Strong and healthy leaders are needed within any organization. What exactly creates strong leadership?
The definition of leadership will depend upon who answers the question. Some people approach leadership with a very authoritarian character. Others approach leadership with the attitude of a “boss.”
A true leader has nothing to do with position or authority. True leadership is not found by simply giving someone instructions. A strong leader is not someone who has been given a position of power to lead others.
According to Peter Drucker, “The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers!”
One of the greatest examples of a true leader is Jesus Christ. When Jesus began his ministry in the first century, he began by recruiting followers. These followers were referred to as his disciples.
The recruitment of his disciples showed an interesting strategy. First, Jesus did not begin recruiting his disciples in the religious circles of his day. The overall goal and purpose of Christ was to introduce the kingdom of God to the world. As he began this process he first introduced himself to some men who were brothers. These two brothers were Simon Peter and Andrew. The next two men he introduced himself to were James and John who were also brothers. All four of these men were fishermen.
As Jesus introduced himself to these men he made a very simple statement to them, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!” (Matthew 4:19) These brothers and friends became four of the strongest disciples that Jesus had. Why is that? It is because that Jesus took the skills and talents that these men had and assured them that they could use their God-given skills for great things. This is a foundational principle for the creation of strong leadership.
Warren Bennis once said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” This is exactly what Jesus was all about. His goal was to take men who knew how to fish for a living and help them to use their “fishing” skills to introduce people to the Kingdom of God. The creation of leadership was the strategy of Christ.
Jesus used his social influence to maximize the skills of Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, toward the achievement of a unified goal – The Kingdom of God. Bill Gates once said, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” Here is some news for Bill Gates—–This was taking place in the first century when Jesus walked the earth. The creation of strong leaders was the foundation of his three-year ministry.
Are you investing in the creation of strong leaders?
Does your strategy encourage the “calling out” of healthy leaders the way Jesus did?
Are you standing in the way of future leaders or are you coaching and training them to use their “God-given talents.”