Many people may agree that leadership should never be an
automatic right. With leadership comes responsibilities of all magnitudes that
can only be developed by education, cultivation and training. Great leadership
requires the leader to have extraordinary qualities that will advance the goals
of the team and/or organization that is being led. If the leader lacks the
necessary qualities to lead, then his/her leadership will be ineffective and will
not accomplish the overall goals set forth needed for advancement. There are four basic qualities that a leader should possess
described by Kouzes and Posner: honesty, forward-looking, the ability to
inspire, and competency. With possessing these qualities, leaders are able to
exemplify these values in their everyday lives (Kouzes & Posnew, 2012, p.
79). Those who wish
to follow good leaders will oftentimes look at their track record to see if the
leader is a man/woman of integrity. It is easy to give directives to others,
but a good leader will want to always lead by example. Let’s dig deeper into
these four qualities that good leaders should possess.
Honesty
Albert Einstein,
German-born theoretical physicist, once said, “Whoever is careless with the
truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters” (Lead Like
Jesus, 2016). This is true, due to all forms of dishonesty normally starting
off small before it becomes monstrous. People have often used the big and little lies narrative when categorizing the serious nature of
dishonesty. Nevertheless, what many fail to understand is that the little ones set
the foundation for the bigger ones and they both have the same last name…lie.
As a leader, it is important for people to be able to trust you. As a matter of
fact, it may be the most important quality or trait that a leader possesses
because without trust, people will not have confidence in being a follower.
Jesus, Son of God, was that kind of leader on earth. Everything that He did and
said exemplified the character of his Father who is Truth. “Jesus answered, ‘I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me.’ ” (John 14:6, New International Version).
Jesus was letting us
know that we could always count on His word and whatever He said would never return
void. For 3 ½ years, Jesus led a group of twelve disciples, but had thousands
of followers. His leadership on earth was not one of royalty such as likened to
kings and queens, but it was a leadership of souls for the purpose of Salvation.
He gave directions for His followers to follow in order to help mankind live in
accordance to the will of God. One time, He delivered a powerful message
called, The Beatitudes, which taught people how to treat each other and the
reward that they would receive in Heaven. Part of this message consisted of
teaching people to be merciful, peacemakers, meek and pure in heart, but He
also led by example for in that same sermon, He spoke of persecution, which He
experienced first-hand (Matthew 5:1-11, New International Version). His
prophecies and messages held true where people were able to believe him during
His time on earth as well as today. The Bible is still the number one best
seller of all times because the words in it are still true. Therefore, Jesus’
leadership as such that have people from all over the world following His truth
today.
People want leaders
who are upright in their character. They desire to have someone that they can
trust to lead them in the right direction. Leaders who cannot be trusted will
eventually lose followers and for those who are in politics, they will lose
votes. An example of this is taking place now with the leadership of President
Obama. According to a YouGov.com poll, 71% of Obama’ voters regret voting for
him (Punditfact, 2014). Why is this? People want leaders that they can trust,
but when that trust is gone, the leadership is no longer respected.
God, however, is the
Ultimate Leader who is always truthful and you never have to worry about Him
giving empty promises or being dishonest in any way. “As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and
making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for
the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me
empty, bur will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I
sent it” (Isaiah 55: 10-11).
As a leader, I value
honesty. I believe that my word is golden and people should be able to believe
me. I wouldn’t expect others to follow me if I had the reputation for being
untruthful. Therefore, in all things, I must first represent God and because He
is a God of Truth, I must be truthful as well. That means no backdoor deals, no
cheating on taxes, no lying about scriptures (because I am in ministry as an
evangelist), and don’t take credit for something I did not do. Here are three
brief tips that are needed to ensure to keep you honest that I plan to follow:
1.)
Never
make promises that you can’t keep. “I will not violate my covenant or alter
what my lips have uttered” (Psalm 89:34, New International Version).
2.)
Set
realistic goals. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste
leads to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5, New International Version).
3.)
If
you are unable to follow through on your word, do not hide the truth. “The
integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their
duplicity” (Proverbs 11:3, New International Version).
