I hope you have profited from the Concepts that great leaders obtain. Please be very aware that just possessing these concepts will not make you a great leader. Knowing how to do something is not the same thing as being able to do things. Being able to do it is not the same as actually doing it! The only way to know that these concepts work is by actually applying them and benefitting from the results.

            I watched my son develop into a great leader. He learned these concepts and over time we gave him responsibility. He prospered under the problems that he faced and is now managing a whole division in the job that he does. He is prospering.

            What we would do is give him a little liberty with supervision and let him make some decisions on his own. He mostly chose the right way. This led to us being able to trust him. It led to him being able to see the results of good decisions. We did not set him up to fail, but were there to help him do right.

            What this did was develop his character to put the leadership concepts into action. What I have found out about God is that once God reveals things to you, He expects you to choose the right way to handle things. He doesn't set you up to fail but sets you up to triumph. As He builds your character, you become the great leader He intends for you to be.

            Here are the character traits that are essential to develop to become a great servant leader:

Courage, Confidence, and Consistency.

            As you walk with God through life, learn these by using them. You will be glad that you did!

Leadership Character

 

 

          It is important as a Christian and as a Maintenance technician to develop good leadership skills. You never know when you will be put in charge. Personally, I don't like being in charge. I like fixing things. It is easier to deal with things than with people! However, to be successful, many times a Christian or maintenance man must take the lead to see that the job gets done. It is very important to train other people to do your job when you pass on, get sick, get promoted, or are unable to do your work.

          Learning the three tools of leadership is important. But this is only the first step. Head knowledge does not always lead to success. It is the process of implementing the tools that will lead to successful leadership. So besides learning the tools it is important to have the character to practice them that will cause a person to be a good leader. These three character traits are Courage, Confidence (in God), and Consistency.

Courage

          It is hard to define courage. It is doing the right thing, regardless of the cost or circumstances. It is bravery when others are afraid. It is going forward when others are running away. Courage is what allows a man to do the impossible! To some, these are just good thoughts. The man that has courage puts these thoughts into action when he is alone, outnumbered, and in the battle.

          I spent some time in the Marine Corps. As a marine, like many others, my favorite marine was Chesty Puller. His actions in the Korean Conflict are a testimony of bravery and leadership unparalleled! I am always inspired when I read how he was surrounded and fought his way out taking the wounded and dead and picking up the abandoned army vehicles on the way! When surrounded, he made these statements:

"We are surrounded. That simplifies the problem."

"They are in front of us, behind us, and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. They can't get away from us now!"

 "When the marines were cut off behind enemy lines and the Army had written the 1^st Marine Division off as being lost because they were surrounded by 22 enemy divisions. The marines made it out inflicting the highest casualty rate on an enemy in history and destroying 7 entire enemy divisions in the process. An enemy division is 16500+ men while a marine division is 12500 men."

          A good leader has courage! It was the courage of one man that inspired the others to action. It had taken years of combat experience to build this character that was so needed at the time. I recommend his biography titled "Marine-The life of Chesty Puller"!

          The Old Testament has many stories of courage. The story of David and his battle with Goliath and then his battle with king Saul are the best. My favorite one is a short one in 2 Samuel 23:20!

 "And Benaiah the son of Jehoida, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in the time of snow:"

          He didn't just slay a lion. He went down in a pit where the lion was waiting on him and where there was no way out! By the way, it was snowing!

          Moses gives good insight into courage.

Hebrews 11:24-26 "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward."

          Courage requires "refusing" and then "choosing"! Rejecting and "Esteeming"!  It looks beyond the circumstances to the results.

Confidence (in God)

          Confidence is that characteristic of leadership that is known as "It"! Some people have "It". In the sports world, it is the quarterback who is behind in the score with just a little time left and he calls the plays, executes them and gets the score and wins the game. In basketball it is the shooter with seconds left on the clock, behind by two points, and with confidence he takes the three-point shot and it goes in. This is self-confidence.

          Many times, self-confidence is deceitful. The same quarterback or three-point shooter may make horrible personal decisions that ruin his career and life! The arm of flesh will fail you. It is deceitful. Many a man fails because he has not put his confidence in God! What is needed is confidence in God! This can only be obtained by faith, by walking with God, and by God answering your prayers.

          The story of David's battle with Goliath gives great understanding in this confidence in God. David refused Saul's armor and used what he knew would work. The weapon that he had confidence in was his sling. Oh! Also, it is important to notice what he told Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45 & 46

"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

          That is confidence in God! David, like all good leaders, placed his confidence in God!

          Several years ago, I contracted a fatal fungal infection. I was dying and should have died. The disease Doctor told me that I had the worst case of it that he had ever seen. After I got better, I learned of three other people that had contracted it and all three went blind in a month and died two months later! I should have died! I was ready to die because when I was twenty years old, I had received Jesus Christ as my Savior! Many people prayed for me and God healed me. I talked to a fungus expert that had a doctor's degree in fungi! She told me that she had never met anyone that had gotten the infection and lived!

