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I ramble from time to time. Today’s ramblings are about leadership. How a leader is made is one of life’s famous $64,000.00 questions. Before answering what makes a leader, it’s essential first to know what a leader is. Before a leader is made, they have to be identified. Importantly, a leader is made through influence and guidance, impacting those around them.

A leader is a person of influence, and you will influence many people in your lifetime. So, everyone is a leader in one sense or another. I’ve read many statistics on the subject, but here’s a good one:

Understanding how a leader is made is crucial because this knowledge can help us all develop our leadership skills.

The average person influences 80,000 people in their lifetime and the average life expectancy is 78 years. You have the chance to impact 2.8 people every day of your life. What if, at the end of your life, you get to meet all 80,000 people you influenced? Would you serve them differently?

Tommy Spaulding

To truly grasp how a leader is made, one must appreciate the role of mentorship and support in the development process.

It is debatable how accurate this number is, but the truth behind the figures is this: you will influence (or lead) many people during your lifetime. The question that begs to be answered is this: What kind of influence do you want to be known for?

Every person has the potential to lead, and through the right experiences, a leader is made.

Working for the joy of those we lead.

My husband and I are missionaries in Africa. And as such, much of what we have been called to do involves leadership development. I’ve learned that leaders aren’t born; leaders are formed. Everyone can and will lead at some level (as noted above), but most don’t. Leadership is misconstrued and misinterpreted.

Our mantra for leadership is: a leader knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way. This means that the higher you go in leading others, the lower you must stoop. A leader works for the joy of those he/she leads.

So, how is a leader made? What marks a leader? I’ve developed a short “101 list of Leadership” to get you started. This list is meant to get you thinking, and it’s by no means exhaustive.

Remember, a great leader is made not just through success but also through failures, learning from each experience.

A leader in the making, the”101 List of Leadership.”

