There are two kinds of "leaders." One is the kind who uses "authority" and compels followers' grudging obedience. The other kind inspires, persuades and sets an example.
The authoritarian-type leader generally considers only self, and the grandeur he (or she) hopes to produce in an empire, nation or business. Such a leader does not give proper consideration to the legitimate needs, wishes and aspirations of followers. By contrast, the right kind of leader leads in order to serve.
Which kind will you be?
Jesus Christ, who brought a message about world government, showed that the greatest leader will be the servant of those who are led. Christ described how the leaders of the Gentiles—the strutting dictators and czars—"exercise dominion" over their followers and strut about to "exercise authority" over them. "Yet," He said, "it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave" (Matthew 20:25–27).
The Desire to SERVE Comes First
All too often, people desire positions of leadership and responsibility primarily for the sake of exalting self—not for service. This is a great mistake, and often leads to grievous harm and unhappiness not only for those directly involved, but also for many others. Jesus said, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11).
One who humbles the self in order to serve others will find, in due time, that he or she has become a leader because of the sincere desire and ability to help.
One of my friends from college days voluntarily took upon himself the lowly task of emptying the garbage from the dormitory kitchen. Even in his senior year, as a student instructor, he continued this practice until it was noticed by the college president—who thought it better that some other student be given this responsibility. My friend was trying to serve— and later, interestingly enough, he had a far greater opportunity to serve as dean of the college!
What is the point?
The point is that he was alert enough to see a genuine need, and to try to fill that need—even though it was a lowly job of service. His initiative and imagination displayed itself in far more important and interesting ways than this specific example illustrates, but the important fact here is that he was willing to exercise his initiative and use it to serve in this lowly capacity—not just to exalt the self! "He who humbles himself will be exalted."
This spirit of humility—this desire to serve, and the spirit of selfless dedication to a cause—is the foundational approach to all true leadership. The leader who is willing to sacrifice himself to the task at hand is the one whose followers will be most inspired, and who will most quickly tend to emulate their leader. For he is a leader by sacrifice and service, and is leading by example.
Importance of Vision, Imagination, and a Goal
Every great leader must possess at least a certain degree of imagination and vision. Such a leader must be able to think ahead—to visualize and plan beyond the immediate present.
The leader must also have a goal. If the goal is practical and right—and the leader has created realistic plans and programs leading to that goal—this will certainly command the respect of others and will demonstrate true leadership.
The veritable modern "father" o f We s t Germany, t h e l a t e Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, asked: "What makes a statesman great?" His answer: "He needs first of all a clear conception of what is possible. Then he needs a clear conception of what he wants. Finally, a great leader must have the power of his convictions, a moral driving force. Churchill radiated it. He had fire and daring from the days of his adventurous youth."
A Leader Must LEAD and DECIDE
A certain amount of speed and decisiveness is found in the makeup of every great leader. For a leader must be ahead of those who are following. A leader must be alert, charting the course ahead, and able to decide quickly the right course of action when problems come up. This requires a degree of mental toughness and courage that many just do not have.
But these are qualities of Christ Himself, and they may be acquired— to a degree, at least—by any Christian who asks Almighty God for them in prayer, and seeks to build, use and exercise these qualities.
When Jesus found God's Temple being turned into a house of merchandise at the Passover season, He did not go off to meditate, call a committee meeting, or ponder what to do. He took decisive action. As the Son of God, He had the right to clean out that temple—and He did! He courageously and vigorously strode through the temple courts, then overturned the tables of the moneychangers and ordered them out. He then made a whip of cords and drove the cattle out.
A leader with this type of decisiveness and courage will bounce back from defeat or adversity. A leader will not be a "quitter." Even though a course of action may sometimes be unpopular, a true leader will have the spiritual and mental resources to see it through and not be deterred by criticism or adversity.
Comradeship and Delegation
A leader must know how to work with other people. Leaders must command the admiration and respect of other people—their trust, loyalty and responsiveness. Also, a leader must be able to so motivate and organize and guide people that they achieve their maximum potential.
Genuine friendliness and outgoing concern for others are two hallmarks of a great leader. A great leader has time for a smile or a friendly chat, and shows sincere interest in the lives, hopes and dreams of those being led. A great leader builds a sense of comradeship with those being led, so that they feel free to share their ideas and suggestions.
A leader does not live in a remote ivory tower, and does not hesitate to call conferences and meetings at which assistants and subordinates can have an opportunity to share their views regarding problems that face their nation or organization.
A top leader is always able to communicate. Having received the training—and having developed the discipline—to think clearly, the effective leader is able to communicate with clarity and persuasiveness to subordinates. In this way, those being led can accurately grasp the leader's ideas, goals and specific instructions, without wandering about in hopeless confusion—as actually happens from time to time in many great organizations. The leader's ability and willingness to communicate creates a unity of purpose among subordinates, and can achieve vigorous action out of an otherwise dissimilar group.
