IS Leader

What is a "Leader"?

Take some time and REALLY think about YOUR definition of a leader.

In my opinion, we are in desperate need of "leaders" because we are currently NOT teaching people what a leader OUGHT to be. The Bible tells us what "Leaders" OUGHT to be. In fact, having "Leaders" would alleviate A LOT of the problems we face today. Instead we have IS "Leaders".

There are A LOT of books written on "Leadership", yet very few ACTUALLY give a definition for "Leader". The ones that do, give a flawed definition. Let's look at a couple of them...

Definition #1: Someone who has followers

This is the most basic and misleading definition. People have "followers" for a variety of reasons and various lengths of time. This definition is easy to disprove, so we now have a more popular candidate...

Definition #2: Someone who has influence over others

This seems to be the current definition by the most popular "Leadership" authors. In fact, in some of these books, "Leadership" is boiled down to "influence". When this definition comes up, I respond with: "If someone slips on a banana peel, that would influence me not to step on it. Is that person my "Leader"?"

A list that is making the rounds contrasts "Leaders" with "Managers"...

Definition #3+:
•Managers administer; leaders innovate.
•Managers ask how and when; leaders ask what and why.
•Managers focus on systems; leaders focus on people.
•Managers maintain; leaders develop.
•Managers rely on control; leaders inspire trust.
•Managers have a short-term perspective; leaders have a long-term perspective.
•Managers accept the status quo; leaders challenge the status quo.
•Managers have an eye on the bottom line; leaders have an eye on the horizon.
•Managers are the classic good soldier; leaders are their own people.
•Managers are a copy; leaders are original.

This is a list of EFFECTS!!!!

We are looking for the DEFINITION of "Leader"...we are looking for the CAUSE!!!!

With all of these definitions, my MAIN question is to ask if Hitler and/or Satan were "Leaders". Look at the "definitions" that have been presented...Hitler and Satan fit as "Leaders".

When I ask this question of people who run "Leadership Institutes" or "Leadership Training", their answer is, "Yes, but Hitler (or Satan) was a bad leader".

The problem is their institute and training session aren't called "Good Leadership Institute" or "Good Leadership Training"...so I respond by asking them when the "Hitler Training" begins. In fact, these contradictory definitions ultimately lend themselves to saying that Hitler had “some good leadership” AND EVERYONE has a little bit of Hitler in them.

Hitler was NOT a "Leader".

Satan was NOT a "Leader".

Be careful how you define "Leader"

Take some time to create your definition of "Leader"...

Tomorrow we will look at a non-contradictory definition of "Leader".

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