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Episode Two
Definitions of Leader and Leadership
In Episode One of this series on leadership entitled LEAD the WAY, I talked about the concept of leadership, followed by addressing some of the general assumptions on the subject of leadership. In this Episode Two, I will talk about the literature relating to leadership, followed by a discussion on the Definitions of a Leader, and raising the perennial question “Are Leaders Born or Made”? Let us begin.
What is a Biblical Leader? A biblical leader is someone who is characterized by commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Sovereign, by conviction (thinking biblically), by competency (entrusted with the spiritual gifts), and by character (moving towards Christlikeness).
Church Growth: Church growth is interested in disciple-making and not merely emphasizes on numbers (evangelism is the sense of making converts; it envisions those new Christians develop into fruit-bearing disciples of Jesus Christ), and is founded on God’s Word (there is a high view of Scripture both implicitly and explicitly).
Review of Literature on Leadership
When it comes to the topic on leadership, there is a proliferation of books, journals, magazines, and written articles. A visit to the libraries and bookshops revealed the vast scope of leadership speaking into individual, familial, and organizational areas. Numerous discussions on leadership are found in business, whether for profit or non-profit, in religious organizations, in sports, and in education, attesting to its importance. A search on the Internet on the subject of leadership multiplies this number into the millions. The plethora of materials on leadership highlights the importance of taking leadership seriously in three aspects.
First, it gives credence to the adage that “everything rises and falls with leadership.” Conferences and seminars are organized on a regular basis throughout the year to help people acquire greater understanding of leadership. Many of these conferences are packed with people willing to pay expensive conference fees in their quest for knowledge on leadership. Admittedly, some of these leadership conferences are helpful while some are questionable owing to underlying presuppositions and approaches toward leadership. However, all truth is God’s truth and if an insight does not contradict Scripture, it can be used in the service of the church.
Second, without leadership, no country, organization, or institution can reach its full potential and be successful in what it envisions to do. In the May 10, 2010 issue of Time magazine, the 100 most influential people whose ideas and actions have impacted the world were listed. The list included people in various industries, including heads of states, artists, thinkers, business people, and heroes. Lee Kuan Yew, Jet Li, Elton John, and Sandra Bullock made it to the list. Interestingly, the one quality that they all have in common is leadership, though they all have different jobs.
Third, leadership is important because of its impact on the lives of people. When Tom Plate interviewed Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, he asked, “Why do you care so much about governance? I mean, you look at government as an art as well as a science, and you take it so very seriously.” Lee’s reply was, “Yes. You are dealing with people’s lives.”
Indeed, leadership matters. In any leadership book, there is a common discussion on several critical issues. While there is convergence on some leadership issues, there is also divergence and distinct demarcation between secular and Christian biblical leadership.
Definitions of a Leader
What is a leader? How is a leader defined and described? There are several common definitions in leadership literature of what it means to be a leader.
A leader is one who influences others to effectively achieve a defined mission together.
—Harry L. Reeder III
Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people.
—Brian Tracy
Effective leadership is always about influence. The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.
—Kenneth Blanchard
Leadership is the discipline of deliberately exerting special influence within a group to move it toward goals of beneficial permanence that fulfill the group’s real needs.
—John Edmund Haggai
Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration, generated by passion, motivated by vision, birthed from a conviction, produced by a purpose.
—Myles Munroe
The operative word in the above-mentioned definitions is “influence” (in contrast to manipulation). As Johnson Lim wrote,
Leadership is about influence. This is what defines a true leader—nothing more, nothing less. The greater the leadership, the greater the influence. The weaker the leadership, the weaker the influence. Successful leadership is all about leadership that is able to influence a group of people to work together towards accomplishing certain goals.
Leadership has more to do with influence rather than having a title, position, or power.
James P. Lewis contrasts the distinction between power and leadership, whereby the former can compel compliance on the part of followers, but devoid of commitment:
Many people are officially leaders by virtue of their position in the organization but are not really leaders. In terms of power, we say they have position power or legitimate power, but that is quite different from leadership. In other words, people may comply with their directives, but without wanting to do so.
A leader’s influence is helpful in motivating and mobilizing others to accomplish certain goals. The ability to mobilize is the starting point, but for the momentum to be sustainable it calls for a leader’s ability to motivate the followers to continue until the task or objective is met. A leader who does not wield considerable influence over others is not a leader. Tim Elmore came up with an acrostic that characterizes a leader’s influence:
I Investment in People
N Natural with People
F Faith in People
L Listening to People
U Understanding of People
E Encourager to People
N Navigate for People
C Concern for People
E Enthusiasm for People
On the basis of these definitions, a Christian leader is anyone who intentionally influences a person or a group of people, motivating and mobilizing them to achieve a specific and significant goal in alignment with God’s agenda, bringing glory to His name.
Are Leaders Born or Made?
There are two schools of thought. The older and traditional school posits that leaders are born and not made. Richard Arvey asserts that “genes influence leadership through other personal characteristics such as intelligence, personality and values—and interact with environmental forces in complex ways.” Holding a similar view, Lee Kuan Yew observed, “I do not know of a man who became a leader as a result of having undergone a leadership course.”
The new school of thought, however, seems to be leading the way. The new school of thought, however, seems to be leading the way suggesting leaders can be made and leadership observable in everyday life. Someone who becomes a leader can be anywhere—in schools, playgrounds, fields, volunteer work, and even supermarkets. Kouzes and Posner comment that “leadership is not the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It is a process ordinary people use when they are bringing forth the best from themselves and others. When the leader in everyone is liberated, extraordinary things happen.”
The environment is a determinant in shaping and thrusting a person into a leadership role. Bennis and Goldsmith add, “Leadership can be learned by any of us, no matter our age, circumstances, or challenges we face. . . . Leaders are made, not born, and are created as much by themselves as by the demands of their times.”
On this basis, anyone can be a leader for a number of reasons. Since leadership skills can be honed and strengthened, leadership is learnable. In other words, the potential for leadership is not confined to a select group of people by virtue of genealogy. Everyone has leadership potential. The question is whether that person intends to harness it or not. Some people may have a head start because of background and opportunities, while others are late bloomers, just like Nelson Mandela, Golda Meier, and George Bernard Shaw.
Everyone has influence in varying degrees, whether that level is high or low or whether the influence is active or passive. Therefore, all can be leaders but the degree of influence varies. It is difficult not to look at any church or organization without associating it with its leader.
In this Episode Two of a Series of Leadership entitled LEAD the WAY, I talked about the literature relating to leadership, followed by a discussion on the Definitions of a Leader, and raising the perennial question “Are Leaders Born or Made.” To help us review what we have heard from this podcast, I invite you to reflect on the following questions. Please join me for Episode Three, which we will discuss about the relationship between Character and Leadership. Good-bye, and have a great day!
Discussion Questions
1. Which of leadership definitions resonate with you?
2. What are some of the key components that are important in leadership?
3. What word or picture is best captures leadership