Wanna Be A Leader?
One of my favorite authors is John Maxwell. He is a former senior pastor and now travels the world talking to churches and secular businesses about the principles of leadership. Many would refer to him as a leadership guru of sorts but he has simply taken what the Bible has to say about leadership and broken it down to simple practical principles for every person no matter what walk of life you may be in.
Maxwell says, “Leadership is Influence; nothing more, nothing less.” In this post, I would like to elaborate on this principle; by no means change the definition, simply elaborate. Leadership, like most things, gives you the opportunity to be a good leader or a bad leader, a positive leader or a negative leader. Your leadership can create positive impact or it can create negative impact. My goal would to be to motivate people to dedicate themselves to being strong leaders who are creating a positive impact with their influence.
The definition I would like to give simply elaborates on Maxwell’s definition. A great leader is one who faithfully uses their strengths and personal giftings in a way that honors God, inspires others, encourages others, serves others, and influences others in a positive direction. You will notice this definition does not mention the personal benefits of you being a leader. Yes, there are many benefits to yourself if you live this way but the focus of a great leader is always on those around you.
Here are some pitfalls to avoid in your desire to be a leader:
- Don’t try to be what you are not. Too many people look at others and assume that is what they are suppose to be or they wish they could do what someone else does. Being a leader doesn’t mean that you get the title, the spotlight, or the acclaim that others may seem to get. Being a leader is simply you living out the given definition above. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) there are some people who are 1 leaders, some who are 5 leaders, and some who are 10 leaders. If you are not a 10 leader, it doesn’t mean that you are greater than someone who may be a 5 leader or 1 leader and vice versa. Our culture has been plagued with the disease of self-comparison. We are not to compare ourselves to others, but only by the standard of God’s Word and the truth of who we are created to be. We are to be who we were created by God to be and be excellent in who we are.
- Don’t try to be the boss. Leadership is not about power. If leadership is influence, then you measure your ability by the level of influence you have, not by the amount of power you can wield.
- Be Relational. Authority without Relationship = Dictatorship. Just because you have position does not mean you have the ability to lead or that people will follow. Take the time to serve others and build relationships where you are trusted. Invest in others. People will follow those they trust.
- Make others successful. The greatest leaders are those who raise up other leaders. I believe the greatest compliment to a leader is that you raised up someone who surpasses you. Philippians 2:4 says “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” I can’t stand the leaders who think everyone is there to make them more successful. Great leaders should always be looking for ways to train, equip, and release people into their calling and gifting. Dedicate yourself to helping others advance. You won’t regret it.
This is by no means an exhaustive study on leadership. But I want to challenge everyone to be a leader. Everyone is capable of leading in some capacity but if you are faithfully using your strengths and personal giftings in a way that honors God, inspires others, encourages others, serves others, and influences others in a positive direction than you are being a leader. A great resource for finding out your strengths is the book Strength Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. I would also suggest the leadership material by John Maxwell. Be a leader. Serve God, your church, your company, your friends, your family.
Good thoughts. Can you clarify what is the practical difference between influence and power?
Hey Joe. Thanks for checking out the blog. The difference between influence and power would be related to the definition of leadership that I gave. Influence has more to do with how people willingly follow and respond to your leadership as opposed to just power which is where people follow and respond to you because they have no choice. This would have more to do with the leader and how he or she leads, then it would with the follower. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, etc…had power and most followed because they had to. Some followed because of their influence and they lined up philosophically. The ultimate example of a leader who operated more with influence than power is Jesus. His whole life was about influence. He had compassion, he healed the sick and cast out evil spirits, gave people hope, loved the unlovely, gave grace to the humble but opposed the proud. This is what I would be referring to in regards to the difference between influence and power. Jesus certainly had power and used his power but not to Lord over others. Jesus used his power to help others, not to lord over people. Hope that helps.
So you might say influence is more about serving, and presenting yourself as a gift which can be refused. Whereas power is about lordship and commnding obedience in an un-refusable manner. Thanks for the extra effort.
All great leaders are great servants. The heart of a true leader is for those he or she is leading so yeah. You are right.