Where True Leadership Starts

“He that would govern others, first should be master of himself”—Philip Massinger.

When you picture a true leader, what do you see? The average person pictures a good leader as somebody who upholds high standards and can help get those under his or her care through adversity. Great leaders are often known to be selfless and caring.

The world today has a shortage of true leaders. How many are truly unselfish? How many avoid all corruption and never take advantage of their position and power? How many successfully help their followers through adversity? In too many nations we see the results of selfishness, corruption and brutal dictatorships.

So, how do we find true leaders? Or better yet, how do we become true leaders?

How leaders are made

There have been a number of true leaders through history—great people who brought their followers through great trials. Many of these people are not very well known. Many of the greatest leaders are the quiet leaders in the community who are never publicized, but who lead on just the same. What makes these people so great?

Leaders, true leaders, are not just any average Joe who walks in off the street. True leaders are men and women who rise to the occasion and fulfill a need. They put their needs aside and focus on the needs of others. They stand strong and provide an example for everyone who follows.

One example of a leader who rose to the occasion is David, the shepherd boy who came to be king over the ancient nation of Israel.

When Israel was fighting the Philistines, a gigantic, mountain of a man came and confronted them. This man, Goliath, challenged the Israelites to send one of their warriors to fight him in one-on-one combat. The warriors of Israel trembled upon seeing him, and nobody would dare to take the challenge.

David, a shepherd boy running an errand for his father, heard Goliath confront the warriors of God’s nation and rose to the occasion. When nobody else would rise up and fight, David took the challenge and with God’s help successfully killed the mighty Goliath (1 Samuel 17:20-51). This proved to everybody that David was a leader, and he led Israel until his death many years later.

From within and not without

The example of David shows us something very important about leadership—something that we need to know in order to be true leaders and to know how to spot true leaders. David was not the most impressive person visibly, since Samuel was more impressed with the appearance of David’s older brothers (1 Samuel 16:6-7). However, David’s character and faith were what made him the leader that he was.

It is not what is outside of a person that makes him a great leader. Someone who was raised to be a king can be as poor or as good a leader as someone else who was brought up in a one-room shack. What matters is what is inside of that person. If the person is already caring and selfless, then he will most likely be so whenever he rises to the occasion and leads.

In order to lead others, however, we must first have abilities in self-leadership or self-control (Galatians 5:23, 1 Timothy 3:5). If we cannot control and lead ourselves, then how can we lead others? A leader without self-control is a hypocrite—a false leader who hurts his people much more than he helps them.

Without self-control, we do not fare well in life. A lack of self-control is a weakness that our enemies, particularly Satan, will gleefully take advantage of. However, when we are leaders, the effects of this weakness are much worse. If you are by yourself, then your weakness leads only to your downfall. However, if you are leading others, then your weakness can lead to the downfall of others. If we are caring leaders, then this is simply unacceptable.

Preparing for leadership

Many godly leaders are preparing themselves now by building self-control and looking for ways to serve and help others. We can join these true leaders if we learn to control ourselves, for it is not what is outside that creates a leader, but true leadership starts on the inside.

Joshua Travers is currently a high school senior from the Athens, Ohio, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.

For more about leadership, see:

• Dare to Lead
• Leadership Secrets of Nehemiah
• In Training to Be Kings and Priests
• Even Total Strangers Are Watching You