The Making of a Great Leader
I was reading an article in Christianity Today entitled “Leading With Love: The Secrets to Billy Graham’s Remarkable Ministry to the World“. The article starts with this…
Our first interview for our book, The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, was with John Corts, a key employee of Billy’s organization for 35 years, ten of them as its president. After a dinner conversation that ranged over the decades, we asked, “John, what would you say is the bottom line distinctive of Billy’s leadership?”
John paused a long while. Finally he said, emphatically, “Love. The difference between him and so many other leaders is that whatever the circumstances, Billy always led with love.”
“Billy always led with love”.
That statement got me thinking about my leadership style. It got me thinking about the kind of leaders that have had an impact on my life over the years. It got me thinking about the kind of leader I want to be.
What characteristics are you looking for in the people that lead you?
45 Comments:
Sincerity, Openness, Honesty, Realness, Compassion and Humility
[Reply]
Lisa Feather
7:00 am
The leaders that have impacted me the most are the ones who lead by example and take the time to listen to me and check on me. Anyone can stand up on a stage and give great leadership insights but the leaders that have challenged me the most are the ones who live out what they say on a day-to-day basis.
[Reply]
bradruggles
7:03 am
Humility and compassion. I want a leader that does not need to take all the credit to feel validated but instead realizes the strengths of the team. I want a leader that leads with compassion and responds to his/her team and others with care and love. Sometimes leaders think they need to be perfect in order for their team or others to follow them. I think being able to admit your mistakes or even that you don’t have all the answers draws more people to follow you.
[Reply]
Jenn
7:08 am
To me a leader is someone who not only listens, but truly cares…also someone who responds to Gods calls all over the world.
[Reply]
Laura
7:22 am
Trust. Sincere. Unselfish. Leaders that have made the biggest impression on me have been true mentors. They are the ones that although they may be two steps ahead of you, they still turn around and throw a hand back to reach for you and bring you along.
[Reply]
annie
7:42 am
love, honesty, transparency, forward thinking, knowledge,
[Reply]
jason
7:48 am
As humble as they come…
[Reply]
ckroboth
7:55 am
Honestly.. I look for a leader who I feel I can have conversatino with. Some speakers are incredible from the platform… but I would I be able to sit down with them and just have a “normal” non spiritual conversation with them. I am on the road of trying to be transparent in my life.. and that is what I look for as well in leaders.
[Reply]
Adam
8:08 am
Mutual respect. I dont think you can expect pepole to respect you if your not willing to give it first.
[Reply]
Jared Woodard
8:33 am
‘Christ-like . . .’
[Reply]
Lorelei King
8:41 am
The number one trait I look for in a leader is: Does he seek God’s will in his leadership?
[Reply]
Starwoodgal
8:48 am
Well, a spiritual leader should obviously have the fruit of the Spirit, as so many have mentioned.
I think the basic thing I look for is to be truly cared for and loved. I will follow that leader because I know they are not using me, but they are incarnating the gospel of Christ. A servant leader who really loves others SHOWS us how to live, lead, work, etc.
[Reply]
janowen
8:51 am
I want my leader to be REAL! Hats off to you Pastor Pete for keeping it REAL!
[Reply]
Emily Rowe
8:52 am
I just got back from a leadership training with youth that was put on in Washington DC called SLU and they talked about what a leader looks like, how to become a leader, etc. One thing they did share was that Leadership begins at the feet of Jesus. That statement has changed my view on leadership. Not only do I want to look at others for leaders, I want to be the one who is leading out and making a difference right in my area of influence.
Some books my husband has said that are incredible on leadership are: “360 degree leader by John Maxwell and “Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley or “Good to Great” by Jim Collins.
For me, I look for authenticity someone who shares life and is passionate in their belief.
[Reply]
Kara Prater
8:59 am
@Emily Rowe, Thanks but I have a long way to go. I truly believe that authenticity is crucial for leadership in today’s culture.
[Reply]
Pete Wilson
9:28 am
i like leaders that create clarity
when people have a clear vision and they completely understand the plan for getting there, they can do great things
great leaders create clarity
[Reply]
Aaron
9:30 am
I want someone that isn’t afraid to speak the truth to me, to lead by example and to be a support if and when needed.
