What kind of leader would you gladly follow? We’ve all seen our share of bad leaders—but there are a lot of good leaders in the world. By God’s grace, I’m thankful to work for a very good leader. I know a lot of good leaders. Here is a list of qualities that are found in good leaders. In my opinion, this the absolute required list of traits for being worthy of follower-ship. This is what makes a leader “worth following.” Do you agree?
1. Integrity—this must be a man of unquestionable integrity, which means he must be accountable enough for people to see that integrity clearly demonstrated and validated.
2. Humility/Approachability—this must be a man who understands that his position is from God and who doesn’t use it to be “lord’s over God’s heritage.” (1 Peter 5:3) This is a man you can approach with a question and receive a sincere answer. He is also a man who would rather work through a misunderstanding than lose a relationship.
3. Authenticity/Transparency—this is a man who admits he doesn’t have it all together and that he is growing like everybody else. He’s willing to share aspects of his own personal growth, and his life is obviously real with God and people.
4. Biblical Vision—this is a man with a godly, biblical vision that requires the help of followers to bring to reality. Godly vision from the heart of a man of integrity is a compelling vision. It draws others to the team and to the accomplishment of the vision.
5. Teachability—this is a man who is learning constantly, knows it, and admits it. This is a man who isn’t afraid to learn from those who follow him and actively seeks their input.
6. Friendship/Other’s Focused—this is a man who can have friendships with those who follow, and finds no conflict in that dual-natured relationship. And this is a man who uses his position as leader to benefit others within his influence.
7. Team Spirit—this is a man who loves to work with a team, and enjoys building that team and seeing them succeed.
8. Mentoring Influence—this is a man who uses his knowledge, influence, wisdom, and position to teach and mentor others. His life is heavily invested into developing people and discipling Christians.
9. Moral and Biblical Life—this is a man whose life is obviously pure, marriage strong, and family solid. This is a man who, while not perfect, is clearly attempting to live in line with biblical principles both in private and public.
10. Walk with God—this is a man whose life demonstrates a faithful walk with God.
This is a man I can follow as he follows Christ. He’s never perfect, but he’s authentic and growing. This is the type of leader I want to be in leading others to follow Christ. How about you?
What would you add to this list? What qualities do you appreciate in the leaders you follow?