Essential Qualities

​What does it take to become an 
effective Christian leader?

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What are those essential skills and traits for improving your effectiveness in your church or organization? You’ve probably heard it before: develop confidence, live with integrity, bla-bla- bla. Those qualities are important of course, but what does it actually mean? What do you do? There are no easy three-step solutions. However, there are a simple changes that you can take in your daily life that will dramatically improve your power as a leader.

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​​Take an interest in your people. In his bestselling book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie stated it clearly: “become genuinely interested in other people.” For Christians, this should be obvious (Philippians 2:3). Leadership is all about your people. As a leader, you are tasked with being a person who lovingly leads others. If you cultivate your love and interest in other people, you will improve as a leader. Leaders are communicators, and communication is a major area in which you can demonstrate interest in your people. Never speak condescendingly, interrupt others, or lose interest when people are speaking to you. Kindness and tenderness go a long way.

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​let each esteem others better than themselves

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​Plan for the future. Planning for the future is not an exercise in futility. It is an essential practice for any visionary. Planning can be a complex task. The process of planning involves more than simply declaring a goal and working doggedly toward that end. Effective planning also considers variables, plan B’s, contingencies, future possibilities, and new opportunities. Planning requires breaking down goals into manageable, action-oriented tasks. Planning is not a once-in-a-year event, but a daily requirement for true leaders. Leaders must be willing to let go of the clichéd “achieve your goals,” and instead “learn your goals” by making them a fundamental part of the way you think and act. Learn to process goals into action, and thereby to truly achieve them.
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​Improve your communication. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, “Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.” We as Christians know this to be true, especially since we are given the privilege of proclaiming God’s Word. Isn’t that what a leader is by God’s grace supposed to do — to persuade, to convert, to compel? The key to such power is effective communication. Going from a mediocre communicator to a great communicator is not easy. Improving your communication is not a simple set of tips and tricks. Think of it as a whole-person change, affecting everything, beginning with your heart.

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