Day 2 – Christian Leaders: The Best Leaders

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Philippians 2:3-4, NLT)

“Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23, NLT)

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5, NLT)

Marketplace leaders sometimes use the term unfair advantage to acknowledge a skill, attribute, or discipline a company has that others do not have. I contend that Christian leaders have the ultimate unfair advantage because we never lead alone.

Our God is wise and promises us His wisdom when we ask. He is powerful and fills us with His strength and energy when we’re weary. He is compassionate and gives us hearts that genuinely care for the people we lead. He is sovereign and works all things together for good, even our leadership mistakes and failures. We don’t rely on ourselves, and the God we rely on guides us and refreshes us. The advantage is unfair because we did not earn Him with our grit. By His grace, when we placed our faith in Christ, God graciously gave us His Spirit.

Being a follower of Jesus turns us into better leaders than we would be if we were not following Jesus. I am not suggesting that all Christians are great leaders or that all great leaders are Christians. Rather, I am declaring that a follower of Jesus becomes a better leader because Jesus continually transforms His followers.

I am also not suggesting that someone should follow Jesus so that they will be a better leader. If that is the motivation, it is not really Jesus they are following, but rather Jesus is treated as a means to some other end. Jesus is not interested in being a tool for one of our goals. He is the King over everything.

Research continually uncovers “groundbreaking and new leadership truths” that Christians have held to for centuries.

For example, in Jim Collins’s Good to Great, he says that the best leaders are filled with humility. Christians have always believed we are to be humble and honor others above ourselves.

In Emotional Intelligence and Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman wrote that the most effective leaders manage their emotions, genuinely connect with people, offer kindness and empathy, lead with joy and inspiration, and display the master skill of patience. Several of those attributes are what Christians call “the fruit of Spirit.”

In Return on Character, Fred Kiel argued that better performing companies are led by leaders who are filled with integrity, compassion, and forgiveness. These are all things Christians prize.

Marketplace leadership research keeps “discovering” what Christians have known for two thousand years, and leaders who are being transformed by Christ are growing in all these attributes.

So Christians have an unfair advantage as leaders. And the Scripture that Christians cling to offers a vision of men and women who stand strong and bear fruit, a vision for life and leadership where we don’t topple.