Before we dive into Godly leadership, let’s look at a type of leadership we are all familiar with, toxic leadership. Oxford dictionary defines toxic as “very harmful or unpleasant.” When you add this word to leader, lives and organizations will be changed for the worse. Toxic leaders lack understanding, are arrogant, dysfunctional, and discriminatory. This list can get long so we will leave it here and discuss Godly leaders.
Jesus gave his definition of a leader in Luke 22:26, which says “Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.” This type of leadership can be rare in today’s climate. Let’s look at more characteristics of Godly leadership.
Servant Mentality
As Jesus stated, leaders should have a servant mentality. This is the foundation of Godly leadership. I’ve been in a leadership role for 18 years and I put this mentality to work daily. The benefit I’ve noticed, is the respect gained from a servant mindset. Once the team understands that you are willing to go the extreme for their success, their performance will increase exponentially. A servant leader also listens and incorporates thoughts and ideas from the team. Have you ever had a leader that didn’t implement ideas unless it was their own? This type of insecurity stunts the growth of the team and shuns team member’s voice. I counteract this behavior by asking the team their thoughts before providing my own. This empowerment pays huge dividends down the road.
Calm Under Pressure
Godly leaders are calm under pressure. Now, this does not mean frustration is absent. It means one approaches adverse situations with a level head. I had a manager who would throw his hard hat when he got upset. I never understood this type of behavior. If anything, it makes the leader look incompetent due to a lack of self-control. Whenever I feel myself getting upset, I take a quick break to regain composure and return to the situation. This allows me not to overreact and say or do something out of character. This type of composure spreads throughout the team showing we can agree to disagree in a civilized manner.
Humble
Godly leaders are humble. We discussed the benefits of being humble in “How can being humble save your life?” Godly leaders should leave their pride at the door. Jesus said in Luke 14:11, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” To this day I don’t like to be called “Boss.” A boss to me is someone that has to make all the decisions and has very low engagement. I prefer to be called the “Team Captain.” I’m of the mindset that if the team is unhappy, it’s my job to change the moral.
Integrity
Lastly, Godly leaders have integrity. The definition of integrity is being honest and having strong moral principles. Proverbs 10:9 says, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.” All credibility will be lost if proven you have been dishonest. Zig Ziglar stated, “It is true that integrity alone won’t make you a leader, but without integrity you will never become a leader.” Enough said.
Conclusion
Whether you have the official title of leader or not, someone is looking at you in that capacity. We should also have these 4 characteristics in our everyday lives as children of God. Imagine how different the world would be if half the people took and passed a course in Godly Leadership.
Prayer:
Lord, Thank You for providing the blueprint for being a Godly leader. Help us not to deviate from what you have shown us. Lord, we will continue to give you all the praise and honor. Amen.