Developing Leaders-Character

The most important part of a leader is their character. A leader can have a clear vision and can influence others. But without a godly character, ultimately the leader will leader their followers down the wrong road and away from God. The quality of a leader shows up in their character. This means the very first part and area that a leader must develop is their character. Joseph had character in the face of opposition. Daniel had character in the face of the ungodly. Paul had character in the face of persecution. The character of a leader makes or breaks the leader, so it must be developed and continue to grow the rest of the life of a leader.

The first way to develop the character of the leader is in a discipline to godliness. Paul tells Timothy, “train yourself for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). Disciplining in godliness is a set of intentional activities that are done to bring growth and character development. So, in my life as a leader, I must spend a significant time in prayer. I must spend a portion of my time learning and growing in my knowledge of God and His Word, through study. An important action in training for godliness is having accountability to others, who can speak truth into my life. And the key action in training in godliness is repetition. Reading the Word, spending time in prayer, and being transparent with others, must all be done continuously so that growth and development is a continuous process.

A second way to develop the character of leader is to realize the place of a leader. Jesus said to his disciples, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). A true leader is also a follower. A true leader understands that they exist to leader others, which means they exist for the well being of those who follow them. A true leader must also be a servant, with the heart of a servant. So, developing the c character of a servant and growing in humility will lead to the growth of character. For my life as a leader, I must mortify the sin of pride in my life, humbly follow the example of the greatest servant, and bend down in my heart to serve those following me. Developing the heart of a servant is to develop the character of a leader.

A third way to develop character in a godly leader, is to imitate the perfect leader, Jesus, and those who are also imitating Him. Paul says to the Corinthian church, “imitate me as I imitate Jesus” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The life and character of a leader, must be one of imitation. No, we can’t or will we ever be God in the flesh and perfect. But Jesus lays out His character, his humility, his fruit, and his actions for us to see and follow. AS a leader, I must then grow in imitating my Savior and as I imitation my Savior, my character will develop and grow. I can also watch and follow other godly leader who are imitating Jesus, and see how they deal with the brokenness of this world. I can imitate and follow other godly leader, which will also develop and form my character as aa leader, as I follow a leader who is following the perfect leader. This development looks like a mirror reflecting light around a corner. As a leader of character and imitation of Jesus, I will form my followers into also be imitators of Jesus and followers of Him.