Leadership Pitfalls

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Leadership is influence, no doubt about it, it is the ability to influence people to follow a course of action in order to accomplish a God given vision. If one thinks that he is a leader and he turns back to see no one following him, do not be deceived by calling himself a leader, he is merely taking a walk. In our culture and context leadership is often connected with position and the person is seen as a leader only as long as he remains in that position or title. This person excerts influence from the position he holds and very often the person tends to be identified with the title. It is sad to see the moment he looses the title he has no influence at all over the people he led.This kind of leadership is not leadership at all. True test of leadership is in answering the question, are people willing to follow you irrespective of the position or title that you hold. This kind of leadership demands depth of character, integrity, a caring and loving heart and an undying vision to die for. We find rare examples of this kind of a leader in Jesus, Moses, Mother Theresa or Mahatma Gandhi. All of them had no official positions, yet people were willing to follow. Does that mean that true leadership is an unachievable goal for normal human beings, Is it possible for us to be that kind of a leader. The answer is a resounding 'yes'. But How?
By constantly cultivating our heart on the core aspects of leadership and staying away being wary of the pitfalls. Jesus calls it as the hardened heart syndrome i.e. having eyes but not seeing and having ears and not hearing. Every leader needs to be vary of the pitfalls of pride, arrogance, thirst to control, love of money, seeking pleasure and running after fame. We are living in a generation of I, Me and Myself where materialism and hedonism is eating away the very fabric of morality and ethics. The christian leaders are not insulated from this, and the world is desperately looking for leaders who can swim against the tide and stand with rock like integrity and character, a heart that is filled with compassion for the people around and sold out to a vision that is bigger than them.

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