Lesson 1: Defining Leadership

A group of boys are playing together. John says, “Hey, let’s play football.” Nobody seems to notice that he spoke. Then Timothy says, “David, go get those sticks, and we will play that we are soldiers.” David gets the sticks, and the boys are soon organized to play that they are an army.

► Who is the leader of this group, John or Timothy? What is a leader? Why can we say that leadership does not necessarily mean a position of authority?

Sometimes a person in a position of authority is not really the person in control. Sometimes a person who is not in an official position is the one that people follow. This means that leadership is more than a position.

A leader is a person that people follow.

Leadership is influence.

Any time you are trying to influence the thoughts and actions of others toward goal accomplishment in either their personal or professional life you are engaging in leadership.[1]

Some common scenarios:

A factory manager announces new policies. When he leaves, one of the workers tells the others what they will actually do.

A group of people are traveling together on a bus. The bus breaks down. One person gets out to arrange another transportation option.

A pastor is explaining to a group of his church members what he thinks the church should do. The members listen but do not give a definite response. They are waiting for a certain person who is not there yet to arrive and tell them what they will do.

In each of these cases, who is the leader? The person whom other people choose to follow.

We are defining leadership. We are not yet describing good leadership or leadership that is effective long-term.

A leader’s action may be right or wrong and may have good results or bad results.

A person may be a leader that people quickly follow, but not be a person that fulfills their expectations. He may have a pattern of often attracting new followers but soon losing them.

If a person takes decisive action and people follow, he is a leader at that time. A person may be a leader at one time and not at others. He may lead in certain situations and not others because of special abilities.

If we define leadership as influence, Jesus was the greatest leader of all time. Millions of people follow his teachings. Institutions all over the world exist for the purpose of obeying his commands.

Don’t assume that you are leading because you hold a position, especially if you were not placed in the position by the people you are trying to lead. Position is only a door to leadership. A position gives you the opportunity to become a leader. A position, in itself, does not make you a leader.

► Explain this statement: “Position is only a door to leadership.”

When a person says to the people he leads, “I am the boss” or “I am the pastor,” he often makes this statement because people do not accept his authority. He has a position, but people are not following. He is trying to exert the authority of his position because his influence is not strong enough.

► What does this statement mean: “You should never need to remind people that you are their leader”?

Samuel was the leading prophet and priest before there was a king in Israel. He served as a judge for the people. His children did not follow his righteous example, so when Samuel was old, the people came to him to ask him to give them a king (1 Samuel 8:5).

We see the influence of Samuel in the fact that the people knew that only he could appoint a king. They did not try to appoint a king by any other means. When he told them that Saul was the one, not everyone accepted Saul. However, no one else had enough influence to make someone else king.

Samuel’s influence was based on a lifetime of demonstrating wisdom and character. The people rejected Samuel’s sons because the sons did not have Samuel’s character. No amount of ability can replace good character.

[1]A producer is a person who works well and accomplishes goals with his efforts. A producer is valuable. Every organization depends on its producers.

A leader is a person who considers what can be done by influencing others to work together. If a leader focuses mostly on being a producer, he is not fulfilling his responsibility to lead. His job is not only to do good work, but to lead others to do good work together.

If you are doing most of the work that is accomplished by your organization, you are failing to lead as you should. If you are always busy with the tasks of the organization, you may be failing to lead.

► Examine your work activities and goals. What characteristics do you have of a producer? What characteristics do you have of a leader?

Many people do not understand how a leader spends his time. If he leads a large organization, he may have few specific tasks.

For example, think of the general manager of a large business. He does not hire most of the workers, because he has given that responsibility to someone. He does not operate machinery. He does not buy the materials. He does not repair the building. He does not sell the products. To most people, it may seem that he only walks around and makes phone calls and has meetings. If he were to leave the business for a few days, it would continue without him.

But the general manager is the one who sees how all of the operations relate. He puts department managers in their positions and makes sure they are able to do their jobs. He maintains the overall quality of the business and helps everyone understand what is most important. He develops systems that produce consistent results. He shapes the culture of the business. Without him, the business would eventually fail. In a small organization, the leader must be willing to do whatever needs to be done. However, he should always be looking for people who are trainable, responsible, and willing.

In an organization that is changing, the leader may need to be involved in the work of every department to make sure that people understand the changes. However, he should be developing people to lead the departments without his constant involvement.

Sometimes a leader becomes involved with a certain part of the organization’s work that he enjoys. A factory manager may enjoy operating one of the machines. A pastor may enjoy events with the youth group. The manager of a construction crew may enjoy painting rooms. However, the leader must make sure that he is giving adequate attention to leading the whole organization.

