But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king 's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. … And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore, they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.
As a very young man (perhaps a teenager) in the court of Babylon’s Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel and his three friends were set apart to serve the King. While naturally gifted with good looks, wisdom and knowledge, what distinguished them was their resolve, first and foremost, was to be faithful to God, the keeper of the covenant of love. Simply put, it was Daniel’s character that ultimately defined his leadership role. In Galatians 5.6b it says: the only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love (NIV). That is, what we know to be true about God and his eternal absolutes expresses itself in love by reaching out to others, building them up and equipping them for service. In seeking to apply this principle in the context of leadership an exceptional leader will seek to actualize the full potential abilities of those around him. Good leaders inspire and lead others but great leaders train other leaders in the process of leading.
“Leadership is an art, something to be learned over time … Leadership is more tribal than scientific, more a weaving of relationships than an amassing of information... The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In-between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. That sums up the progress of an artful leader” (DePree, Leadership is an Art). Leadership is always forward looking. To lead, by definition, means you are moving toward a goal you have not yet reached; therefore it is an unrealized objective and thus future.
Quality leadership is less what you do and more what you are, and a great many books and courses on leadership fail to define this distinction. Great leaders are servant leaders who are concerned to develop their own character as well as to cultivate godly character in others. W. Somerset Maughm said Only a mediocre person is always at his best so do not become discouraged in your pursuit of the venerable character of a servant leader.
Common Natural Traits found in Leaders
A. They have a record of attainment.
B. They feel competent, and have an accurate personal self-assessment.
C. They identify personal strengths and major on their strengths, not their weaknesses.
D. They have the confidence that they can make things happen.
E. They know the mission.
F. They are a driving force.
G. They possess intellectual maturity; that is, they have decision-making ability.
Christian Leadership Traits
While these traits are much to be coveted, they are not in themselves sufficient for the servant leader. There are in addition to these traits, the necessary traits which exemplify the character of the virtuous leader; they are in part as follows:
A. Fear of God - The contemplative man - develops in quiet reflection and prayer a philosophy for leadership in crisis because leadership is not forged in crisis; it is revealed in crisis. Leadership is forged in the discipline of faithful living day by day and in the contemplative outworking of your understanding of spiritual and moral absolutes (cf. Naval Academy’s textbook Naval Leadership p. 455).
B. Truthful - Personal ownership of faults. They praise those who actually do the work. They do not seek to present events to their own advantage. They have sufficient courage to do an honest self-evaluation and are teachable, thus shoring up areas of weakness. Some leaders are only able to be truthful about others as long as it does not impinge upon themselves. A great leader is a person of integrity - having an undivided heart they seek to do only what is right.
C. Freedom from covetousness (my job, my people, my area of responsibility) – The mission fails where leaders need to control, or need credit and praise for the job well done. A common rule of thumb for military leaders is that “they endure pain they do not inflict pain.” They are pleased to see themselves as servants of those they lead and the mission they are tasked to accomplish. They encourage everyone to take ownership of the mission.
These are but a few of the character traits of the virtuous leader. I pray you will labor at the noble task of becoming a great leader. We are together privileged to help those about us to realize their full potential as we serve them as leaders. Grace and peace be with you in your ministry as a servant leader.
Some General Thoughts on Character Formation
Making life’s resolutions. Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank (Daniel 1.8). Jonathan Edwards made a list of 70 resolutions when he was 21. Read over his list and make your own.
Marks of leadership – leaders are made not born. Moses became a leader because he met with the Lord on holy ground and yielded his life to the mission set before him by God. Joshua became a leader because he spent time with the Lord in the tent of meeting: When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent (Exodus 33.11b).
Read the Word of God – meditate on it – memorize it.
Read widely – read what you like, read what you don't like and read what you ought to like. Read critically; reflect carefully.
Know what you believe and why you believe it.
Live a balanced life: do not be afraid of very hard work. Discipline your mind, your body and above all guard your heart: Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Timothy 1.7b-8). Make early investments in your mind and heart and from those investments you will harvest fruit for a lifetime: Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4.23).
Learn to delight in the LORD: Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday (Psalm 37.4-6).
Plan your work and work your plan is a common aphorism but you also need to regularly reflect on the results of your work and make appropriate changes as needed. Seek wise and godly counselors to speak into your life; but the final prayerful choices you make are yours alone.
Recognize there are seasons in your life and live accordingly; you may be led down a path (a good one, albeit hard) that you did not foresee. Do not be afraid; He who is with you is greater than the one who is in the world: It is hard for you to kick against the goads (Acts 26.14b; cp. Ecclesiastes 11.9-12.8).
Be generous in everything: you have very little time in this life to invest in what endures beyond the grave; that is, invest in the lives of others: ‘Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me (Matthew 25.45).
Never listen to the voice of faithless men. Keep company with men and women who live lives of faith, courage and honor. If for some reason you cannot find such company keep company with yourself in the Lord until such time as the Lord leads you to a Timothy. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2 Timothy 2.22; cp. Daniel 3.16-18; 1 Corinthians 15.33; 2 Corinthians 6.17-18).
Do not be seduced by inconsequential things. We live in a world of self-indulgence and superficiality; so, seek to live above the rate of the “common” Christian.
Remember you have just enough time in life to do everything that God wants you to do. God only holds you accountable for what he gives you–nothing more and nothing less.
Have respect for all – kindness, courtesy and graciousness toward those of a mean estate is a reflection more of who you are, than who they are.
Pay attention to details. Details matter! In the parable of the talents Jesus commends the faithful servant: “You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much” (Matthew 25.23).
