Leadership comes in a variety of forms. There are many ways to lead, and to be led. There are an abundance of qualities that make a great leader, and examples of men and women who have lead and are leading effectively. Many people believe the myth that you have to be a person of power and stature in order to be an effective leader however, in all actuality; everyone has the ability to influence others. In fact, we were all called to lead others in several parts of the Bible.
First and foremost, Jesus calls us to “love others as He has loved us” (John 13:34) and to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). Simply looking at these two commandments, as followers of Jesus, we are called to be leaders in our lost and broken society. In order to become better leaders and followers of Jesus, we must be intentional, open-minded and introspective.
To help highlight some of the qualities of an effective leader as seen throughout many examples in history and in the Bible, I have created an acronym. To be an effective leader, you don’t have to have it all together and you don’t have to possess all of these characteristics. However, these are challenges supported by scripture that we can embrace and use to become better leaders and ambassadors for Christ.
Listen (James 1:19, Luke 11:28)
Effective communication (Ephesians 4:29, Colossians 4:6)
Accountability (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12)
Discipline (Proverbs 10:17, Proverbs 12:1)
Empowering others (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Proverbs 27:17)
Raising the bar (Colossians 3:23, Romans 12:2)
Again, these are just a few of the many things that contribute to effective leadership. God has called us to be different than our society, and this starts with leading by example. I encourage you to examine these scriptures and jot down some realistic ways that you can improve on these leadership qualities and take them with you to your work place, to your teams, and in your relationships with others.
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