A pastor should be willing to serve the needs of his people and should not consider any task too low for his status. However, he must lead others to accept responsibilities and take the leadership of church programs. If the pastor does not do this, the ministry will not grow beyond the work that he can do personally.

► What would it mean for a leader to be “too busy to lead”?

We have described leadership (in its most basic form) as influence. A leader is a person whom people follow. However, if a person continues as the leader of a group or institution, at least four other characteristics also exist.

(1) A leader has authority.

Authority means that other people submit to his will, either voluntarily or involuntarily. A person whom people follow voluntarily has more power, because people who are forced to submit will do as little as they can. They will not use their abilities and imaginations to accomplish a goal.

(2) A leader has responsibility.

A leader is expected to have the knowledge, abilities, and methods necessary for the group to succeed. If the group does not succeed, the leader is blamed. The leader cannot be a person who makes excuses for failure and blames others. He cannot be a person who wants others to make decisions so that he is not blamed for results.

Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor over Judea. He had been appointed to rule and to suppress revolutions. During his rule, Pilate made mistakes. He was worried that Rome would not approve of his administration.

When Jesus was accused of being a rebel, Pilate did not believe that Jesus was guilty. However, the Jewish leaders implied that they would report Pilate for failing to execute a revolutionary (John 19:12).

Pilate knew that he would be in serious trouble if he were reported to Rome. So, he decided to let an innocent man be executed.

Pilate tried to deny that it was his decision. He washed his hands in the presence of the Jewish leaders to symbolize that he was not to blame.

A leader cannot blame others for the decisions he must make. Even if he allows others to make his decision for him, he is still to blame.

A leader can delegate almost every specific responsibility to others, but he cannot delegate the ultimate responsibility for the success of the organization. He cannot blame others if the organization is failing. The leader has ultimate responsibility for every department in the organization.

A pastor received many complaints about the style of music in his church. He said it was not his fault because selection of music was the responsibility of the person who led worship. He was wrong to deny responsibility for the problem because it was his responsibility to lead the person who led worship.

► What happens if a leader uses authority but does not fulfill responsibilities?

(3) A leader has accountability to the people he leads.

Leadership depends on the support of many other people. An accountable leader fulfills his responsibility in a way that people can see. People do not want to follow someone who they do not trust to take responsibility for their benefit. If someone’s leadership does not have good results, he loses influence. Even if he keeps his position, the people may be following someone else.

► What happens if a leader uses authority but does not try to be accountable?

(4) A leader has broad perspective.

A leader does not let small victories or defeats distract him from the primary goal. He does not allow frustration to discourage him. He is able to sacrifice his personal benefit. If he becomes too proud or insecure to make sacrifices, he will not continue to have greater accomplishments.

A nation was defending itself against an invading army. The king had ruled for many years and was loved and trusted by his people. He received a message from the general of the invading army. The general challenged the king to come with his three sons to fight the general and three of his men personally. The general said that the king was a coward if he did not accept the challenge.

The king felt that he would be humiliated if he did not accept the challenge. He thought he had to prove his courage. He and his sons met the enemies to fight on a bridge. In the fight, the king and his sons were killed. The nation was left without leadership and was conquered by the invaders.

A poet from the conquered nation grieved at the loss of the king and the loss of their freedom. He said the king was wrong to be guided by pride. The king did not have the right to risk the entire nation for his own pride. The king’s job was to lead the nation. When he went to fight personally, he left the responsibility of leading.

► Was the poet correct? Was the king wrong?

Sometimes a leader is distracted by personal conflicts. Because he is offended or angered by someone, he focuses on that conflict rather than the benefit of the organization. A leader should not allow personal conflicts to prevent him from leading the organization well.

► How do you expect to change your goals or actions because of this lesson?

1. A leader is a person whom others follow.

2. Leadership is influence.

3. Position is a door to leadership.

4. A leader cannot be merely a producer.

5. Leaders need to have authority, be responsible, be accountable, and have broad perspective.

1. Write a paragraph summarizing a life-changing concept from this lesson. Explain why it is important. What good can it do? What harm could result from not knowing it?

2. Explain how you will apply the principles of this lesson to your own life. How does this lesson change your goals? How do you plan to change your actions?

3. Memorize the Five Summary Statements for Lesson 1. Be prepared to write them from memory at the beginning of the next class session.

4. Before the next session read 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-11, and Acts 6:1-6. Write some observations about the qualifications for ministry leadership.