Be a faithful friend. In the upper room during his farewell address to his disciples Jesus declares his love for them and calls them friends (John 15.15) and commands them to love one another–this command lies at the heart of friendship. Friendship, at its heart, is sacrificial. Indeed, John describes Jesus’ this way, “he loved them to the end” (John 13.1; 15.12).
“Leadership is an art, something to be learned over time … Leadership is more tribal than scientific, more a weaving of relationships than an amassing of information... The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In-between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. That sums up the progress of an artful leader” (DePree, Leadership is an Art). Leadership is always forward looking. To lead, by definition, means you are moving toward a goal you have not yet reached; therefore it is an unrealized objective and thus future.
Quality leadership is less what you do and more what you are, and a great many books and courses on leadership fail to define this distinction. Great leaders are servant leaders who are concerned to develop their own character as well as to cultivate godly character in others. W. Somerset Maughm said Only a mediocre person is always at his best so do not become discouraged in your pursuit of the venerable character of a servant leader.
Common Natural Traits found in Leaders
A. They have a record of attainment.
B. They feel competent, and have an accurate personal self-assessment.
C. They identify personal strengths and major on their strengths, not their weaknesses.
D. They have the confidence that they can make things happen.
E. They know the mission.
F. They are a driving force.
G. They possess intellectual maturity; that is, they have decision-making ability.
Christian Leadership Traits
While these traits are much to be coveted, they are not in themselves sufficient for the servant leader. There are in addition to these traits, the necessary traits which exemplify the character of the virtuous leader; they are in part as follows:
A. Fear of God - The contemplative man - develops in quiet reflection and prayer a philosophy for leadership in crisis because leadership is not forged in crisis; it is revealed in crisis. Leadership is forged in the discipline of faithful living day by day and in the contemplative outworking of your understanding of spiritual and moral absolutes (cf. Naval Academy’s textbook Naval Leadership p. 455).
B. Truthful - Personal ownership of faults. They praise those who actually do the work. They do not seek to present events to their own advantage. They have sufficient courage to do an honest self-evaluation and are teachable, thus shoring up areas of weakness. Some leaders are only able to be truthful about others as long as it does not impinge upon themselves. A great leader is a person of integrity - having an undivided heart they seek to do only what is right.
C. Freedom from covetousness (my job, my people, my area of responsibility) – The mission fails where leaders need to control, or need credit and praise for the job well done. A common rule of thumb for military leaders is that “they endure pain they do not inflict pain.” They are pleased to see themselves as servants of those they lead and the mission they are tasked to accomplish. They encourage everyone to take ownership of the mission.
These are but a few of the character traits of the virtuous leader. I pray you will labor at the noble task of becoming a great leader. We are together privileged to help those about us to realize their full potential as we serve them as leaders. Grace and peace be with you in your ministry as a servant leader.
Some General Thoughts on Character Formation
Making life’s resolutions. Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank (Daniel 1.8). Jonathan Edwards made a list of 70 resolutions when he was 21. Read over his list and make your own.
Marks of leadership – leaders are made not born. Moses became a leader because he met with the Lord on holy ground and yielded his life to the mission set before him by God. Joshua became a leader because he spent time with the Lord in the tent of meeting: When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent (Exodus 33.11b).
Read the Word of God – meditate on it – memorize it.
Read widely – read what you like, read what you don't like and read what you ought to like. Read critically; reflect carefully.
Know what you believe and why you believe it.
Live a balanced life: do not be afraid of very hard work. Discipline your mind, your body and above all guard your heart: Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Timothy 1.7b-8). Make early investments in your mind and heart and from those investments you will harvest fruit for a lifetime: Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4.23).
Learn to delight in the LORD: Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday (Psalm 37.4-6).
Plan your work and work your plan is a common aphorism but you also need to regularly reflect on the results of your work and make appropriate changes as needed. Seek wise and godly counselors to speak into your life; but the final prayerful choices you make are yours alone.
Recognize there are seasons in your life and live accordingly; you may be led down a path (a good one, albeit hard) that you did not foresee. Do not be afraid; He who is with you is greater than the one who is in the world: It is hard for you to kick against the goads (Acts 26.14b; cp. Ecclesiastes 11.9-12.8).
Be generous in everything: you have very little time in this life to invest in what endures beyond the grave; that is, invest in the lives of others: ‘Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me (Matthew 25.45).
Never listen to the voice of faithless men. Keep company with men and women who live lives of faith, courage and honor. If for some reason you cannot find such company keep company with yourself in the Lord until such time as the Lord leads you to a Timothy. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2 Timothy 2.22; cp. Daniel 3.16-18; 1 Corinthians 15.33; 2 Corinthians 6.17-18).
Do not be seduced by inconsequential things. We live in a world of self-indulgence and superficiality; so, seek to live above the rate of the “common” Christian.
Remember you have just enough time in life to do everything that God wants you to do. God only holds you accountable for what he gives you–nothing more and nothing less.
Have respect for all – kindness, courtesy and graciousness toward those of a mean estate is a reflection more of who you are, than who they are.
Pay attention to details. Details matter! In the parable of the talents Jesus commends the faithful servant: “You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much” (Matthew 25.23).
Be a faithful friend. In the upper room during his farewell address to his disciples Jesus declares his love for them and calls them friends (John 15.15) and commands them to love one another–this command lies at the heart of friendship. Friendship, at its heart, is sacrificial. Indeed, John describes Jesus’ this way, “he loved them to the end” (John 13.1; 15.12).
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