Launch Into LeadershipSýnishorn

I used to think that leadership was innate.

People either had the ability to lead others effectively, or they didn’t. I didn’t think of leadership as a skill that can be trained. I thought that if you gave the orders and you made the decisions, then you were the leader.

But the reality is that anyone can give orders. Anyone can bark out commands and sit back while their team scrambles to work. Your title being “manager,” does not mean that you’re a leader. It just means that someone put you in charge.

I’ve been a manager, and I’ve been a leader. I have barked orders, and I have truly led people to reach newfound heights. I believe that the best resource for leaders or for anyone who wants to become a leader is the Bible.

The word of God is filled with examples of leaders, both good and bad. It tells us how to lead and how not to, and it is up to us as leaders to take the word of God and apply it to our life. You see, God is not just here for your personal life but for your professional life too. His word can assist us to lead better than we have ever led, teach better than we have ever taught, and encourage our team even in the midst of uncertainty.

We just have to listen.

The most obvious example of leadership within the Bible would be Jesus Christ.

Jesus teaches us that, above all else, leaders are servants to the people that they lead.

In John 13, Jesus is gathered with his disciples, and He washes their feet. When He has finished washing their feet, He explains to them that if He, as their Lord and teacher, washed their feet, they should also go and do the same for others. Jesus was explaining that just as He has served His people, they, too, should seek out others to serve.

This act of humility and of care can teach us more than any class or course on leadership out there. He understood that if He wanted to lead others, He had to first serve them. A good leader knows that your team won’t care unless they know how much you care. Jesus cared deeply, and He instilled this care into the disciples.

He served before He led.