Leaders

I wanted to talk about leadership from the angle of what a great leader IS, and what a great leader DOES.
I will be using the acrostic, L.E.A.D.E.R.

L ooks out for the interests of others.

A great leader is not first and foremost interested in himself and his own interests, he cares about others --especially those on his team or staff.

Ephesians 5:1-2a says, "Follow God's example in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins."

Martin Luther King Jr. gave himself for the sake of others. He set aside his personal comforts for the equality of the oppressed.

Great military leaders lay their lives down for the sake of freedom of the masses.

Jesus willingly laid down His life for us-- so that we might have life.

It would be hard to argue, that Jesus was not the most successful leader that ever walked the earth. In 3 short years, He led a movement that is still flourishing today. And when you study Jesus leadership style, it is not the type A leadership that you would expect from someone tackling such a big endeavor.

Yes, Jesus was driven. Yes, Jesus never backed down from a fight. Yes, He was committed, but He was first and foremost a Servant-Leader.

In fact Jesus taught against the "push my weight around, do it because I say so" type leadership that many leaders of His day were teaching.

For clarity, this does not mean that as a leader you need to please everyone. It does not mean you don't lead with passion and conviction. It doesn't mean you have to poll everyone to make sure everyone is good with the decision before you make it. It simply means that ultimately you consider others around you.

In my next blog, we'll look at the letter E in Leader.