WHAT IS LEADERSHIP

WHAT IS LEADERSHIP

# 3

By Ken Blue

John Maxwell says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” If that statement is true, the pastor’s call to the ministry is really a call to leadership. Perhaps the following definitions Webster will help. “To show the way to by going in advance. To guide or direct in a course. To guide the behavior or opinion of; induce. To direct the performance or activities of.  To inspire the conduct of. To go or be at the head of. To be ahead of. To go first as a guide. To act as commander, director, or guide.  An example; a precedent.”

One is not a leader simply because he has the title or a position. Look behind you, if no one is following, you’re not leading; you’re only taking a walk.

There are many factors that may affect a leadership situation. The following example will suffice. Several New York business men invited a tribal chief of the rain forest to their city to work out an agreement on cutting timber in his area. He was picked up at the airport and shuttled about the city for the next few days. He was overwhelmed by the number of people, the skyscrapers and the traffic. The suits were in complete control as they led him about from one meeting to another.

After a deal was agreed upon, the business men returned to South America with the chief to map out the specific area to cut. The jet landed in a major city, and from there they were to be shuttled in a small bush plane to the village. However, the small plane experienced engine trouble and made a forced landing in the jungle. No one was hurt, but the business men were completely helpless, disoriented, fearful and lost. The chief reassured them by taking the lead. He knew the direction to the village and which plants and animals to avoid. In a couple of days, they reached their intended destination.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The pastor’s call to the ministry is really a call to leadership.[/pullquote]

The above story illustrates the many factors that impact leadership. You must know what you want; where you want to go, how to get there and convince others in your ability to get them there safely. In the city, the suits were leading. In the jungle, the chief was the leader.

Although leadership can be learned, there are certain qualities that cannot be ignored if one is to succeed.  Those who follow you must have rapport with your personality; they must have confidence in our competence and they must have respect for your character. Weakness in any of these will impact your leadership. You can lead, but you must be clear on where you want to go. This is discovered through the planning process. Then, you must be able to share the vision with others until they too embrace it.

The above puzzle is a more important illustration than you might think, weakness in any of these hampers your leadership. Meditate on each piece and discover the areas you need to improve. Failure in any one of these hampers your ministry. If you think soul winning and preaching is all you need, that’s all you will attempt. Everything depends of prayer and leadership.