Part 1: Characteristics of Leadership

I recently sat in a room full of friends and asked them: what characteristics make up an effective leader? We took turns sharing traits and characteristics of good leadership, and came up with several.

In our collective experience, good, effective leaders exhibit the following characteristics: They are curious; they are courageous; they are good listeners, validating others’ concerns and perspectives without being dismissive of them. They are not paralyzed by their fear; they enter into the tough stuff, rather than running away from it; and they aren’t afraid to admit when they get something wrong, taking personal ownership rather than blaming others. 

Good leaders show compassion; they are available and care for their people, prioritizing building others up over building themselves up. They are able to be gentle and firm at the same time; they exhibit conviction, not swayed by public or popular opinion. They also demonstrate flexibility, able to listen to differing opinions and make decisions based on the collective input of others–walking the fine line between their personal position and the positions of others who may not see situations the same way. 

And the big kicker: effective leaders know how to balance all of the above with a strong personal walk with God. They seek God’s wisdom above their own; they seek to elevate God’s name above personal glory; they seek to lead others into the presence of Jesus, comfortable in a position of guide rather than being the main attraction. 

Good leaders are “for” others. They seek what’s best for the whole, adopting a position of servanthood rather than being the star. When attention comes their way (as is often the case), they recognize in humility that all good things come from God–even our natural giftings that drew the attention in the first place. 

I often find myself telling younger people that their primary objective as an adult is to learn to develop their personal leadership style. Pay attention to others and how they lead. Take the good, discard the bad, and use it to be in constant development of your own personal style. 

My hypothesis is this: That Jesus modeled leadership better than anyone else to walk this planet, and all of the above characteristics that we appreciate in good leaders were modeled perfectly by Jesus. 

Since we are called to be imitators of Christ (see the many writings of Paul), it is our responsibility to learn to develop His characteristics, studying how He related to people, how He loved people, how He served people. In short, we work to partner with Jesus to develop His leadership characteristics within us.

Questions for reflection: 

Which of the characteristics above most naturally fits your personal leadership gifting? 

Where do you find yourself most challenged by this? 

Are there any areas where you feel God inviting you to take a step toward Him, allowing Him to help grow you? 

Are there any on this list that you disagree with? Or any characteristics that I may have missed? 

Who is currently the most impacted by your leadership? 

What might result from you growing into more of the leader God has called you to be?