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Qualification
of Leaders
Leadership
One day
Confucius was
asked by one of his disciples about the ingredients of good government. His
answer: “Sufficient food
sufficient weapons
and the confidence of the common
people.”
“But
” asked the disciple
“suppose you had no choice but to dispense with one of those three
which would
you forego?”
“Weapons
” said Confucius.
His disciple persisted:
“Suppose you were then forced to dispense with one of the two that are left
which would you forego?”
Replied Confucius
“Food.
For from of old
hunger has been the lot of all men
but a people that no
longer trusts its rulers is lost indeed.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Last October the Prince
and Princess of Wales allowed TV cameras into their home to film them as a
normal couple with their two children.
During the interview
Prince Charles described his job in these terms: "It
more than anything
else
is a way of life. It's more than a job. It's a complete
24-hour-a-day
business
really."
Leadership in any
organization - whether in the local church or in some other Christian activity
- is never just a job. It is always a way of life
demanding from those who
would be leaders a 24-hour-a-day commitment. The leader
in a sense
must
always be on the job
deciding
directing and developing the work that has been
entrusted to him while at the same time encouraging those in the work. A leader
is one who knows the way
goes the way and shows the way. ── John Maxwell.
I've met a lot of leaders
in the Army who were very competent -- but they didn't have character. And for
every job they did well
they sought reward in the form of promotions
in the
form of awards and decorations
in the form of getting ahead at the expense of
someone else
in the form of another piece of paper that awarded them another
degree -- a sure road to the top.
You see
these were
competent people
but they lacked character. I've also met a lot of leaders who
had superb character but who lacked competence. They weren't willing to pay the
price of leadership
to go the extra mile because that's what it took to be a
great leader.
And that's sort of what
it's all about. To lead in the 21st century -- to take soldiers
sailors
airmen into battle -- you will be required to have both character and
competence.── General H. Norman
Schwarzkopt
Speech to the Corps of Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy
in Reader's
Digest.
S. I. McMillen
in his
book None of These Diseases
tells a story of a young woman who wanted
to go to college
but her heart sank when she read the question on the
application blank that asked
"Are you a leader?" Being both honest
and conscientious
she wrote
"No
" and returned the application
expecting the worst.
To her surprise
she
received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the
application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1
452 new
leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have
at least one follower." ── Adapted
from S. I. McMillen
None of These Diseases.
※ 三種因素造成一位教會的好領袖：祈禱、默想、試煉。─ 馬丁路德
Leadership
Over a century ago
a
colleague submitted to Asahel Nettleton a list of qualifications to be
possessed by those who should be encouraged to enter the ministry. It read
thus: (1) Piety; (2) Talents; (3) Scholarship; (4) Discretion. “Change the
order
” said Nettleton
“put discretion next to piety.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
In order to be a leader a
man must have followers. And to have followers
a man must have their
confidence. Hence the supreme quality of a leader is unquestionably integrity.
Without it
no real success is possible
no matter whether it is on a section
gang
on a football field
in an army
or in an office. If a man's associates
find him guilty of phoniness
if they find that he lacks forthright integrity
he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first
great need
therefore
is integrity and high purpose.── Dwight D. Eisenhower
Bits & Pieces
September 15
1994
p. 4.
Peter Drucker offers
insightful guidance to the church when he calls leadership a peak performance
by one who is "the trumpet that sounds a clear sound of the organizations'
goals." His five requirements for this task are amazingly reliable and
useful for those who dare to lead churches:
(1) a leader works;
(2) a leader sees his
assignment as responsibility rather than rank or privilege;
(3) a leader wants strong
capable
self-assured
independent associates;
(4) a leader creates human
energies and vision;
(5) a leader develops
followers' trust by his own consistency and integrity.
── H.B.
London
Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman
Pastors at Risk
Victor Books
1993
pp. 227-228.
When the board of
directors of a large food company was considering the selection of a new
president
one of the directors worked out this questionnaire:
1. Who of the possible
candidates is the best known as a personality to the most company people?
2. Who is the most liked
and trusted by them?
3. Who is held in the
highest regard outside the organization...in public life and "in the
trade"?
4. Who is the most warmly
human in his dealings with people?
