Character Matters

Every organization rises and falls based on the quality and character of the leaders. This is true in the church, in politics and in business. The news today is filled with articles on the horrific pain experienced by women from those who abused their positions of power. Character matters now more than ever. The price we pay for moral failure is astronomical, socially and personally. Where do people learn the value and essential nature of character? The church should be the gold standard when it comes to developing leaders of lasting character, people who value others more than themselves. People who follow Jesus’ example of sacrificial love.

This is the mandate of every Christ loving follower, to multiply disciples of Jesus, followers who desire to lead with integrity and Christ-like humility. Who are you mentoring? Who are you developing? Where will the next Billy Graham come from?Even the business world understands that leadership is active, taking initiative, not just talking but doing.

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Peter F. Drucker on Leadership

“Leadership has little to do with ‘leadership qualities’ and even less to do with “charisma.” It is mundane, unromantic and boring. Its essence is performance. Leadership is a means; thus leadership to what end is the crucial question.

The foundation of effective leadership is thinking through the organization’s mission, defining it and establishing it, clearly and visibly. The leader sets the goals, sets the priorities, and sets and maintains the standards. The leader’s first task is to be the trumpet that sounds a clear sound.

Effective leaders see leadership as responsibility rather than rank and privilege. When things go wrong -- and they always do – they do not blame others. An effective leader knows that he, and no one else, is ultimately responsible; he is not afraid of associates and subordinates. An effective leader knows that the ultimate task of leadership is to create human energies and human vision. The effective leader must earn trust. To trust a leader, it is not necessary to like him. Nor is it necessary to agree with him. Trust if the conviction that the leader means what he says.”