Page 6 - Principles of Leadership - Nehemiah

requires it nor demands it. If, however, you want to experience the joy of discovery and the pleasure of plowing
new and fertile soil, an effort is required. Light won’t automatically shine upon you, nor will truth silently seep
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into your head by means of rocking-chair osmosis. It’s up to you. It’s your move.”

Many great Christian authors have focused on one style of leadership. For example, Henry and Richard Blackaby
believe that true spiritual leadership can be defined in one concise statement: "Spiritual leadership is moving
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people on to God's agenda." These writers believe that "the greatest obstacle to effective spiritual leadership
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is people pursuing their own agendas rather than seeking God's will." However, if you were to pick up Albert
Mohler's book on leadership, you would see an emphasis on convictional leadership. Mohler believes that "the
starting point for Christian leadership is not the leader but the eternal truths that God has revealed to us - the
truths that allow the world to make sense, frame our understandings, and propel us to action. This is the heart
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of convictional leadership. It starts with the leader’s convictional intelligence." However, the next Christian
writer would tell us that the 'call by Jesus to servant leadership is clear and unequivocal." All of these writers
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realize that there are many leadership styles, but they emphasize certain aspects of it. In the book of
Nehemiah, all these styles of leadership can be found, and many more. Therefore, I will be introducing you to
several leadership styles, and you will be able to choose which style best fits your own personality and cultural
context. However, the strongest leaders have learned “to tap into the power of synergism and develop styles
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that are the convergence of many approaches." Or, as another author on leadership said, “People can and
want to develop, and there is no best leadership style to encourage that development. Based on the model,
leaders engage followers in a tailored manner that matches leadership style to the unique traits of the
follower.”
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Leadership Defined

John Maxwell says that if you were to ask ten people to define leadership, you would probably receive ten
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different answers. Warren Bennis "discovered over 850 different definitions of leadership." After years of
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study, John Maxwell concluded that "leadership is influence," nothing more, nothing less. Albert Mohler asks
the question in his book on leadership, “Who has the most influence in your life?” He believes that teachers
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rise to the top of the list in their capacity to influence. In his commentary on Nehemiah, Charles Swindoll writes,
“What do we mean when we use the word leadership? If I were asked to define it in one single word, the word
would be influence.” Dr. J. Robert Clinton begins his book on The Making of a Leader with his definition of
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leadership and says, “Leadership is a dynamic process in which a man or woman with God-given capacity
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influences a specific group of God’s people toward His purposes for the group.” “Leaders influence followers
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in different ways. Direct, indirect, and organizational influence are three main ways a leader influences.” This
definition of leadership seems to be the most common definition that I have found among Christian and secular
writers on leadership. Therefore, because leadership is influencing, even the most introverted individual will
influence many people in their lifetime. "The issue is not whether you influence someone. What needs to be
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settled is what kind of influencer will you be?" Not everyone will become a great leader, but everyone can
become a better leader. Never forget this truth that will be echoed throughout this book: leadership
emergence is a lifetime process. Therefore, because it is a lifetime process, it must be viewed as more of a
process rather than an event. And everyone on this journey is at different development stages, and no one has
a graduate degree. Now, only two questions must be answered: Will you unleash your leadership potential?
Will you use your leadership skills to better humanity?

Therefore, broadly defined leadership is nothing more than influence, and because everyone has a degree of
influence, everyone is a leader. However, more narrowly defined, the Bible does speak of a spiritual gift of
leadership that our Lord gives to certain individuals. Romans 12:8 If your gift is to encourage others, be
encouraging. If it is given, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility
seriously. (see also I Corinthians 12:28). Notice that our Lord instructs us to take the gift of leadership seriously.
Another translation says to lead with diligence. In his commentary on Romans, John MacArthur says that the
word diligence carries the idea of haste. We must lead with a sense of urgency because eternity depends upon
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