I'm one month away from the end of my last spring semester of school ever! I have a job lined up for the summer (and possibly beyond) and I am fighting hard against senioritis. One thing that has helped me through the monotony of my life at this point is the fact that two of my roommates (Kyle and Justin) are applying for Salt Company Leadership next year! I have been hoping that they would for some time now, and have been actively encouraging it, which is why I am so pumped that they actually have gone through with it and taken that next step in their growth.
Thinking so much about having other people step up to the plate and take on the mantle of leadership has made me pause a little bit and give thought to why I am in leadership myself. I love being a Salt leader- it's been one of the best experiences of my life to be responsible for the spiritual well being of a group of like-minded men who desire to seek God together. It isn't just leadership in the spiritual realm- I've been training to be an Army officer for the past four years as well. It is lucky for me that the two tend to overlap in their principals of leadership (they just take on different external forms).
So why leadership at all? Why not be content to just stay a follower? And what constitutes a good leader anyway? Well, I don't know that I exactly qualify as a "good leader" so I'm not sure that I'm fully qualified to answer these questions, but I will simply try and speak from my own experience (because, hey- aren't leaders supposed to take the initiative in uncertain situations?).
* A quick note: I am going to speak mainly to my leadership experience in the Salt Company, but I think that you can take what I am saying and apply it broadly to any situation where leadership is required.....so pretty much anywhere.
So why be a leader? There are over 850 regular attendees at the Salt Company every week and somewhere around 200 of them are student leaders. Why take the step forward to be a leader among your peers when there are clearly plenty of others who are willing to do it. So many aspiring leaders are held back by a voice that says something along the lines of "you aren't good enough." In Salt, a common excuse is "I don't have a lot of Bible knowledge." I would submit to you that stepping into that leadership role will confer upon you that which you seek. This isn't to say that you magically know the bible better when you become a leader, but rather to say that when you are a leader you will be put into situations that require you to study your bible more- thereby gaining the knowledge you once lacked. If you're not good at relating to people, putting yourself into a situation where you HAVE to relate to people will quickly teach you those skills.
Leadership is as much about your growth as it is the growth of the people under your charge. The difference is that you are growing so that you can help others grow more, not so that you can become a super stud that everyone admires. That, I think, is critical to understanding good leadership. Good leaders are in charge, BUT they serve those they lead. If you are a good leader, you should never be considering your own growth, well-being, or comfort, but rather the growth, well-being, and comfort of those you lead. When you do that, you will find that you grow yourself as a result.
Ultimately, the truth is that everyone engages in leadership on some level. At home, in class, at work, in church, etc. Someone is always watching and learning from your actions and that makes you a leader. The question is: will you, knowing that people are watching, step into the role and be a leader that others watch and learn to be more like, or will you be a negative example for what you stand for?
I will readily admit this: I am a much better leader in Salt and personal areas of my life than I am in ROTC. The reason is this: for so long, I compartmentalized my life and said: "here's something I enjoy (salt) and here's something I generally dislike (ROTC) so I will put all my effort into that which gives me the most enjoyment." This makes me a bad leader. Let me explain. Leadership is NOT about a title. It is molding yourself to a certain set of standards and ideals and then taking others along with you. This means that leadership should permeate EVERY aspect of your life- not just the ones that give you the most enjoyment.
This is particularly true for Christians. As I have said in earlier posts, all of life is spiritual. The way we work at any given task reflects on the character of Jesus. Therefore, when we fail to give our all at something (even if it seems to us at the time menial and un-enjoyable) we reflect a poor image of Christ. That is what I do many times in ROTC unfortunately.
Another trait of a leader is that they are the first to recognize and admit their flaws. For me, this post is an effort to take my own advice. All leaders have areas that they struggle in and some that they excel in. The trick is to turn the weaknesses into strengths and to allow what is already strong to be multiplied.
While there are literally hundreds of things that could be talked about with regards to leadership, there is one that is the most important that I still have not touched on. For Christians to be good leaders in anything, they must first learn to submit themselves to Jesus. You cannot be a leader if you are not also a follower. This means that leaders should constantly strive to seek advice from those who have been there and done that- who have a real heart for Jesus and who are in tune with his will. If we do not submit to Jesus (and, by extension, the godly leadership that he has placed in our lives) we will find ourselves leading others down a path that ultimately leads to destruction- for both you and your followers. That would undoubtedly make you a bad leader...
So, in summary: Leaders should be the first to admit where they are and the first to do something about it, be constantly seeking wisdom and council from other leaders, and place the interests of others over their own interests. These three things, while by no means all-inclusive, are a great starting point for leaders. I hope by God's grace to continue to grow myself (I know I certainly have a long....LONG way to go). I hope that you may have found this useful for your own life. If you didn't............sorry; maybe you'll like some of my other posts more?
Oh, and Happy Easter!!
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