THOUGHTS ABOUT LEADERSHIP

Where there is no guidance, a people falls . . . (Proverbs 11:14).

Farm Journal television interviewed Barry Posner, author of a book called, The Truth About Leadership and I happened to watch that interview at five in the morning.  Posner shared four essential qualities for leadership a person must possess if he/she is to lead: 1) To be a leader one must be honest and possess integrity.  A lie is generally not hidden for ever; the truth comes out eventually so that a person's ability to lead is seriously compromised, if not ended.  Politicians are great illustrations of this point.

2) To be a leader one must possess vision.  Where is it that the leader wants to take those who follow?  Much of the time leader want-to-be's do not have followers because they have no clear vision of where they want to go and cannot articulate how to get there.

3) To be a leader one must be inspiring.  This is a quality of leadership that is a gift and not all people possess it to the same degree though most people possess it to some degree.  Charisma, achievement, power, position and relationships are inspirational qualities, but, it seems to me that there is an intangible quality to this quality of leadership.  Charisma might come the closest in describing it, but there are some who are recognized as leaders simply by how they carry themselves with self confidence and personal authority.

4). To be a good leader, one must be competent.  Each of us is a leader to somebody, so each of us has to make the effort to become as knowledgeable and skillful as we can be.  Good leadership does not just happen.  One has to be intentional about becoming the best leader he/she can be because there are many who are watching . . . And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit (Matthew 15:14).

5)  Dr Posner did not include this one as necessary for leadership, but the Lord did: . . . and the leader as one who serves (Luke 22:26). Leadership is about love and service.  I have almost no hope that our politicians will ever get it.  They call themselves public servants while enriching themselves in political office, acting like kings and nobles while fleecing the citizens of the United States.  Being a servant is leadership by example, teaching by behavior.

You will lead someone in 2012. Do what it takes to become the best leader you can be.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom