The effectiveness of your leadership can be judged by your personal habits and how your family is doing. Many leaders are extremely successful and even effective (see older post on effectiveness and success for precise, rambling discussion on those topics) in their professional leadership roles. At least for the time being. But how effective are they in leading themselves and those closest to them? A leader will ultimately rise and fall based on the strength of their personal character and how well they lead their family. I call this personal leadership and family leadership. These two elements are far more important and have greater significance than any professional leadership.
In terms of personal and family leadership let's examine what the Bible has to say on the subject. The Bible teaches us several traits that good leaders must possess. Whether or not you believe the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God (as I do) or just a book full of some stories, parables and proverbs it can be used as a resource in many areas, including leadership. The Apostle Paul wrote to several groups of people and identified key components of a leader's character that must be in place for them to lead inside the church.
In 1 Timothy 3:2-10 Paul lists the following qualities for leaders to display: Above reproach, husband of one wife (more on that in the family leadership portion), temperate (self-controlled), prudent (wise), respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine, gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money, able to manage his household well (more in a coming post), in control of his children, not a new convert (experience), possess a good reputation, men of dignity. In Titus 1 Paul again offers the same basic list of desirable qualities.
Let's pull out a few of the qualities that Paul highlights in each passage and apply it to leaders today.
Leaders should be Above Reproach: Leaders must not place themselves in compromising situations whether financially, spiritually or morally. There should never be a question about their actions or motives.
Leaders should be Temperate (Self-Controlled). Leaders must be able to control their temper and passions. We as leaders feel strongly about some issues and most of the time we are passionate and driven people. We are also in high stress situations where emotions can be brought to a high boil. We must be in control of our emotions. (I used the "we" pronoun here because this is an area of personal struggle and growth for me).
Leaders must be Able to Teach. Leaders see things before others and they want to go faster than others. They are quicker to respond and usually more motivated to get things done than those they are leading. Leaders must be able to explain their vision and teach others how they can help accomplish the mission. Leaders must be patient teachers/explainers.
Leaders must be Free from the Love of Money. This doesn't mean that leaders shouldn't and won't have money. In fact, the financial rewards for effective leadership is often very high. John Maxwell is a wonderful teacher and leader and I am sure a very generous man, but he is also incredibly wealthy, as he should be. He helps millions of people through his leadership training books, videos, live events, etc. He does his job well and is well compensated. Leaders can be wealthy. Money is not the problem, it is the Love of $$$$ that gets leaders into trouble. Free your character from a desire to be wealthy and instead add a desire to help people.
Leaders must Possess a Good Reputation. Leaders must have a good reputation in their communities, businesses, churches, etc. Leaders need to be looked up to as wise and in control of their lives. Leaders gain a good reputation slowly (over many years) but can lose it quickly (in a matter of seconds). Guard your reputation closely. Don't worry about what people think you are, be concerned with who you are. If you take care of being the right kind of person, a good reputation will follow close behind.
Join me in a future post as we examine how a leader can "Lead Yourself and Your Home." We will focus on a leaders role inside their home.
P.S.- Merry Christmas!
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