Sometimes it’s good to circle back and look at the basics of what we do…what the Lord has called us to do. Leadership. Some may say, “I’m not a leader. I don’t manage a company, ministry, or group of people.” Think again. We all have a leadership role to play, even if it’s just for one person. Certainly, your leadership in your family is critical.

I recently read a blog post, and this caught my attention:

Leadership is not the ability to tell people what to do.

Yes, there are roles you may have, a position that calls you to give direction and instruction…maybe even orders. That’s often called legitimate power or organizational power.

But there is a better indicator of leadership, and a better comprehension of our role as leaders under the Lord’s leadership.

Look at this list of leadership attributes I’ve gleaned:

  • Integrity in all things
  • Vision
  • Influence
  • Proper use of power
  • Praise for others on your team
  • Listen…then speak
  • Have empathy for your team members

One blogger said that developing these attributes, and others like them, won’t just make you a good leader, they will make you a better human.

Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges in their book Lead Like Jesus have a good description of a leader and leadership in general:

“Leadership is a process of influence. Anytime you seek to influence the thinking behavior, or development of people toward accomplishing a goal in their personal or professional lives, you are taking on the role of a leader.”

Influence is the key. And the best influence is what others gain from you willingly as they look at your life and see godly attributes. You don’t force influence on others. That never works.

Apart from organizational leadership, the largest group of leaders are in a category called life-role leadership. This happens when we are in enduring relationships with family, friends, and others. According to Blanchard and Hodges, this is when we focus on growing and developing people and supporting mutual commitments.

If we are in a leadership role, and if we are a follower of Jesus Christ, there is another element of leadership. Henry and Richard Blackaby wrote about it in their book Spiritual Leadership. In the book they give the very simple and straightforward definition of this type of leadership:

“Moving people on to God’s agenda.”

That presupposes that we know God’s agenda. That’s a thought for another day.

Jesus tells us that He is the vine, and we are the branches. Apart from the vine, we can do nothing. But then He promises this:

…if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

John 15:7 NLT

What kind of leader are you today? What kind of leader do you want to be tomorrow? Abide in Jesus…the vine. Godly leadership is worth all the effort. Jesus called it “much fruit.”

God’s best…