What Will the Final Product Be?

Can you imagine and architect starting a building without having a final plan or idea of what it was going to look like? One of the first things that has to be done, when designing, is to calculate the final weight of the finished product to know how strong to make the foundation. Many terrible accidents have happened through the years because someone started building and then decided to add more and the foundation couldn’t handle it. All because they didn’t have the final product in view when they started.

I believe the same thing can be said for discipleship and leader training. How can we know how to train a leader if we don’t have an idea of what the final product should be, or what our goal is? I would like to give you some thoughts on what I think a leader should look like, and then give you what I think are the two most important things when training a leader.

There has been some argument in the past over whether a leader is born or made. That is, if someone is just naturally a leader or if leadership can be taught. I would like to say from personal experience that while some people are born with natural leadership ability, leadership can be developed and taught. Some people might even be a take charge kind of person, yet they lack important characteristics that will keep them from reaching their potential. Here are a few of these characteristics that we should look for and work on when training leaders:

Self- discipline, simply put, is a person that has “self” under control or disciplined. A self- disciplined person is someone who takes initiative on their own without being coerced. While we can help them at first to form habits, and we can motivate them, they eventual have to be self motivated and take the initiative. This is very important because, how can they lead others if they can’t lead themselves.

One of the greatest problems that we face today, in ministry, and life in general, is selfishness. Most people are more concerned with what they need and want, instead of being concerned about others. This is what Paul addressed in Phillipians 2 where he said, “Let this mind be in you.” We have the greatest example of selflessness when we look at Christ and what He did for us. He gave up the splendor of heaven to come to earth and suffer a horrible death so that we might be saved. That same mentality of selflessness is vital for someone that is going to be a leader because their main goal is to serve others.

One of the dictionary definitions of integrity is, “A state of being whole and undivided.” Integrity speaks of who a person really is at heart, not appearing one way but being another. Integrity is also doing what is right even when no one else knows about it. A person with integrity is someone that you trust in because you know they are honest and will not fail you.

Whats Most Important:
While all the these characteristics are important I think there are two things specifically that are most important when it comes to someone being a leader. When you are trying to train someone, your goal is to have them as prepared as possible so they can be successful. This can be frustrating, especially if you are a little bit of a perfectionist like me, because you want them to be perfect in every area. I’ve had to come to realize that no one is perfect, especially not me, and the person I am helping is not going to be perfect either. So what is my goal going to be?

When someone has a personal relationship and walk with the Lord, one of the first things you will see is that they are quick to recognize their faults and weaknesses. This comes from being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His convicting of sin, and a desire to be pleasing to the Lord. This person is not always trying to rationalize their sin or blame it on someone else. Even when they might not be the main one at fault, they still recognize their part and are willing to make it right. The second part to this is that once they recognize their fault they must be willing to do something about it.

The second key characteristic is that they are constantly working on those area where they lack. They are never satisfied or complacent with where they are but realize their need for continual growth. This is both in the areas where they have weaknesses and also in other areas where they can improve. This means they are reading, studying, meditating, and seeking godly council on a regular basis.

So, while we have a desire is to see the person we are helping have all of these characteristics before mentioned, if we can see in them these last two, most important characteristics, then we can know that they are on the right track. Not that we won’t continue to help them, but we will know that they are well on their way to becoming the leader that they should be.  As you seek to train leaders, work to help them develop a personal walk with the Lord and a personal growth in their lives. What are some of the things you have done to help others grow in these areas? I would love to hear from you.