In most cases, a leader should accept the responsibility for the mistakes of subordinates. In like manner, a leader should, when possible, give subordinates public credit for their triumphs. In all of this, the effective leader will win confidence by the continual example of fairness and honesty in all dealings with those being led.
A leader must be willing to delegate authority to others. Otherwise, he will find himself running a one-man army, a one-man store or a one-man enterprise. An effective leader must have the discernment and insight to select as his administrators men and women of ability, honesty and balance.
Indeed, the challenge of doing all this—training the newcomers, organizing subordinates and inspiring them to accomplishment—is one of the greatest tests a leader must face.
Character and Integrity
A leader whose motives are continually being called into question by subordinates is through as a leader. To lead, one must consistently set an example of fairness, integrity and high moral character—if a group or enterprise is worth "leading" in the first place.
Self-discipline is an absolute must for a person in a leadership role. The minute a leader's morals begin to erode—the minute he or she begins letting down, hitting the bottle, engaging in unethical conduct, etc.—may well be the turning point at which successful leadership begins to erode. Very few people indeed can have a feeling of faithfulness and loyalty to an example of instability, dishonesty, weakness or debauchery.
A true Christian leader—the kind who will last—is one who adheres carefully to the principles of the Ten Commandments. Such a leader will be thinking far more about what is "right" than what is expedient. Such a leader's personal integrity will be above question, with a sense of faithfulness and loyalty that will permeate the institution. It is here that, in a very real and immediate sense righteousness "pays off." There can be no substitute for Christian character.
WHERE and HOW to Lead
In exercising these principles of service and leadership, you will find many opportunities to use them. First of all, you can begin right in your own family. For, in an important sense, your family is "a miniature kingdom."
In describing the qualifications of an elder or minister, God asks, "If a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?" (1 Timothy 3:5). The place to begin is at home.
All husbands should, in humility and love, serve, inspire and lead their families. They serve them by providing for, protecting and guiding them as a unit through the rough spots of life. Yet, in this very service, they must lead. They must exercise the very qualities outlined in this article.
And—this is very important— learn to build leadership into your children! For they certainly should be leaders in Tomorrow's World!
Apply the principles of this article on your job, in your business or on your farm. Learn to think ahead and employ right imagination and vision, decisiveness and courage. Learn to organize those under you, and develop a proper method of delegating responsibility to others—yet being faithful and fair to them, as you want them to be to you.
A gloomy warning on the declining state of American leadership was issued by former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare John W. Gardner. He said that unless the present trend is reversed, "We are in danger of falling under the leadership of men who lack the confidence to lead. And we are in danger of destroying the effectiveness of those who have a natural gift for leadership."
This society has lost its way. It has no goal. It substitutes committee meetings, discussions and public opinion polls for leadership.
But, happily, a new age is about to be ushered in under the guidance of the living Christ.
We call it "Tomorrow's World."
Born to Rule
Many have never really thought about the fact that human beings were created with powers far transcending the animal realm.
Read it, in your own Bible: "Let Us [God is speaking] make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26).
Why have so few understood what the Bible says? Notice what Jesus told His disciples: "And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:29–30).
Also, "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—'He shall rule them with a rod of iron…'" (Revelation 2:26–27).
Human beings have been put on this earth to learn lessons in preparation for ruling this earth—and ultimately the entire universe—with and under God! That is one big reason why there are trials and tests, heartaches and headaches, and lessons that are learned through human suffering. Even Jesus learned "by the things which He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). That is how He became a leader.
But, even here, many people often ask: "But why should I want to 'domineer' over others or give people orders? Why should I be interested in this idea of being a ruler in God's government?"
Why, indeed?
Have you ever wanted to give real and lasting help to the starving people of our world? Have you ever wanted to really and permanently help the sad, lonely, lost orphan children around the world? Have you ever deeply wanted to quickly help the blind, deaf and disabled?
Why You Should Want to Rule in Tomorrow's World
As a servant and a leader in God's Kingdom, you will have that very kind of opportunity!
The "firstfruits" will have a wonderful opportunity to supernaturally help the sick, the starving, the orphaned, the disabled, the blind and the maimed! This kind of leadership—the type that will bring tears of thankfulness and joy to the faces of millions—is something we all should fervently desire. It is the real reason for the Christian life and our calling now. This is the constant subject of Jesus Christ's proclamation of the world-ruling Kingdom of God. Those who overcome will be made kings and priests and rule over the nations. And our children who live on through the tumultuous days ahead may well become the human leaders in Tomorrow's World—if we have trained, guided and inspired them to prepare now.
So, most of all, prepare for that day. It is coming sooner than you think! Try to help and serve others with the knowledge that you have. Develop and use these qualities of leadership in your everyday life.
Christian leadership based on service is the best possible preparation for your job as a king under Jesus Christ in Tomorrow's World!