How To Be A Leader

I sometimes quiz my kids on how to be a leader. They need to remember two parts, 1) have the courage to always do what’s right no matter what, and 2) take responsibility.

The first part is courage.

“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7 NKJV).

Why do you need courage? Because you can’t obey God without it. It’s hard to do what’s right. But if you have courage, you will “prosper wherever you go.”

You can be afraid and courageous at the same time. In fact, you probably aren’t being courageous if you aren’t also afraid. As Dan Sullivan says, “Fear is wetting your pants. Courage is doing what you're supposed to do with wet pants.”

The second part is responsibility.

Taking responsibility means taking ownership of the situation. Of course you need to take responsibility for your own faults, but a leader also takes responsibility for the faults of others.

If a grunt construction worker accidentally burns down the project that his boss is building, whose fault is it? Yes, it’s 100% the grunt’s fault. But who needs to take responsibility and make it right with the customer? Yes, the owner of the construction company.

Douglas Wilson says, “Authority flows to those who take responsibility.”

People look up to those who have the courage to do what’s right. And people look up to those who take responsibility even when they don’t need to.

What do you think?
Joseph