[Reply]
wideawake1
9:30 am
Being human. Not perfect. Real. and being able to admit all of it. Having compassion, love. I’d love to attend your church one day, as that is what seems you all have there. Many blessings. Jen from Cali
[Reply]
Jen
9:30 am
Integrity above all else! And someone who walks the wslk, not just talks the talk….talk is cheap! Thanks, Pete, for walking and talking in honesty and transparency; yet maintaining integrity!
[Reply]
Lisa
9:32 am
I’m with Lisa. Integreity! I don’t expect my leaders to be perfect but I sure don’t want them to pretend to be either.
I will have to also agree that leading with love gets so much more accomplished than any other way I can imagine.
[Reply]
Harold McKee
9:39 am
Some of the best leaders I have been around are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously and are always willing to learn from others. They also have a servants heart and are always looking to serve others when ever they get the chance.
[Reply]
Ian Black
9:39 am
Authentic, honest, isn’t afraid to admit their own faults, looks for the positives in all things, but is not afraid to address those things that need work.
These last two parts are incredible vital for me recently as I have realized that some of my current struggles with the leadership that surrounds me in my workplace are based here. I look at my team and see the positives and look for opportunities and situations to highlight their strengths and work with them to improve those areas that need improvement. I have a manager and another supervisor that I work with that look at the same team and only focus on the negative of the employee. The challenge for me is that they expect me to do the same. change is difficult for people. It is so much easier to get someone to listen to advice when you respond positively to them. When all you do is focus on the negative it shuts a person down.
The same can be said in a church leader. When more time is focused on the things that went wrong with an event and less on how lives were impacted it can be discouraging.
Ephesians 4:29 tells us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Amen and amen!
[Reply]
jhonnold
9:48 am
I like to think of God as the “Love boat captain.” Which is the name of a Pearl jame song. Here are the lyrics:
Is this just another day,… this god forgotten place?
First comes love, then comes pain. Let the games begin,…
Questions rise and answers fall,… insurmountable.
Love boat captain
Take the reigns and steer us towards the clear,… here.
It’s already been sung, but it can’t be said enough.
All you need is love
Is this just another phase? Earthquakes making waves,…
Trying to shake the cancer off? Stupid human beings,…
Once you hold the hand of love,.. it’s all surmountable.
Hold me, and make it the truth,…
That when all is lost there will be you,…
Cause to the universe I don’t mean a thing
And there’s just one word I stil believe
And it’s LOVE
It’s an art to live with pain,… mix the light into grey,..
Lost 9 friends we’ll never know,.. 2 years ago today
And if our lives became too long, would it add to our regret?
And the young, they can lose hope cause they can’t see beyond today,…
The wisdom that the old can’t give away
Hey,…
Constant recoil…
Sometimes life
Don’t leave you alone.
Watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ItYVn2jcGU
[Reply]
Jody
9:48 am
authenticity.
[Reply]
Joe Gomez
9:58 am
I watched part of the special on Billy Graham’s wife after she passed away. Her support in his life was something very special and it was evident that there relationship was built on love.
Paul talks about all the things that he could do to accomplish good works but he is very careful to mention that if he did any of them without love then they were for naught.
As far as what I am looking for in a leader – I guess it would be godly balance.
[Reply]
tonyyork
10:15 am
what a great question. i think something i would want in a leader is being able to relate to him or her. although i love my church i’ve been feeling like i can’t relate to the sermons. our pastor is older and a very wise man and i have a lot of respect for him, but i don’t feel like the sermons are always relavent to my life today. i’ve been listening to some of yours on the crosspoint site and i always feel like it’s something i can relate to. i feel like i’m being taught and not preached at if that makes any sense.
[Reply]
Amy
10:21 am
I am drawn to transparency, integrity, striving to live for God, kindness, an awareness of the power of words, and a passion for God which overflows into the lives of others. Loving people is definitely key. {I think I used to skip that part myself! My pastor told me the saying, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I hated hearing that at first! Becuase I just wanted to teach people the truth and not work hard to show my love to people. Yikes.}
[Reply]
Andrea Ludwig
10:37 am
Yeah…lots of good thoughts here. I’d like to agree with all of them especially integrity, clarity, and authenticity. But by far, what is head and shoulders above everything else I look for in a leader and I don’t back down from this ever, ever, ever is cool hair.
I’d follow you anywhere PWilson!!!!!
[Reply]
kc
10:42 am
I look for a leader who:
Is Enthusiastic about his product or service
Loves and repsects the people who support his/her leadership role
Is always looking to do things that keep his/her support staff engaged
Is Honest
Cares about those in all roles around him/her
Is always looking to improve those around him
Recognizes the talents of those around him/her
[Reply]
Joseph
11:56 am
kc could you clarify?