          When I was at my lowest point, on deaths door, I had an experience that gave me confidence in God that I will never get over! I had gone from 205 lbs. down to 115 lbs. My thinking was so bad that they would tell me the day's date and then ask me minutes later what the day was. My brain could not function normally.  I didn't know. I couldn't control my bowels. Talk about embarrassing! The fungus had attacked my brain. I couldn't walk and because my brain swelled and pinched my optic nerves, I was totally blind. I don't remember a lot of what happened, but I do know that at night, I would remember Bible verses I had memorized as a young man. It is amazing that I didn't know what day it was, but I knew James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."  I would quote them, get under conviction, and start confessing my sins. I had been saved for 36 years and I wasn't trying to earn heaven. I was preparing to go there! I never saw a physical vision and I never heard an audible voice, but the presence of God would show up! I know that He was there. It was like he put his arm around me and let me know that everything was going to be alright. I tell people that this was one of the best things that ever happened to me! I am still partially blind, and every day is a gift but also a challenge. Before I got sick and almost died, I loved and served God by faith. The only evidence I had of Him was what the Bible said and what my heart felt. Now I have confidence in Him, that He not only is real, but that the God that made this whole universe cares enough about me to show up when I needed Him the most! I still love Him and serve Him by faith.  

          This confidence in God is what gives the leader the courage and conviction to do the right thing. It is what allowed the martyrs to suffer and die for Him. Death is only a temporary trip into His presence!

Consistency

          Courage and confidence in God is what attracts followers to the leader, but consistency is what keeps them following. Making good decisions repeatedly develops a dependency on the leader that he knows what he is doing. Showing up every day develops consistency. Being on time develops consistency. Getting up before everyone else to pray and prepare develops consistency. It takes a lifetime of doing the right thing that causes people to expect the best from you and count on you. Answering your phone and making yourself available on a regular basis. Seeking the follower to know their welfare, questions, problems, and frustrations. These are all marks of consistency.

          The Bible word for consistency is "faithfulness". There are some great thoughts in the Bible about faithfulness that apply to leadership. The expression "faithful man" only appears 4 times in the Bible. Each time it gives great insight into leadership.

Nehemiah 7:2 "That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many." Notice how being faithful and fearing God prepares a man for leadership. Just being faithful is not enough. It should be coupled with the fear of God!

Proverbs 20:6 "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?" You can't go by what a man says about himself, you have to watch him under pressure and see how he responds. People that make excuses for their mistakes, blaming others, make horrible leaders. A leader doesn't use the expressions, "It's not my fault!" or "It's not my job!" He says things like, "How could we have avoided this?" "I should have done it this way." "Ok. We are in a mess now. How can we fix it?" Faithful men are rare. If you find one, he is worth taking the extra time with and making him a leader. They are worth seeking and preparing for God to use! One of the training tools to train children as well as good leaders is to give them some liberty and see how they handle the responsibility. Don't set them up to fail, but set them up to succeed!

Proverbs 25:19 "Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint." Although both of these ailments are not life threatening, they both are very painful and will slow you down. An unfaithful man is the same way. You must have a plan B! Or you must find some other way to get the job done. Bad help is like a neglected garden. It is sometimes better to have none! The job of a good leader is to take an unfaithful man, give him the right responsibility, tools, and encouragement and change him into a leader. Notice the followers that were attracted to King David:

1 Samuel 22:2 "And everyone that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him: and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men."

          David took those distressed, in debt, and discontented, surely unfaithful and turned them into a mighty army! You are responsible for those that God puts under your control. Take their handicaps and turn them into great leaders!

Proverbs 28:20 "A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." Notice that faithfulness produces blessings. Unfaithfulness produces guilt! The unfaithful must cut corners to get what he wants. The expression, "The hurrier up I go, the behinder I get!" applies here! A real leader is not in it for money. He knows that God will take care of him and that God has plenty of money and will provide what is needed. Patience is an essential leadership quality. Patience must be learned by going through problems.

          I have always thought of faithfulness as a character trait of a good follower. That is why good followers are trained into being good leaders.

1 Corinthians 4:1, 2 "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

          A steward is given something valuable to take care of. Here he is given the mysteries of God. These aren't secrets but are valuable teachings and revelations about God that other people miss because of their unfaithfulness. Continued reading of the Bible is a form of faithfulness. Believing what you don't fully understand is a form of faithfulness. Over time God sees your faithfulness and gives you the "goods" to take care of!

I am impressed by the life of Abraham. When Abraham went to offer his son on the altar, he took young men with him (see Genesis 22:3). They couldn't go the whole way (see Genesis 22:5), sometimes a leader has to do things that are just him and God! Moses trained Joshua. The Bible pattern is one leading another. Even Jesus took Apostles and sometimes the three with him to show them God's leading (see Matthew 26:37). A great example of following that leads to leadership is expressed in 2 Kings 3:11

"But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah."

Notice that Elisha was known as the man that took care of Elijah. He "poured water on the hands of Elijah." He was a good helper and then when Elijah passed off the scene, God put Elijah's mantle on Elisha and he did twice the miracle of Elijah!

These all show a consistency that separates the good leader from the hireling.

Job 7:2 and John 10:10-14 give some insight into this:

Job 7:2 "As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:"

John 10:10-14 "The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."

          These verses teach a great lesson in leadership and consistency. The servant is looking for the shadow. He just wants an easy place to work. "Made in the shade!" The hireling is looking for pay day, the reward of his work. He wants the job because it pays well. He doesn't love the sheep. In fact, they are just a nuisance to him. Both of these characters, the servant and the hireling, show bad leadership qualities. Notice that the third character is the thief. He is just in it for himself. He steals, kills, and destroys. When he is done there is nothing left.

Now notice the Good Shepherd. His leadership brings a more abundant life! He cares for the sheep. He opens himself up to them. They know him and he knows them. The Good Shepherd fights the wolf and protects the sheep. He does it constantly and is there for the sheep.

As a leader the important things are doing right and caring for the followers. This can only be accomplished by having courage, confidence in God, and being consistent.