The high calling of leadership

It is a noble calling to be a leader. Leaders influence outcomes. In fact, that is all that leadership is: influence. It is not position, title, rank or even production. Leadership is influence. Each individual who has heard that higher calling for leadership has a unique responsibility to influence the hearts and minds of their followers in a positive way.

If the leadership isn't positive, then it isn't sound. (Hitler, Mussolini and Attila the Hun were leaders. Do we want to have leadership legacies like theirs?)

The highest calling of leadership involves influencing the hearts and minds of the followers in a positive way. The leader who masters the art of encouraging the hearts of others wins the respect and admiration of loyal followers. To encourage means to speak with the words and actions that serve to give bravery or courage to followers regardless of their situation.

A good example of this involves more than merely words, while important, actions speak louder. Think about teaching a child to ride a bike. We start by doing the action for the child, assisting him 100% by placing him on a tricycle that CAN NOT FALL. We are 100% of building his courage. Then we move to a stage of training wheels where independence is growing, but not far from our sight. Later, we run beside the bicycle with our hand behind him on the seat. Finally, we progress to letting him ride freely, outside of our cautious eye. Free to ride, the child has independence to ride with his friends. Each step is designed to create encouragement and confidence along the way. Until finally, we have duplicated the skill we learned from the bicycler who taught us!

Becoming an encourager first requires a true understanding of the true struggles and needs of the followers. A wise leader learns his own strengths first, and then learns the strengths and weaknesses of his team in order to develop those strengths. Leaders who relate well to others do so from a strong base of understanding one’s own thinking and emotions, as well as, their followers.

Remember, fear traps a follower. Lack of confidence freezes a person's actions. Doubt leaves a follower passive and apathetic. The anxiety created from fear, lack of self confidence and doubt diminishes results often leading to a dysfunctional team or worse, no team at all. It is a leader's responsibility to encourage. Encouragement is the antidote for this cancer of an organization.

Never forget, a leader's core responsibility is to encourage the hearts and minds of the followers in a positive manner.





*Acknowledgments to L. Hollis Jones and his book “The Entrusted Leader”, for material on this article.