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ahead - to visualize and plan on
beyond the immed iate present.
He must also have a
GOAL.
If
his
goal is practica! and right, if he has
the foresight to realistically create
p lans and programs lead ing to that
goal- he will certainly command the
respect of others and be a true leader.
The veritable modero "father" of
West Germany, the late Chancellor
Konrad Adenauer, asked: "What
makes a statesman great
?"
Then be
answered: "He needs first of all a
dear conception of what is possible.
Then he needs a dear conception of
what he wants. Finally, a great leader
must have the power of his convic–
tions, a
moral driving force .
Churchill
radiated it. He had fire aod dariog
from the days of his adventurous
youth."
A
Leader Must LEAD
and DECIDE
A certain amount of speed and de–
cisiveness is found in the makeup of
every great leader. For a leader has
got to be ahead of those who are fol–
lowing him. He must be alert, chart–
ing the course ahead - and able to
decide qtlickly
the right cotuse of
action when problems come up. This
requires a degree of mental toughness
and courage which many just do not
have.
But these are qualities of Christ
Himself, aod they may be acquired
- to a degree at least - by any
Christian who asks Almighty God for
them in prayer and seeks to build, use
and exercise these qualities.
When Jesus found God's Temple
beiog turned into a house of merchan–
dise at the Passover season, He did not
go off to meditate, call a committee
meeting, or ponder what to do. He
took decisive action. As the Son of
God, He had the right to dean out
that temple - and He d id
!
He
courageously and vigorously strode
through the temple courts, overturned
the tables of the money changers and
ordered the money changers out. He
then made a whip of cords and drove
the cattle out.
PLAIN TRUTH
June
1972
A leader with this type of decisive–
ness and courage wi ll bounce back
from defeat or adversity. He will
NOT
be a "quitter.'' Even though his course
of action may some6mes be unpopu–
la.r, a true leader will have the spiritual
• and mental resources to see it through
and not be deterred by criticism or
adversity.
Comradeship and Delegation
A leader must know how to work
with other people. He must command
their admiration and respect- their
trust, loyalty and responsiveness. Also,
he must be able to so prod aod
organize them that they achieve
thei r maximum potential under bis
guidance.
Genuine friendliness and outgoing
concern for others are two hallmarks
of a great leader. He has time for a
smile,
a
friendly chat, and shows
sincere interest in the lives, hopes and
dreams of those under his charge. He
builds a sense of comradeship with
those under him, so that they feel free
to share their ideas and suggestions
with him.
A leader does
uot
live in
a
remote
ivory tower . He doesn't hesitate to call
conferences and meetings at which bis
assistants and subordinates can have an
opportunity to share their views re–
garding problems that face their na–
tion or organizatioo.
A top leader is always able to
com–
mmúcate.
He has trained himself to
think clearly, and therefore he is able
to express himself with clarity and
persuasiveness to his subordinates. In
this way, they can accurately grasp his
ideas, goals, and also bis specific in–
structions without wandering about in
hopeless confusion- as actually hap–
pens from time to time in many great
organizations. Because of
his
ability
and
willingness
to communicate, he
is able to create a
rmity of
pt~-rpose
among his subordinates and achieve
vigorous action out of this otherwise
dissimilar group.
In most cases, a leader should accept
the responsibility for the mistakes of
tbe subordinates he himself has se–
lected. In like manner, he should,
when possible, give them public credit
for their triumph. In ali of this, he
will win their confideoce by the con–
tinua! example of
fairness and hor1esty
in al! of his dealings with tbose under
him.
A leader must be willing to
dele–
gate a1tthority
to others or he will find
himself runoing a one-man army, a
one-mao store or a one-mao enterprise.
He must have the discernment and
ins ight tó select as his administrators
men and women of ability, honesty
and balance.
Indeed, an executive's ability to do
this very thing and to
train
the new–
comers,
organize
those functioning
undet him and
inspire
them to ac–
complishment is one of the greatest
tests he must face.
Character and I ntegrity
If
a leader's motives are continually
being called in question by bis fol–
lowers, he is
through
as a leader. He
must consistently set an example of
fairness, integrity and high moral
character if his group or enterprise is
worth "leading" in the first place.
Self-discipline
is an absolute must
for a man of leadership. T he minute
he allows his morals to begin to
erode, the minute he begins letting
clown, hit6ng the bottle, engaging in
unethical cooduct- that minute may
well be the point at which bis leader–
ship begins to erode and thus be the
turning point in bis entire future. Very
few men indeed can have a feeling of
faithfulness and loyalty to an example
of instability, dishonesty, weakness, or
debauchery.
A true Christian leader - the kind
that will last - is ooe who adheres
scrupulously to the principies of the
Ten Commandments. He will be
thinking far more about what is
"right" than what is expedient. His
personal integrity will be above ques–
tion to everyone who really .knows
him, and his sense of faithfulness and
loyalty will permeate his institution.
lt
is here that in a very real and im-
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