadership ability end up being poor leaders because of the erratic course of their lives.
When bad times come, people tend to fall apart and panic and are unable to interpret what course of action to take. A good leader is the one who stands firm under crises and cannot be moved from the foundation of truth.
People are attracted to such stability and reliability, rightly discerning that such reliability is the result of a clear Godly vision.
28. Great leaders are obedient
1 Samuel 15:22 - So Samuel said: "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
The key to spiritual usefulness is obedience. It qualifies the leader to work with God according to His desires and plans. Obedience is vital for implementing divine power.
Obedience is the highest sacrifice a believer can bring to God. It means submitting everything to God. Obedience emanates from a growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
When people are driven by obedience to God’s commands, they do those things that bring honor to Him. God honors those who are obedient to His commands.
A great leader is one who submits to the authority of God and lives a life of obedience to His Word and to His voice. Because Christ humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, God exalted Him.
Keep doing the right things and success will come upon you suddenly. - -Dr Jeff van Wyk