Forward-Looking
Forward-looking is
another name for visionary. The ability to be able to vison-cast as a leader is
an important trait for any company who wishes to remain or proceed into the
future (Stoner, 2016). A good leader can plan for both the present and the
future in order for an organization to move forward. A visionary will be able
to set realistic and future goals for the organization to be viable in an
evolving society. According to Forbes Magazine, leadership success always
starts with a vision (Ryan, 2009).
“I know the plans I
have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope
and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, New International Version). Many of us plan our
future with the hope of accomplishing every single goal on our list. Leaders
often do this in order to take their organization into the future based upon
the projection of sells, technology, world trade, and other issues that could
affect the company. However, even with the best of plans, things may not always
go accordingly and therefore, a good leader should always have a plan B. The
Prophet, Jeremiah, lived in a time where his people were going to be taken
captive. They had been rebellious against God and had not followed His decrees.
However, God let Jeremiah know that He wanted to bless them and give them a
prosperous future.
Jeremiah was a leader
who had to issue tough warnings to the Children of Israel concerning their
future. If they did not heed to the laws of God, they would be taken into
captivity by the Babylonians. He wanted to lead them back to God and knew what
their future would hold if they remained in constant rebellion. However, the vision
that he had for them to live an upright life, obey God, and get rid of their
idols was more than what they wanted to give up even though they would possess
more. Therefore, the vision of freedom that he had for them became the reality
of enslavement and their lives were forever changed.
People
have to be able to trust the leader’s vision for the company that they work for
and make it come to life. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into
reality” (Bennis, 2016). Leaders with a vision know how to make the impossible
happen because they can see what others can’t. However, even if you have a
vision for people, you can’t make them follow if they have no desire to see the
vision for themselves as in the case with Jeremiah. Here are three tips that
will help when forecasting a vision for others to follow:
1.)
Write
down the vision that you have for the organization. “Then the Lord replied:
‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may
run with it’ ” (Habakkuk 2:2, New International Version).
2.)
Be
willing to listen to sound advice. “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but
many advisers make victory sure” (Proverbs 11:14, New International Version).
3.)
Make
sure your vision is for the good of the overall organization. “We who are
strong ought to bear the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each
of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build them up” (Romans
15:1-2).
Inspiring
One of the necessary qualities and/or
traits that a leader should possess is being able to inspire others. It is not
good enough just to give orders, but you should inspire people to want to
follow you and the vision that you have given. Inspirational leaders create
enthusiasm, empowerment, and confidence, which all play a role in inspiring
others (Morgan, 2016). A good leader will know that inspiration is key to
helping employers move an organization forward at a faster pace than it would
if there was little motivation behind their work.
Gideon, in the Bible, became a leader after
God selected him to rescue His people from the bondage of the Midianites. The
Israelites were always finding themselves being someone’s captive due to their
constant disobedience to God’s laws. As long as they obeyed God, they had peace
from their enemies and God’s hand of protection. However, whenever they decided
to go back to their idolatrous ways, they angered the Lord and He would allow
them to be taken captive by one of their enemies. “Again the Israelites did
evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands
of the Midianites” (Judges 6:1, New International Version).
Nevertheless,
once they repented and asked God to help them, He would send them a leader to
save them from their captivity. This time was no different. Gideon was from a
small clan, which was the least of the people. He never would have imagined
that God would use him to do such a big job. Yet, this is exactly what God did.
Gideon was allotted three hundred soldiers to take down thousands of Israel’s
enemies. Even though they were up against such numbers, Gideon’s belief and
courage in God inspired them not to fear, but to have faith in knowing that it
was not about numbers, but about God’s backing. He inspired his men by leading
them into battle and God handled the rest. “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my
lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all
who are with me blow our trumpets, and from all around the camp blow yours and
shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon’ ” (Judges 7:17-18, New International
Version),
Being
a good leader means that you can inspire others to look beyond their shortfalls
to accomplish greatness. Inspiring others helps to move them in a forward
direction instead of being stagnant. Whenever someone has come to me for
inspiration, I give them the words that God would have me to say in order to
help them to know that they can do all things through Christ. There is nothing
that we can’t do if we allow God to lead. Good leaders are Godly leaders and
Godly leaders are inspiring leaders. Inspiration is going beyond yourself to do
the impossible, but with me, I give all credit to God. Here are a few tips for
being an inspiring leader:
1.)