Would you follow PWilson or someone with cool hair?
I’m confused.
[Reply]
Harold McKee
12:04 pm
I don’t need someone who has all the answers. I just need someone who will call me on my stuff, love me regardless… someone intentional and present. Someone reflective – both in reflecting on their own spirituality instead of always focusing on the flaws in mine, as well as “mirror reflective” in that they will tell me of their life so I can mirror the lessons in my own. Make sense?
More than anything, I guess I want someone who is willing to let me stand on their shoulders so I can see farther than I can see on my own. And you’re right; no one would do that without love and respect for the person they are lifting up.
sara
http://www.gitzengirl.blogspot.com
[Reply]
sara
12:05 pm
I would say Love, but also as Mr. Ruggles said, someone who leads by example. That’s just one small part of being real and authentic to those you lead.
[Reply]
ncarnes
1:00 pm
Oh this is so good! I love it! I strive to be one who leads with love, but not my love which is so immature and apt to fail. So I also seek to be a leader who is real about my failings and honest about my dreams to strengthen my weaknesses for His credit.
I look for leaders who lead with compassion and humility.
I want to follow someone who equips me to pursue my passions for use within the Kingdom.
I want to follow someone who loves my wiring and gifting and seeks to see it used for HIS glory, even while in my quest to grow it and mature it. (The idea of growing it and maturing it WHILE using it as opposed to “waiting” till it’s fully developed.)
I seek to follow a leader who offers mercy and models right priorities.
I’ve been incredibly blessed to be married for 18 years to a man who seeks to lead like this. I’ve been incredible blessed to sit under several leadership structures in the Body of Christ who seek to lead like this. And I pray every day that my kids see it all, note it, and do their best to emulate it all for their ministries to the Father and The Body!
[Reply]
The Gang's All Here!
1:05 pm
Here’s an element that can be missing in some leaders: Teach UP with humility. Teach just a little over my head and it will draw me upward too.
[Reply]
New York Mary
1:25 pm
I was just thinking about Billy Graham this morning… and thinking about his wife Ruth who passed last year. I loved reading her poetry and writings about life lived alongside Billy. I have always hoped/worked to be a woman such as she was. She said one thing that always stuck with me about him, it went something like “I’d rather have 3 months with Billy than a whole year with someone else.” With him being gone on crusades most of the time they only got limited time to spend at home together. What a husband he must have been and what a wife and supporter she must have been. Very inspirational indeed and the amount of love that surrounded their lives must have been incredible.
[Reply]
amanda
1:36 pm
Simply:
VISION..HONESTY.. A LEADER WHO PRAYS!
[Reply]
Heidi
2:02 pm
definitely someone who is real. passionate. loves and teaches the word of God. wants to reach the lost.
[Reply]
Linnae Hoppe
2:05 pm
i just want to add to that last part. i love crosspoint because i feel like you are real and speak truth into our lives in a unique way, but way more than me getting anything out of the service, i can bring lost friends to church, people who need the Lord, or my mother who has been a believer for a long tim, and they all love it! i want to be in a church that of course wants the congregation the grow and love the Lord, but more importantly to reach the lost!
[Reply]
Linnae Hoppe
2:11 pm
@Linnae Hoppe, It has always been our desire to create environments at Cross Point where people feel comfortable and yet challenged, wherever they may be on the spiritual continuum.
[Reply]
Pete Wilson
2:35 pm
It seems like anyone who’s ever meet or spent time with Billy Graham, has seen the love of Jesus Christ work through him. what a great man he has been.
small group survey
Click Here to take survey
[Reply]
Kyle
2:55 pm
Confidence with humility.
[Reply]
Cindy Beall
4:43 pm
i like when leaders are approachable. so i guess that would fall into the humble category. i want to know theyre real. just like me.
[Reply]
tam
5:17 pm
Congrats Pete. This article just made the WordPress front page. I posted it on drop.io/waxonwaxoff. Thought your readers might like to see you on the front page.
[Reply]
Archie
9:05 pm
Pete,
I think you may have Brad beat in the comments/post ratio. Oh, and GREAT post, thanks so much for posting it!
[Reply]
Clayton Bell
9:56 am
@Pete, I think the church does an awesome job at it!
[Reply]
Linnae Hoppe
11:30 am
2 Trackbacks