Are You a Great Leader?

Everybody leads. Few are good at it. Even fewer are great at it. But the world largely skews what it means to be great. Success isn’t measured in God’s eyes the way it is other places. Far too often particular results are emphasized as indicators of greatness. It might be a more charismatic bent. Maybe it is hours spent working. Money made. Projects completed. But do any of those things really make a great leader? In reality, you could produce the right results and still not be a great leader. It isn’t about accomplishment, or status, or position. Being a great leader is not about those things. It is something bigger and deeper than that. It’s not about what you do. It’s about who you are.

So, what does it take to be a great leader?

Principles/Red lines

There seems to be plenty of talk lately about red lines that are non-negotiable in the agreement. Do you know your personal core values? Your non-negotiable/s? The lines you won’t cross? Great leaders are rooted in a core set of principles that will guide them every day and every decision. They are spiritual in nature, and in many ways, these principles will tell you who your god really is. If you don’t take time to settle what your principles are, then the world will seek to define them for you. And the world’s definitions won’t be what is best for you.

Determined Purpose

Do you know your why? Not the why in the midst of your current task, though that is a great thing. What is your personal why? Have you ever really done it? Why do you it? What do you live for? God placed you here, where you are, and what you are doing with purpose. God already has a plan and a purpose. He is the author of the story. He has a reason for you within that plan. Take time to seek it out. What has God determined for you. Then seek to align your daily actions with that determined purpose from God. And just for the sake of pointing it out - God’s determined purpose for you is not immediately bigger, better, and more money.

Multi-faceted Approach

How do you view and treat people? Are they simply steps you take to what you selfishly want? Are they in the way? Are they an annoyance? Do you just wish they would do what you tell them to do, and to do it your way? A fundamental skill of a great leader is the ability to deal with different types of people, places, scenarios, and everything else. Can you interact and engage with different types of people, personalities that are not the same as yours? Do you know who you are and how you will respond to a stressor? How do you approach problems? What is your spiritual design? Can you identify it in others? Taking a multi-faceted approach is not, at its heart, a way to manipulate others. It is about bringing others alongside and with you to the goal. It is about learning to communicate clearly with people in their own ways of communication. It is about building them up and helping them grow as leaders. It can be, and should be, a selfless act. Your leadership will be remembered by how you treat others.

Strategic Vision

Great leaders are able to see three things. Where the organization is going, where the organization should be going, and sees, with honesty, where it currently is. No strategy can be made without these points. It is rare that a leader would see all three of these points alone. A great leader, with humility, brings a team that can help identify these points and work together to make things happen. It brings the leader back to the multi-faceted approach and people again. To truly pursue a vision there will always be others needed.

Lifelong learning

Can you be wrong? Are you able to acknowledge it? Learning at its core is acknowledging that you are wrong, or don’t know something. Leaders who cannot be honest about where they come up short will never be great. You must be willing to learn and to learn you must be able to admit you are wrong. You fall short. Everybody does. That is why there is grace. But you must also be willing to see and incorporate changing ideas, methods, and technology. The world is accelerating in its change. To adapt you have to be able and committed to learning. Be willing to seek new things out. Be willing to hear things you might disagree with, that might challenge your presumed beliefs. Great leaders never stop learning.

Great leadership takes time. Many leaders get caught assuming they are good, if not great. They stall out because they stop learning. They stop thinking about others. They lose sight of their purpose and drift off track. Be intentional about growing as a leader and even more importantly as a human being created by God. Truly great leaders go about making others better.