Wanted: A Man for Leadership

Are you a leader, perhaps in your home, at your workplace, or in your church? Do you influence the lives of others? If so, let’s consider the following questions as leaders.

Where are we going?

This question is about direction, not destination. It’s difficult — if not impossible — to predict exactly where we’ll be in five, ten, or thirty years. Life has ups and downs, twists and turns, and curveballs. Few of us are where we thought we would be. What isn’t hard to pick, though, is a direction. The direction we choose can have a huge impact decades from now.

For example, I am reminded of Joshua’s direction. He stated that he and his family would serve the LORD, regardless of what Israel did (Joshua 24:15). Daniel purposed not to defile himself as a captive in a strange culture and land.

Good leadership begins with understanding the direction. Where are we going?

Have we counted the cost?

Good leaders think ahead and prepare. I am reminded of the question found in Luke 14:27-30. Which of us setting out to build a tower doesn’t first sit down to count the cost, plan, or prepare? Hopefully, none of us. Sure, we might pick our direction, but success is not automatic.

Followers enjoy the leadership of those who have counted the cost. Preparation eliminates not all, but many, surprises. No one likes the steady drumbeat of drama because of lazy leadership. While the best of plans go awry, the point behind planning was never the thought that everything would go according to plan. The point of thinking ahead and preparing was understanding the best way to pivot when the plan imploded. Luke 14:27-30 talks about the reputation of those who don’t count the cost. They are mocked.

Have we communicated where we are going?

Go ahead and say your plan out loud. It can be scary. Plans can grow comfortable and unrealistic in the mind. Communicating your direction out loud to your followers awakens reality. The cat was out of the bag when Joshua told Israel that he and his family would serve the LORD. Israel couldn’t un-hear it, and Joshua couldn’t take it back. It is nice to follow someone who knows where they are going and has said it so everyone knows.

Another aspect of good leadership is gracious communication. Ephesians 4:29 says not to use foul or abusive language. There is no room for crude, manipulating, sarcastic, toxic, or coercive language. Proverbs 12:18 and Proverbs 15:1 speak about those who make cutting remarks and use harsh words. The outcome of harshness is wounds and flaring tempers. Successful communication never has to yell.

Good communication also means good listening. James 1:19 says to be quick to listen and slow to speak. You can always identify lousy leadership; it won’t listen. Proverbs 18:13 also says that spouting off before you hear all the facts is shameful and foolish. Being able to listen means we understand the basics of respect for others. This goes a long way for both the leader and the followers.

Are we committed to going where we say we are going?

When Joshua said that he and his family were going to serve the Lord, he knew full well that the gods of the Amorites, in whose land they dwelled, would challenge him. Moses marched into the presence of Pharaoh and said to let God’s people go. Israel’s deliverance from Egypt was not a cakewalk. Paul followed Christ to the point of bearing the marks of Christ in his body. Jesus was greatly opposed on His way to the cross. At one point, He told Peter to get out of His way.

Leadership can be lonely. Not everyone will understand and support you. How many times did Moses go before God and say that Israel was going to kill him? Some of the churches that Paul started eventually questioned his Apostleship. Many who vowed to stand with Jesus fled at the crucial hour. Are we committed? This is where counting the cost ahead of time helps. This is not when we put our hands to the plow and look back.

What is our disposition as a leader?

Numbers 12:3 says Moses was the meekest man on earth.
In John 13:5, Jesus stooped down to serve His followers, taking a towel and washing their feet.
In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul abstained from many perks that he could have enjoyed to win more followers to Christ.
John the Baptist was not jealous of the fame that Jesus was getting. John 3:29 says he was filled with joy at his success.

Great leaders have a particular disposition: meekness (strength under control), humility, servanthood, and sacrifice. Good leaders are not jealous. They constantly seek to raise people up and are completely unintimidated by others who might be better than them. How many of us remember the absolute failure of Saul, Israel’s first king?

Are we teachable and correctable?

Moses was indeed an incredible leader. But there was a time when his leadership was failing. He had taken on too much and become the bottleneck. He was struggling with burnout, and so were the people. Instead of delegating responsibility, he kept trying to be the hero.

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came to visit him and noticed it immediately. Those struggling as Moses did, like Moses, have difficulty seeing their struggle. Outsiders notice it immediately. Jethro told Moses that what he was doing was not good, and the repercussions would be devastating if he didn’t make some changes (Exodus 18:13–23).

An insecure leader might say, “Jethro, who do you think you are? Did you lead these people out of Egypt? Do you know them like I do? Are you saying I am not doing a good job?” We don’t need to play this script out for long to understand we’ve likely all been here at some point. Moses, however, responded admirably, modeling great leadership. Exodus 18:24 says he listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions.

Are we willing to be wrong? Are we willing to hear someone correct us? Are we teachable? I have known several instances, in both business and ministry, where leaders took their ships down with them because they were so insecure. One way to make followers for life as a leader is to be real, approachable, honest, teachable, and correctable.