Positive Leadership

By David P. Murray

It can be difficult for Christian leaders to maintain a positive outlook. Multiple obstacles, difficulties, discouragements, and frustrations with ourselves and with others can pull us down and create an extremely negative “can’t do” attitude. As this can often happen so slowly that we don’t even notice it, let me hold up the mirror of positive leadership to help us examine ourselves and to encourage a return to more biblical attitudes and actions.

Is Cheerful

When people think of you, what image or picture immediately comes into their minds? When they hear your name, it’s as if a little passport picture of you pops out of their mental files. What does that picture look like? Is it glum, sad, hopeless, and depressed? Or is it happy, joyful, and cheerful? Or is it robotic neutrality—a Stoic of the Stoics?

The positive leader possesses and projects a happy attitude and appearance. He’s not Mr. Happy all the time; he knows there is a time for sobriety and sorrow. But on the whole, he is an optimist rather than a pessimist. He enjoys his work, he looks forward to each day (or most days), and he tries to find the silver lining on the darkest clouds, a smiling face behind the darkest providence. He faces problems in the church and in individual lives with optimistic hope, trusting that God’s Word and Spirit can make the most impossible situation possible.

This cheerfulness is not a matter of natural temperament, although most people God chooses to be leaders do have a happier disposition. The joy of the Lord is his strength (Neh. 8:10). He builds his happiness out of his knowledge and experience of God. He rejoices in his own salvation by grace, his own fellowship with the Lord, his knowledge of God’s Word, and his divine calling to the ministry.

A sunny character and joy-filled words attract people and empower them. It is much easier to follow such a person than someone who looks like a tornado and who speaks like an undertaker.

Is Climbing

In Scotland, there’s a hobby called “Munro-bagging.” A Munro is a mountain that is over three thousand feet high and “Munro-baggers” spend their leisure time “bagging” (climbing) these Munros. They plan, organize, train, buy supplies, enlist friends, rise early, drive many hours, and then they climb…and climb…and climb. After bagging their first Munro, most usually aim for 10, then 100, then 200, until, after many years, all 283 peaks are conquered—all this while the rest of us are enjoying our Saturday morning sleep-ins.

Positive Christian leaders are Munro-baggers rather than sleep-ins. They are not content with the comfortable status quo, or with managing gradual decline. They are looking out for, planning, or taking on the next Munro. I’m not talking here of personal ambition or careerism but a passion to help others climb higher, grow stronger, move onward, upward, and outward in their Christian faith and life.

He doesn’t want to leave people where they were when he found them. He wants to help them “bag some Munros.” He can look back on a congregation’s past achievements and attainments with pleasure, but he doesn’t rest on that. He’s looking for new challenges, new Munros to climb with his people. He looks at each individual and family, as well as the whole congregation, and asks how he can help them to progress, grow, and mature. What aspects of a person’s character could be developed? What areas of a family’s life could be improved? What service opportunities can be provided for this person? What unexplored area of Scripture should be studied? What outreach or mission can we attempt? What relationships can be strengthened?

Isn’t that the spirit of Christ’s leadership? And the apostles? And it’s not just pastors who can do this. Young people and women can do this to some degree in their own spheres of responsibility. What spiritual Munros are you planning to bag? For yourself? Your family? Your congregation? Your friends?

Is Confident

I once attended a mountain-climbing church camp in the Scottish Highlands where we were trying to bag a number of Munros. On the second day, we set out on a fairly ambitious trek. About halfway through, the mist and rain enveloped us, separating us into small detached groups going in different directions, and very soon all of us were lost. At one point, a bedraggled handful of us decided that the way back to base was over a particular mountain. We started climbing, but when we got about half-way up we could hardly see in front of our noses and decided to re-trace our steps. On the way down, we were relieved to meet our camp leaders on the way up the mountain.

“Oh!” we said, “So we were heading in the right direction after all?”

“I don’t know,” replied the Commandant, “we were just following you. You seemed to know where you were going.”

Needless to say, we immediately lost any remaining confidence in our leaders and spent the rest of the week, which was filled with similar disasters, doubting, second-guessing, and double-checking all our leaders’ plans. It was not enjoyable.

A positive leader has to convey a certain degree of confidence. He knows where he’s going, how he’s going to get there, and what he’s going to do when he arrives. Without this, who’s going to be inspired to follow his direction and instruction?