5. Who has demonstrated
the best capacity for selecting able people
and the greatest willingness to
delegate authority and responsibility?
6. Who will be apt to do
the best job of keeping his desk and mind clear of day-to-day operating
problems
so he will have time to think in broader terms of tomorrow and next
year?
7. Who does the boldest --
yet soundest -- thinking?
8. Who is most open-mined
and willing to revise decisions when important new facts come to light?
9. Who inspires the best
cooperation and exercises the best control and coordination
without
"trespassing" on responsibility once delegated?
10. Who is most
self-possessed in all situations
best able to adjust to personalities and
circumstances and tact and understanding?
11. Who can be depended
upon to make the most of a promising new plan or idea?
12. Who can "take
it" the best under a heavy load of responsibility?
13. Who is the best
builder of the people under him?
14. Who is most likely
in
good times and bad
to remember that the basic job of the president is to
operate the business at a profit?
── Bits
& Pieces
May 26
1994
pp. 18-20.
George Bernard Shaw's
statement frequently flashes through my mind: "Liberty means
responsibility. That is why most men dread it." In a day of passing the
buck with merely a shrug
those words bite and sting. It's one thing to sing
and dance to liberty's tunes
but it's something else entirely to bear the
responsibility for paying the band.
There are numerous
examples of this. Being in leadership carries with it a few privileges and
perks
but living with the responsibility of that task makes a reserved parking
space and your own bathroom pale into insignificance. Conceiving children is a
moment of sheer ecstasy
but rearing them as a loving and caring parent
represents years of thankless responsibility. Enjoying a great conference is
both delightful and memorable
but behind the scenes - count on it - are unseen
hours of creative thinking
disciplined planning
and responsible arranging.
Running an organization that gets a job done
leaving those involved feeling
fulfilled and appreciated
can be exciting
fun
and stretching
but it's a
nightmare unless the details of responsibility are clearly set forth and
maintained. ── Charles Swindoll.
John W. Gardner
former
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health
Education
and Welfare
who is now
directing a leadership study project in Washington
D.C.
has pinpointed five
characteristics that set "leader" managers apart from run-of-the-
mill managers:
They are long-term
thinkers who see beyond the day's crisis and the quarterly report.
Their interest in the
company does not stop with the unit they are heading. They want to know how all
of the company's departments affect one another
and they are constantly
reaching beyond their specific area of influence.
They put heavy emphasis on
vision
values
and motivation.
They have strong people
skills.
They don't accept the
status quo.── Success Magazine.
Leadership is not magnetic
personality. That can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not making friends
and influencing people; that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's
vision to higher sights
the raising of a person's performance to higher
standards
the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. ── Peter Drucker.
Effective leadership is
the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of predetermined objectives. ── Ted Engstrom.
Leadership is influence
the ability of one person to influence others. One man can lead others only to
the extent that he can influence them. This fact is supported by definitions of
leadership by men who have themselves wielded great influence. Lord Montgomery
defines it in these terms: "Leadership is the capacity and will to rally
men and women to a common purpose
and the character which inspires
confidence."
Dr. John R. Mott
a world
leader in student circles
gave as his definition: "A leader is a man who
knows the road
who can keep ahead
and who can pull others after
him."
President Truman's
definition is: "A leader is a person who has the ability to get others to
do what they don't want to do
and like it."...
Lord Montgomery enunciated
seven ingredients necessary in a leader in war
each of which is appropriate to
the spiritual warfare: (1) He should be able to sit back and avoid getting
immersed in detail. (2) He must not be petty. (3) He must not be pompous. (4)
He must be a good picker of men. (5) He should trust those under him
and let
them get on with their job without interference. (6) He must have the power of
clear decision. (7) He should inspire confidence.
Dr. John R. Mott moved in
student circles and his tests covered different territory: (1) Does he do
little things well? (2) Has he learned the meaning of priorities? (3) How does
he use his leisure? (4) Has he intensity? (5) Has he learned to take advantage
of momentum? (6) Has he the power of growth? (7) What is his attitude to discouragements?
(8) How does he face impossible situations? (9) What are his weakest points? ── J.O. Sanders in Spiritual Leadership
p.
19-24.