When I was growing up, there was a simple TV show called “So You Want to Lead a Band?” People would volunteer to lead, step to the podium, take the director’s baton, and start directing the onstage band. It was usually funny and sometimes disastrous.

Have you wanted to be a leader? Have you wanted to command a group of people in a way that had an impact and accomplished something amazing? Or maybe the conductor’s baton was handed to you, and you weren’t prepared to be the leader. Most of us have been there at one level or another.

There is a somewhat humorous saying called “The Peter Principle.” One definition for this principle is this: “Employees are promoted according to their current progress rather than the required skills and aptitude.” Or, as the originator of the Peter Principle, Dr. Laurence J. Peter put it, “…people in a hierarchy tend to rise to “a level of respective incompetence”

That’s a bit scary, but it happens again. Leadership groups, including the Harvard Business Review, address this topic again and again.

Fred Smith, a mentor to ministry leaders, talked about leadership, which gives us a clear picture of what it is.

“Leadership is not a position; it is a function. It is not a title that grants power over others. It is a skill you perform, a service you render for the entire organization or institution.”

One of the reasons MEDIA Alliance holds leadership Forums around the globe is to help those who have stepped into the role of a leader be better equipped with the skills needed to guide the team God has given them.

Where do you find yourself? Has the Lord put you in a leadership position and you don’t feel adequate for the job? Join the crowd. Most of us have felt that way. It’s a good idea to read those first chapters of Joshua. This leader was following on the heels of Moses, who had led the children of Israel for forty years. I’m sure Joshua felt inadequate for the role. Maybe that’s why the Lord bluntly told Joshua:

“Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people…”

Joshua 1:2 NLT

The Lord then repeated over and over, “Be strong and of good courage.” God went on to tell Joshua that He had guided Moses and He would guide Joshua in what to do to be the leaders the Lord needed for that day.

The same truth holds for you. If the Lord has placed you in leadership, and you don’t feel you are prepared…that you have risen to your highest level of incompetence, then be strong and of good courage. And look to the Lord for the wisdom needed for the task.

So… grab that conductor’s baton and a copy of God’s Word, and lead!

God’s best,