• Leadership isn’t about being exclusive.
  • I’m currently reading a devotional by Chris Tiegreen called The One Year Salt and Light Devotional: 365 Inspirations to Equip and Encourage You to Live Out Your Calling in the World. In today’s reading (May 1), he discusses the danger of Christians becoming exclusive (my takeaway) and says: “….our attempts to apply Christian values to non-Christian lives are often misguided. The result, as many have noted, is that we’re known more for what we’re against than what we’re for. Unfortunately, that attitude is often applied even within our own circles. Self-appointed watchdogs and discernment ministries blast anything that doesn’t look and smell like their narrowly defined gospel.”
  • Christianity is not an exclusive club for a select few “holy” individuals. When we become exclusive, we do not promote Jesus; instead, we elevate our ideologies that cater to our sense of holiness, a form of pride. Why is this prideful? We are trying to adhere to a self-imposed set of rules that resemble godliness (see 2 Timothy 3:5), and this approach will drive people away rather than draw them to Jesus.
  • What is the opposite of exclusivity in terms of Christian leadership? We can find the best illustration of this in Paul’s life. Paul’s leadership style is clearly described in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. In these verses, Paul explains how he views his work as a leader.
    • Vs. 19 NASB “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.” Paul wasn’t interested in being exclusive or unreachable. He was prepared to serve anyone so he could “win more.”
    • Vs. 20 NASB “To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;” Here, Paul explains he is secure enough in his faith to accommodate the customs of others for him to “win those who are under the Law.” Paul, being a Jew (a Pharisee in fact), was well-versed in this culture and was comfortable moving around in Judaism. His goal? To make an impact via culture and custom, so that doors would open for him to win souls.
    • Vs. 21 NASB “to those who are without law, as without law, thought not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.” This verse describes Paul, a Pharisee, learning to live outside of Jewish customs to “win those who are without the law.” This must have been a significant challenge for him as he had to unlearn beliefs ingrained in him throughout his life. However, Paul’s perspective changed dramatically after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus and being called to reach out to the Gentiles (see Acts 19:1-15). Imagine his emotional struggle as he set aside his Pharisaical training to reach out to the Gentiles. Yet, it seems that he was ready to take on this challenge!
    • Vs. 22 NASB “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” Paul’s commitment to becoming “all things to all” far surpasses what many in the Christian world today are committed to doing to “save some.” Being all things means all things. As a missionary in Africa, I have come to understand the meaning of this principle of becoming “all things” to those I serve. No one cares about your customs, language, or dress in a foreign country. They care about whether you care enough about them to learn their ways. As a consequence, the first three to five years (not weeks or months) a missionary spends on the field are spent learning the language and culture. When I greet someone in their language and give them the Gospel in a language they understand, the sky is the limit! However, in our home cultures, we are often confined to our churches and systems, and find it difficult to speak the language of those around us who are lost. They seem too hard, too dirty, and don’t share the same moral code as we do. We find it difficult to do “all things” for them. We would do well to take Paul’s lesson to heart. As a Jew and Pharisee, he must have had to unlearn his prejudices against the Gentiles. But he did, and so can we.
    • Vs. 23 NASB “I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.” Paul understood the secret of sharing in the blessings of the Gospel was doing “all things.” When we reach out to what God loves – people – without prejudice, we share in the blessings of the Gospel. This speaks to me on so many levels. The Gospel has the power to save, and its blessings are endless. When I reach out and do “all things,” in return, God makes sure my needs are taken care of. There’s no need to agonize – just be busy finding someone, anyone, to give the Gospel to. It takes the pressure off. God loves us and will take care of us—no hype needed.
• Leadership isn’t about being honored.
  • I’m fully aware that the Scripture is clear about honoring those who are over us in the Lord (see 1 Timothy 5:17). However, we are not only called to honor our spiritual leaders, we are also called to honor one another: Romans 12:10 NASB “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.” Additionally, we are called to honor those who don’t believe, even government leaders. You can read this in Romans 13:1-8. I want to note verse 8 NASB, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”
  • Our neighbors are not just our fellow believers; they include everyone we share our society with. We have an impact on those around us, whether positive or negative. Therefore, we can conclude that authentic leadership is not about seeking or receiving honor, but rather about giving honor to others.
  • Our ultimate example of honoring others who don’t even deserve our honor is in Philippians 2:5-8, where Paul describes Jesus’ humility. He didn’t have to humble Himself, but He chose to humble Himself to win more.
    • Vs. 5-8 NASB “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus, fully God, became fully man. Jesus didn’t have to humble Himself but He did so to make the way for more. More what? More sons and daughters to fill the Kingdom. How many of us have had “this attitude” of humbling ourselves? Far too many leaders today are looking for honor when God is looking for humility.
• Leadership isn’t about appearing to be successful or making money.
  • Today, there is a false assumption that a successful leader is wealthy. Business savvy or financial savvy is often marked by wealth. But it’s highly misleading to say that the mark of a successful leader is wealth. Jesus was not materially wealthy, nor was Paul. Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13 NASB, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Paul did not say that wealth is evil (loving money is what is evil, see 1 Timothy 6:10). He did say, from what I can see in the above verses, that true wealth comes from learning to be content, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
  • If we frame our understanding of leadership in the context of wealth, we will ultimately be the poorest leaders of all. True wealth cannot be measured in dollars, euros, rands, or other earthly currency. I believe that if you haven’t received an answer to your prayer yet, it means that what you’re seeking is not yet needed. While we might prefer God to respond early, He is never late. Leadership should not be based on material resources. Jesus achieved so much without cars, chariots, horses, or homes that we still discuss His impact today.
• And leadership isn’t about fame.
  • Fame is like an addictive drug. You can never have enough once you have a taste of fame and succumb to it. Many Christian leaders today are entangled in a web of their own making as they seek fame for their ministries. When something we do becomes known and sought out, we must go to pains to give God the credit. Our call is to make Jesus famous. In so doing, there should be less of us and all of Him reflected in our leadership.
    • John 3:30 NASB “He must increase, but I must decrease.” How many leaders become the centerpiece of their ministries? In this verse, John 3:30, Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, understood that he was meant to fade into the background while Jesus was meant to be in the foreground. This is why John’s ministry was “crazy famous.” He understood everything had to do with Jesus and His message. How many today put the face of Jesus on their ministry and use His name as a door to publicise their agenda?

How a leader is made, less is more.

This understanding of how a leader is made is foundational for anyone aspiring to lead.

In essence, how a leader is made involves not only personal dedication but also the support of a community.

The theme rising to the top in this list can be summed up as thinking of ourselves less and more about others—notice I didn’t say to think less of ourselves. I said we need to think of ourselves less. This means our thoughts shouldn’t be focused only on our wants and needs. Our focus should change to fulfilling God’s wants and needs. As we do so, God faithfully takes care of what we need (see Matthew 26:29-31).

Over the years we have worked in Africa, we have participated in and led numerous leadership seminars and meetings. We have incorporated many of these principles into our teachings. By the end of our lessons, we consolidate all the teachings into one phrase we heard quoted in a church meeting years ago, which we now emphasize to the attendees. This phrase embodies how we should feel towards every person we lead and interact with. It is what I hope will be your takeaway from my ramblings today:

To sum it up

Leadership isn’t about being exclusive.

Leadership isn’t about being honored.

Leadership isn’t about appearing to be successful or making money.

Leadership isn’t about fame.

Remember, less is more.