The 4 Principles of Effective Leadership

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE

Are you called to lead?
Are you an effective leader?
How can you improve your effectiveness as a leader?

The 4 Principles of Effective Leadership

The success of every family, business, and government depends upon its leadership.  The rise and fall of any institution or organization depends upon the quality of its leadership.  Leadership is vital in every area of life; there can never be too much written about it, because there is always more to learn.

There are two types of leaders: those who are born as leaders, and those who have learned to lead. Though there are very few who are naturally born to lead, most individuals are in a position of leadership to some extent. Some of these leadership roles include parent, grandparent, elder sibling, committee leader, head of a business or organization, supervisor or manager, etc. If we find ourselves in any of these positions, we must take the responsibility to learn how to lead those who are depending upon our guidance. When leaders lack natural leadership ability, they must rely on the grace of leadership. This grace is God’s strength, empowering us to lead effectively despite our own inadequacies.

There is a clear distinction between a leader and a manager. Management is about taking care of the present, while leadership is about inspiring others towards future possibilities. You cannot be an effective manager without some leadership skills, and you cannot be an effective leader without management skills.  

Like Moses, Biblical Entrepreneurs are called to lead our families, our employees, our customers, and our communities out of the bondage of an economic system that places money above God; greed above love; and profits above people, and into a paradigm that recognizes God as the owner and sovereign ruler of the universe. 

Godly leaders, through their example, will teach us that we all – whatever our position – are God’s stewards, and that we must give Him an account for our service to humanity, and our handling of His resources. This involves the leader expanding their own capacity, and the capacity of those entrusted to them, to perform their leadership and stewardship roles with ever-increasing excellence. 

Therefore, just as Jethro reminded Moses, we must also be reminded that we cannot fulfil our vision by ourselves. We must inspire the people around us to work with us to realize the vision the Lord has laid on our hearts.  

Leadership is the ability to cast a clear vision and provide direction and guidance to others through your example and influence.  If you are going to lead effectively, there are four basic principles that must be consistently demonstrated in the life of the leader.

These 4 leadership defining principles are :

1. Service
   Serving involves considering the needs of others before your own.  All effective leadership begins with service.  Every leader is a servant, but every servant is not necessarily a leader. The distinction between a leader and a servant is that a servant is only responsible to fulfil an assignment or project, whereas a leader must not only serve, but also assume the position of authority and the responsibility of oversight. 
   
   Faithful service leads to greater responsibilities. 
   
   
2. Responsibility
   To lead responsibly is to serve honorably, without exercising heavy-handed authority or projecting prideful superiority and oversight. As effective leaders serve faithfully, they are rewarded with greater responsibilities.  Effective leaders do not need continual on-site supervision, because they are always mindful of, and diligent toward, the responsibilities that have been bestowed upon them.
   
   Because success brings growth, if a responsible leader is going to continue to be effective, then they must learn to delegate.
   
   
3. Delegation
   Delegation means transferring the control and authority of an assignment to someone else, while still maintaining your own leadership responsibility. A responsible leader must be able to delegate effectively to ensure that tasks are completed to the required standards and within the set time frames. However, delegation is not the relinquishing of a leader’s responsibility. A leader cannot delegate something that they have not taken responsibility for.
   
   Delegation does not release the leader from their responsibilities – it leads to accountability.
   
   
4. Accountability
   To be accountable is to assume responsibility to achieve certain goals and provide ongoing reports on the status of those goals. Everyone is accountable to someone else. Effective leaders must give an account for their actions, and they must also receive an account from those who report to them. Without proper accountability, projects remain incomplete, and goals will not be met. 

How effective are you in the current leadership of your team, associates, and/or family? You can improve your current capacity to lead by reviewing how effectively you utilize each of these principles, and allowing the Lord to guide you to improve your leadership skills. 

My prayer for you today is that God will guide you to improve your leadership qualities, particularly in the areas of service, responsibility, delegation, and accountability, so that your team, associates, family, and Kingdom business will flourish for the glory of God.