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As a leader, would you say you’re contagious?

Your answer to that questions goes a long way toward helping you determine whether you are simply a trained leader—educated, prepared, competent and skilled—or a transformational leader—one who leverages their training to impact the world and others for real, positive change.

The greatest transformational leader in history is Jesus of Nazareth. Even if you ignored his anointing as the Son of God and humanity’s long-awaited Messiah, the life of Jesus still produced numerous attributes for leaders to imitate:

• He invested in people
• He took time to care for the individual
• He remained focused on the big picture
• He entrusted others with his mission
• He surrounded himself with people not like him
• He surrendered his will to a higher purpose

As God’s Son, Jesus was more than just a man. But he still connected with people on a human level, raising them above even their own personal faults and failures. He brought hope that their lives—and their world—didn’t have to stay the same.

How else to explain the numerous fishermen, tax collectors, and others left everything they knew to follow a carpenter’s son? 

While we cannot live a perfect life like Jesus, we can live a life that transforms the world. We simply need to heed the wisdom of the apostle Paul, who wrote:

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NCV).

Questions to ask yourself:

Has your time as a leader produced the kind of impact you envisioned? If not, why do you think that is?

What is one change you can make today to shift from being a “trained leader” to a “transformational leader”?