THE POSITION OF LEADERSHIP

By Ken Blue

The American Heritage Dictionary says leadership is, “1. The position or office of a leader: 2. Capacity or ability to lead.” You will notice that one is a position and the other is capacity. It is possible to have the position of leadership without the capacity to lead. Or, one may possess the capacity and not have the position.

There is a world of difference between position and capacity. One may be promoted to a position of leadership such as in a military or government job without possessing the capacity. However, those under his leadership must comply or pay the price. This same situation may exist in large cooperation, but it is not as prevalent.

However, church leadership is altogether different. The pastor does not possess leadership qualities because of his possession. This is one reason many churches cannot grow. The pastor must have the capacity to lead. No one follows because they are required to. Ninety-five percent of church work is done by volunteers. There must be other factors that influence people to follow the pastor. Leaders have followers. If no one is following, you are just taking a walk.

A few misconceptions about leadership: Position of office, telling others what to do, being the loudmouth of the group, or having the prominent position. None of which will work for long.

There are three imperatives of leadership and they are the same in the secular or the sacred. One of these qualities is personality. The more people you can relate to, the more influence you can have. We know many who lead from the strength of personality. The second quality needed is aptitude. The better you are at your vocation, the more people are apt to follow you. So, learn all you can about your calling. Learn from the greatest in that field. Read all you can on how to improve your vocational skills. People are reluctant to follow those who are unsure of what they are doing.

Finally, to have a lasting influence in leadership, you must be a man or woman of character. Of the three, your character is most important. People will not follow a person they cannot trust. What is it that exposes your lack of character? It will usually be your mouth. Therefore, be slow to speak and swift to hear.

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