Leadership (cont.)

I finished reading "Developing the Leader Within You." by John Maxwell.   The book has a lot of useful and relevant information.  Based on the essential characteristics of leaders included in the book, my understanding of what makes a good leader has actually changed.   I realized that my earlier perception was that only those who were born with leadership qualities and charisma would make good leaders; but, I now can see that leaders truly can be developed and leadership essentials can be learned.

So, the great "lightbulb" experience for me, from reading this book, was to realize that I am actually a better leader than I thought.   I knew that I didn't possess charisma nor do I naturally command attention; but, while those can help, they are not the only things that can make a good leader.  According to the book, the following important leadership areas were covered:

• The Definition of Leadership:  INFLUENCE
• The Key to Leadership:  PRIORITIES
• The Most Important Ingredient of Leadership:  INTEGRITY
• The Ultimate Test of Leadership:  CREATING POSITIVE CHANGE
• The Quickest Way to Gain Leadership:  PROBLEM-SOLVING
• The Extra Plus in Leadership:  ATTITUDE
• Developing Your Most Appreciable Asset:  PEOPLE
• The Indispensible Quality of Leadership:  VISION
• The Price Tag of Leadership:  SELF-DISCIPLINE
• The Most Important Lesson of Leadership:  STAFF DEVELOPMENT

 I find that by just living my life as a Christian, the way God would have me live it, already provides a good foundation for leadership.  Integrity, seeing God's perspective in all situations good and bad, caring about others, finding God's Vision, exhibiting Fruits of the Spirit like self-control, etc. are all part of the Christian walk.   Then, when I add to that, my abilities to organize, recognize & set priorities, and to solve problems, plus the experiences that I have had over the years in leading, this helps explain why I've been able to fulfill my leadership responsibilities thus far fairly well, despite not feeling like a leader myself.

Now that a "light" has been turned on, and I recognize that I should stop hiding behind my lack of confidence in being a leader, maybe this will help me to become an even better leader.   So, ongoing, maybe I'll be able to embrace opportunities to lead, rather than taking them on hesitantly as I have in the past.   I still have much to learn; but, at least now, I have concrete areas to focus on; and my personal attitude and confidence has changed.