Be
willing to get in the trenches with those who are under you and lead by
example. “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,
for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12, New International
Version).
2.)
Encourage
others to know that they can be successful. “I can do everything through him
who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13, New International Version).
3.)
Work
with happiness and diligence so that others can be inspired. “Whatever you do,
work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…”
(Colossians 3:23, New International Version).
Competency
“Believe in your
potential even if you haven’t seen the results” (Nunez, 2016). A leader needs
to have exceptional skills in his/her field. For example, a doctor would not do
well if the medical education was forgotten in order to lead his/her practice.
Therefore, it would be wise for the doctor to remember everything that was
learned during medical school even if that means taking classes to refresh and
learn new techniques. The same applies to all leaders regardless of the field
they are in. People want to know that their leaders are qualified to lead them
by knowing the inner workings of their organization.
King Nebuchadnezzar, a
leader during the Babylonian era, was such a king who was competent to lead his
nation. Not only did he lead his nation, but he conquered other nations as
well. The fear of the Babylonians was in many nations because King
Nebuchadnezzar was a very good strategist as well as military commander. “In
the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it” (Daniel 1:1, New International
Version). God used him in such a way that He even allowed this king to conquer
the Israelites due to their inability to remain faithful. The only problem with
King Nebuchadnezzar was that he as too arrogant in his own abilities and did
not give honor to the God of Heaven who made him great. After being humbled, by
God himself, due to being turned into a beast for seven years, King
Nebuchadnezzar gave glory to God for giving him the competence to be a mighty
leader. “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise
and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right
and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Daniel
4:37, New International Version).
The reason we go to
school to get education is so that we can have the tools we need to do our jobs
effectively. There is nothing worse than a leader who does not know how to lead
or know the task for which they are leading. Whenever I am in leadership, I try
to study all that I can in order to be effective in teaching and leading
others. For example, I just recently got my certification from the American
Heart Association, so that I can be an instructor to teach people CPR and First
Aid. However, if I didn’t do the studies needed to know the course outline, I
wouldn’t be effective in the classroom. Therefore, my students wouldn’t have
the proper training they need in order to save a life. This is why competency
is needed as a leader. Here are a few tips for leaders to be competent in their
field which I follow:
1.)
Stay
current with the organization’s inner workings. “My people are destroyed from
lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6, New International Version).
2.)
Study
to learn more about your chosen field. “Study to show thyself approved unto
God, a workman who need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”
(2 Timothy 2:15, King James Version).
3.)
Attend
seminars and workshops. “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose
understanding rather than silver’ (Proverbs 16:16, New International Verson).
4.)
Ask
questions to obtain additional information. “Then Philip ran up to the chariot
and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are
reading?’ ” (Acts 8:30, New International Version).
Good leaders will do what is needed to maintain the integrity
of their office. They will seek to maintain that integrity in leading by
example. A leader should be aware that there are those who are looking to
him/her as an example to model their own future leadership styles by.
Therefore, being aware of the example that is set should be a major incentive
for leaders to watch their dealings with others. If all leaders were to keep
this in mind, there may be more accountability and less corruption in many offices
of authority.
References
Bennis, W.
(2016). Warren G. Bennis Quotes (Author of On Becoming a Leader). Retrieved
from http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/4993165.Warren_G_Bennis
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge (5th ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Wiley.
Lead Like Jesus.
(2016). Honesty and Leadership | Lead Like Jesus. Retrieved from http://www.leadlikejesus.com/blog/honesty-and-leadership
Morgan, G.
(2016). 5 Keys to Inspiring Leadership, No Matter Your Style. Retrieved from
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/227012
Northouse, P. G.
(2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks:
Sage Publications.
Nunez, V. (2016). Forbes Welcome. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/viviannunez/2016/05/31/why-superlatinas-gaby-natale-wants-latinas-to-know-that-their-voices-matter/#5ae98a340be7
Ryan, J. (2009, September 29). Leadership Success Always
Starts
With Vision. Retrieved from
Sanders, K. (2014, February 25). Fact-checking U.S.
politics | PolitiFact. Retrieved from
http://www.politifact.com
Stoner, J. L. (2016). The Value of Vision Series -
Kouzes and
Posner. Retrieved from
http://www.seapointcenter.com/kouzes-and-posner-on-
vision/
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