LEADERSHIP TRAINING MANUAL 2

LESSON 2

THE HEART OF A LEADER: DEVELOPING THE QUALITIES THAT SET A LEADER APART FROM OTHERS

Leaders are not born they are raised. A leader is one who has what others need and serves them with pleasure. It is therefore important that leaders develop the “skills” in order to lead effectively.

In Acts 9:3-6, Paul encounters Jesus Christ and asked two questions in the right order: (a) who are you Lord?     (b) What will you have me do?

THE LEADER GOD USES THEREFORE:

1.     Has a great PURPOSE in life: Phip. 3:7-14. Do you know your God-given purpose? You must answer these questions: what are your burdens? What are your spiritual gifts? What are your natural talents? What are your desires and passions? What do others affirm about you? What are your dreams and visions? What opportunities are in front of you?

2.     Has by God’s grace removed every HINDRANCE from his life? Hebrews 12:1-2. Character (defined as self-leadership) and integrity are indispensible. If you lead yourself well, others may want to follow you. Character is the foundation on which a leader’s life is built. Leadership operates on the basis of trust and people would not follow you if they do not trust you. Here is what character does for you:

a). Communicates credibility

b). Harnesses respect.

c). Creates consistency.

d). Earns trust.

In order to build strong character therefore, leaders must choose to develop personal discipline, a personal security and identity, personal convictions, values and ethics.

3.     Has placed himself absolutely at God’s DISPOSAL – Rm.12:1-2. To lead others, you must develop three attributes of total surrender to God; you must have nothing to prove (we do not try to project our self-worth); we must have nothing to lose (we do not strive for image or popularity); we must have nothing to hide (we do not play games but are transparent).

4.     Has learned how to prevail in PRAYER – Jas.5:13-17. Jesus listed three kinds of prayer in which we prevail (Mt.7:7)

a). Ask – Prayer of faith. With this, we lay hold on God’s promises by faith.

b). Seek – Prayer of dedication. We seek to know God’s will.

c). Knock – intercession – we pray for somebody who cannot or would not pray for themselves.

5. Is a student of THE WORD – 2Tim.3:16-17; 2:15. Students of God’s word examine scriptures to understand its meaning; i.e. what it meant at one time to the original audience; all time – what is the universal and timeless truth we can learn; now time – what we should do in response to it.

6. Has a vital life changing MESSAGE for a lost world – Phlp.2:16. In Rm.1:14-16, Paul expressed three attitudes concerning the gospel:

a) I am obligated i.e. sharing it is a debt I owe the world.

b) I am eager i.e. I am on fire to share the message with the world.

c) I am not ashamed i.e. I will share it because it alone can save the world.

7. Has a FAITH that expects results – Rm.4:19-22. Heb. 11 describes men and women of faith and what each of them had in common:

a). VISION: Each saw the promise afar off.

b). CONFIDENCE: Each was assured of the promises of God.

c). HUNGER: Each embraced and owned the promises as their own

d).RESOLVE:  They confessed their God–given dreams

8. Choose to SERVE in attitude and action. Phlp.2:5-11. Jesus was not position conscious but purpose conscious. He knew the best way to accomplish his purpose was to serve people.

9. Stirs up the GIFT in themselves and others. 1Tim 4:13-16. Leaders naturally arise when they find their gift and use it to serve. It follows in this order:

First, a leader identifies a primary gift

Second, they develop that gift

Third, they match that gift with a place of service

Fourth, that gift provides a platform for influence

Fifth, the leader eventually flourishes because of their gift                                                    

 10. Is SECURE enough to empower others – John 13:3-5. Jesus here modelled a servant’s heart when he washed his disciples’ feet. What enabled him to do this was a strong sense of security in his identity. Insecure leaders are their own worst enemy because they eventually sabotage their leadership. They cannot share their victories or sorrows. The law of empowerment states that only mature leaders give their power to others    

SECURE LEADER                                              INSECURE LEADER

They are into service                                     They are into titles

They draw strength from identity         They draw strength from image

They pursue service to others                They pursue titles with others
They want to add value to others          They want to gain value from others

11. Lives under the ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18-20

Anointed leaders possess spiritual authority with others, consequently God’s move in their ministries and their lives demand a supernatural explanation.

12. Has chosen to be an EXAMPLE before he leads others 1Cor 9:24-27

REASONS WHY A HEART OF INTEGRITY IS SO IMPORTANT

v Leadership functions on the basis of TRUST.

v INTEGRITY has high influence VALUE.

v Our tendency is to work harder on our IMAGE than our integrity.

v Integrity means living the truth myself before leading others.

v A charismatic personality may draw people but it is integrity that keeps them.

v Integrity is a victory not a gift.

v You will only become what you are becoming right now.

v Leaders are to live by a higher standard than followers.