What Is Leadership - Leaders Influence and Sacrifice

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What is Leadership?

The concept and ideas about leadership is a subject of much thought, learning, writing, and teaching. Leadership is an art that is complex and sought after.  (De Pree, 2004). For this reason, one must explore the depths of a true leader. Today, there is a struggle with knowing how to define a true leader because of the abandoned values, corporate greed, and leaders who manipulate through influence and power.

There is an all about me attitude in today’s leader whose motivations are focused on self-protection and self-promotion. This idea strays away from what true leadership is. Leadership is developed by God and through the power of his word. When people draw strength from God’s instruction and the examples he has left for one to take heed, then everyone can become great leaders and help develop others into leaders too (Thomas, 2017). Therefore, looking at the best leadership model and learning what is necessary to be a true leader and one who leads as Christ—which honors God is key (Blanchard and Hodges, 2005).

Leaders Influence and Sacrifice

According to Blanchard and Hodges (2005), “Leadership is a process of influence. Anytime you seek to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of people in their personal or professional lives, you are taking the role of a leader” (p.4). Additionally, leadership is not privilege but a sacrifice. In the Christian perspective, the greatness in leadership is not defined by how many are beneath them but it is by how the leader is led by the holy spirit and making personal sacrifices to truly serve the needs of others (Mathis, 2016).

Christian leadership is about being a leader who is pursuing the needs of others and dying of self, so that others may live. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15) Jesus wants his followers to understand the true nature of leadership (Mathis, 2016).

If one’s motivations are based upon self-protection and self-promotion, they will seek others to fulfill these needs, but if they are driven by commitment and service to a relationship or cause, then they will be an example and inspire these values within others (Blanchard and Hodges, 2005).

Not to mention, when people think of the ways they influence others by their actions. They must also understand the differences between a being an organizational leader and life role leader. The differences between the two is that organizational leadership involves the stability of the relationships in those they are trying to influence. In contrast to a life role leader, which has an endurance in life long relationships such as friends, siblings, parents, siblings, and citizens whereas their duty and obligation are not easily abandoned or rejected (Blanchard and Hodges, 2005).

Organizational leaders usually operate for a season in an environment of temporary relationships and then change because people come and go in organizations for many different reasons. Most leadership that shapes people’s lives do not come from an organization, but it comes from leaders that are in a person’s daily life role relationships (Blanchard and Hodges, 2005).

Leadership is Transformational

Leaders are made through hard work, focused effort, and daily action (Ambler, 2017). It is hard but is destined for people to walk in their born given talents and calling. To do so, an individual must work hard even when things get difficult. It’s diligence that sets apart the dreamers from the leaders. Not everyone is willing to be persistent and committed to work towards great things by refusing to quit when things get hard (Wittenberg, 2017).

When someone is trying to find their way to become a better leader and create within them a transformation of a typical leader into one who has a powerful influence that represents a Christ like example, this is where the transformational journey begins.

As Wittenberg (2017) explains, “Leadership starts by serving Jesus in worship and prayer, drawing close to Him, and then serving his people. The more we become like him, the more we’ll serve like he does” (p.7). Christ’s way of leadership if different from the way of the worlds. Leaders are not considered the most educated or skilled people, but they are simply teachable, faithful, and obedient—willing to take risks, responsibility and have the willingness to act (Wittenberg, 2017).