Leadership Qualities – Three Only
My son handed me a sheet of application form this week. He wanted to get into the leadership program at school so that he can have an opportunity to help at school and get trained in leadership at the same time. There are a few questionnaires he had to fill out in the form. Among the questions, there are three blank lines that ask the applicant to list the things a leader should have.
Most of us can list a dozen of leadership qualities and many books have talked about a lot. But there are only three blank lines here. I asked myself if there are only three things I need to do as a leader, what would that be. What are the three things that God wants from a leader?
I had a hard time filling out that three blank lines with my son but we managed to work out the three items.
1) Respect and care for others. This is the first item my son listed. To him, the most important thing is to help somebody. In Matthew 20:28, it says, “Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Isn’t it beautiful to hear my son wants to be a servant leader?
2) Committed to do our best. I wrote this one for my son. A leader should take actions. I usually don’t care what people say they will do, I’ll know when they do it and sometimes can even tell how hard they try. By the same token, others can see my actions and know if I have tried hard too. Our actions speak louder than our words. In Proverbs 10:4, it says “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
3) Be responsible to our own actions. A leader should be responsible, take ownership not only the rewards but also the not-so-good consequences. This is not easy and sometimes painful. This is also why it’s hard to confess that we are sinner. But it is what shapes a person’s character. Admit that we were wrong and we are not perfect and we need help, especially help from the Saviour.
These are three qualities that go into the three lines on my son’s application. What would you put on your three blank lines on leadership?