There have been many definitions of leadership that many “gurus” have shared. If you’ve been reading my blog for any period of time, you know that my favorite definition of leadership is this:
Leadership is influence.
However, just because I subscribe to that definition doesn’t mean that there aren’t other valuable additions that help us understand leadership more fully.
Below, I offer a definition of leadership that is really relevant for ministry today. This is taken from Creative Christian Leadership.
Leadership is:
- Influencing a group of people to achieve their goals
- Turning visions into actions
- A creative relationship between task, leader, and members of the group
- Uncovering and illuminating ordinary things with new meaning
- The art of motivating people
- Energizing others to do things
- Opening new doors of possibilities
- Nurturing dreams and transforming dreams into realities
- Empowering others and oneself to realize our potential
- Using the gifts of the group to fulfill its purpose
- The art of managing resources
- Enabling people to move from intention to achievement
- Challenging the group to go from the present to a possible future
- Facilitating a reconstruction of world views
- Making a difference
- First walking the path you expect others to travel
- Exploring new questions rather than being comfortable with closed answers
- Being open to being personally transformed
- Inspiring others
- Uncovering the talents of the group and focusing these talents on the mission of the group
- Facilitating change
- The transformation of followers to leaders
- Experiencing leadership from others
- Revealing the compassionate face of Christ
- Evoking hope
Question: How do you define leadership? Do you have anything to add to this list?
