What Is Leadership?
Paul says in I Corinthians 4:1-2, “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
God owns everything that exists and we are merely stewards or managers of our Father’s property. he is the maker, owner, proprietor, and possessor of them all: But the earth hath he given to the children of men; to Adam and his posterity, to dwell in it, to till it, and enjoy the fruits of it; yet so as not to leave it entirely to the care of men, Psalm 115:16 says “The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind.”The one question we all should be regularly asking is, “How vigilantly, efficiently and submissively am I managing what God has entrusted to me?” One clear mark of trustworthy leader is that he is continually seeking advice from the Master to ensure that His will remains at the center of how His resources are being managed. So let us consider to understand the leadership in the Biblical perspective.
God is a God of leadership. Bible says “With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand. (Psalm 78:72) The world at many points in its history has produced some jewels which have shined brighter than many in their generation and whose visions, beliefs, ideologies and lessons have been guiding mankind ever since. But Jesus was the only leader in history who did everything right—not only in saving the world but also in daily life. Jesus was the greatest leader and the most influential person ever. He Said “But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant”. (Matthew 20:26) Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do. The visible signs of artful leadership are expressed, ultimately, in its practice of servant attitude. You can only lead people to the degree of the future that you have gone yourself. The act of leadership is taking people from where they are to where they have never been before. . People, who do not venture, never have an adventure. God is a God of adventure. He told Abraham that He would take him to a place that he did not know. Leaders engage the unknown with faith and vision. You have to be visionary to be innovative. Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
At the most basic level, a leader is someone who leads other. We don't think of leadership as some set of indefinable, intangible character qualities that some people are born with and others are not. We think of leadership as the performance of behaviors. The character and skill of performing these behaviors can be learned develop and refine by anybody. Consider some of the world's recent great leaders. Nelson Mandela. Mother Theresa. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates They all used their leadership talents--diverse as they may be--to make lives better in some way such as achieving freedom, improving living conditions in low-income communities, making advanced technology available to all of us, creating a global foundation that propels the idea that all lives have equal value. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience.
The world is in desperate need of good leaders. Our communities need positive role models, our government needs righteous leaders, our children need fathers and our world needs direction. Where are the leaders? Who are they? Who is willing to accept the challenge, to face it head on with integrity, character and a commitment to execute righteous judgment for a better world? Our quality of life depends on the quality of our leaders. And since no one else seems to be volunteering, it’s up to each one of us. If you’ve ever had dreams of leadership, now is the time. God needs you. Now you must proceed to unearth the leader hidden within you. Someone rightly said “Trapped within every follower is a hidden leader” Let's look at Biblical perspective.
The original purpose for mankind, defined and established by God in Genesis 1, was to "rule (have dominion) over all the earth." Since the word "dominion" in this case means to reign and rule, the Creator wired all humans with the capacity and natural ability to lead. God created people to reflect His image, to rule over creation, and to reproduce godly offspring. We can conclude that human beings are wired for leadership. The greatest evidence of what a product can do or is capable of its determined by the demands made on it by the one who created it. Therefore, God's requirement that we dominate is evidence that the ability to lead is inherent in every human spirit. So you must have an honest understanding of who you are, where you come from? Why you are here? What you know and what you can do.
For example God created seeds to produce trees and plants, and therefore seeds naturally posses the inherent abilities and capacities to perform this purpose. Fish were created to swim, and thus their ability and capacity to swim is inherent in their design and instincts. Birds, on the other hand, were created for the purpose of air travel and naturally come with the inherent design and ability to fulfill that purpose. God created man with a purpose “Let them rule ("have dominions") over all the earth. Purpose is the reason for the creation of something. In essence, it is the reason why a thing exists. Bible says “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” (1 Cor. 4:1-2).
What makes a person want to follow a leader? People want to be guided by leaders they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future. Good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to the society.
Leadership is the collective action of everyone you influence. Your behavior – your actions and your words – determine how you influence. So the Leadership is inspiring others to pursue a vision within the parameters set, to the extent that it becomes a shared effort, a shared vision, and a shared success. Bible says “God wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God. “(Micah 6:8 NET Bible) Hence Leadership is an act -a decision to take a stand, or step, in order to promote justice, inspire or motivate others to move with you, And influencing them by your character, humility, and example. Leadership is a process of common influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a common goal.
Here are few great and insightful quotes on leadership.
1. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” (Warren Bennis)
2. “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” (Bill Gates)
3. “Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. (Peter Drucker)
4. “He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander” (Aristotle)
5. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”
“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.”
“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
“A leader who produces other leaders multiples their influences”
Self-centered leaders manipulate when they move people for personal benefit. Mature leaders motivate by moving people for mutual benefit. More than anything else, followers want to believe that their leaders are ethical and honest. It's true that charisma can make a person stand out for a moment, but character sets a person apart for a lifetime. “People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care” “Leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.”(John C. Maxwell)
6. “Leadership is the discipline of deliberately exerting special influence within a group to move it toward goals of beneficial permanence that fulfill the group’s real needs.” (John Haggai)
7. “Leadership is a process of influence. Anytime you seek to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of people in their personal or professional lives, you are taking on the role of a leader.” (Ken Blanchard)
8. “Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out. (Stephen Covey)
9. “The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.” (John Buchan)
10.“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.’(Theodore Roosevelt)
Finally, the United States Army’s definition is, “influencing people – by providing purpose, direction, and motivation – while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.”
The uniqueness of Leadership is that the entire process happens within the will, plan, priorities and purpose of Almighty God as revealed in the Holy Scripture, and is grounded and operates under the Lordship of Christ. It is from this source that leaders derive qualifications, objectives, principles, and methodologies. There is no finer example for leadership than our Lord Jesus Christ. He declared, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). It is within this verse that we see the perfect description of a leader. He is one who acts as a shepherd to those “sheep” in his care.
