Week 16: Leadership Criteria – Part One

For the next few weeks, we’ll examine standards of self-measurement for leadership criteria. Keep in mind as you read this that leaders grow in stature and aren’t born in complete stature. So whatever your shortcomings, Jesus will help you grow in them. If you’re familiar with the gospels, then recall and make note of an incident or quality where he showed these traits below. Reflect on how you measure up to each trait, confess where you fall short (put a check mark by it), acknowledge your need to improve, and then yield to Jesus who perfectly fulfilled all leadership criteria and never fell short. He’s the standard, lest we get too proud (smile). Let’s begin.
• Are you easily able to make and maintain close friends? The type of inner circle friends you have (and are loyal to you) can be an indicator of the quality of your leadership.
• Are you a tactful person? Are you able to foresee the impact of a statement before you give it? A fool utters his whole mind, but a wise man knows when it’s time to speak, or time to keep silent.
• Are you an independent thinker? Can you receive and assess the input of others, making good use of what’s merited, while not letting others do all your thinking for you, or you’re your decisions for you?
• Are you optimistic within reason? Though a leader’s mission may seem improbable, they instinctively know it’s achievable and not fantasy-driven. Pessimists, however, lead no one.
• Are you decisive? Able to make quick decisions without being paralyzed by information overload.
• Are you overly sensitive or defensive when someone checks or corrects you? All criticism carries some measure of truth. Can you yield long enough to discover it and make the necessary adjustments to right the wrong? Self-vindication is not a productive quality in a leader.
• Are you willing to accept responsibility for failure? Or do you immediately look to lay the blame at someone else’s feet? Such tendencies destroy confidence in your ability to lead.
• Are you one who nurses a grudge? Or do you quickly forgive the injuries others have done to you (either purposefully or ignorantly)? “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” ¬–Jesus on the cross
• Are you critical? Constantly pointing out the faults of others, instead of encouraging people in their efforts?
• Are you one who develops people, or merely directs them? Authoritarians bark out orders. Leaders develop and equip people for their assignments so they’ll know what to do without constant oversight.
• Are you a user or a cultivator? Users abuse subordinates by not investing in their potential. They squeeze every last ounce out of the worker/follower, until they’ve hit the ceiling of their skill set and are replaced with someone else. They’re throwaways. Cultivators, however, value and inspire people’s potential by investing time and money to equip them to develop their latent talents and increase their skills. Though the process is longer, the longevity goes further and results in having a skillful, efficient team, loyal to you and your mission.