This is not about self-confidence, a confidence in personal abilities, but a confidence founded in the sovereignty of God and the promises of His Word. We can build people’s confidence by demonstrating a high degree of consistent competence in our calling (in administration, communication, organization, etc.), by living a holy life, and by developing a reliable, steady witness. But we especially build confidence by how we react in times of crisis.

When a respected elder falls into immorality and apostatizes, the positive leader doesn’t panic and throw in the towel. Instead, though grieving over the sin and the shame brought upon the church, he expresses confidence in God and His providence. He will say with the apostles, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 John 2:19); “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you” (1 Cor. 11:19). He demonstrates his calm faith in Christ’s promise: “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

When a little child dies of cancer, a positive leader of course sympathizes and weeps with those who weep, but he also directs the distressed mourners to the sovereign, good, and wise character of God, to the sufferings of Christ, and to the sure hope of eternal life. He does not misrepresent God as helpless, clueless, and loveless.

Doubting, hesitating, prevaricating leaders will replicate themselves in others. But a confident leader inspires confident people, their confidence not being in the leader, but in the One who leads him.

Is Clear

The positive leader has clear principles and convictions that He will not compromise. Yes, there are secondary issues and debatable questions, but there are also non-negotiables. The positive leader does not hide these things or waffle when asked about them. People who have known him for a while know where he stands on the most important questions.

He also has clear language. He states his understanding of God’s Word with as clear language as possible. He strives for simplicity in his communication without sacrificing accuracy. He uses short rather than long sentences; short words rather than long words; concrete rather than abstract terms; illustrations rather than philosophical terms. His motto is “Brevity + Simplicity = Clarity.”

Clear principles and clear language are impossible without a clear conscience. This was something Paul strove for constantly (Acts 24:16). When I hear someone being evasive on whether something is right or wrong or true or false, I immediately wonder about the person’s conscience. Is there some compromise in that person’s life that’s making it difficult for them to explain their position without their conscience protesting?

The leader also communicates positively by having a clear vision. Everyone can understand his vision. They know what he is trying to accomplish, where he is taking people, and why. Why not ask people to state in one sentence, “What do you think I am all about?” or “What do you think I’m trying to accomplish?”

Is Communicative

Weak, negative, fearful leaders hear the phrase “Knowledge is power” and think, “Yes, the more I know, the more powerful I’ll be.” The positive leader hears “Knowledge is power” and thinks, “How can I empower people by sharing knowledge with them?” I am still amazed at the way some pastors and elders try to keep people from knowing what’s going on in the church. Of course, some things should be kept confidential, but the default should always be share, inform, communicate. So much trouble results in churches when elders and pastors try to starve people of information with an attitude that says, “We know what’s best for you.” It’s almost impossible to keep people from knowing things today; what’s the point in trying? They only get suspicious and feel angry and distrusted when the information eventually does get to them. Then you are on the back foot trying to explain and defend yourself. The positive leader gets on the front foot and defaults to communicate rather than conceal.

Is Courageous

A fearful leader cannot lead. I’m not saying a leader never fears. Of course, he does. I wouldn’t follow anyone who never felt afraid; such a man is not brave but a fool. But I’m describing someone who is characterized and overwhelmed by fear. He is dominated by it and makes his decisions based on it.

A positive leader is someone who doesn’t stop, paralyzed and useless, when fear rises. Rather, he takes his fear to the Lord, confesses it, and seeks courage to overcome it and to act bravely.

Animals can smell fear—but so can humans! People will be able to tell when cowardice is dominating and directing your decisions, words, and actions. They will smell the fear behind your favoritism, excuses, and indecision. They will lose respect for you, stop following you, and even start intimidating you.

So what does courageous leadership look like in pastoral ministry? It is demonstrated in evangelism, in preaching the whole counsel of God, in dealing with discipline cases without prejudice, in reforming the church, and in taking unpopular stands against sin in the church and in the world.

Is Compassionate

This vision of positive leadership may have built up a caricature in your mind of a person who is self-assured, self-confident, and maybe a bit self-centered. However, I want to demolish that by emphasizing lastly that a positive leader is a caring and compassionate person. He is not self-centered but other-centered.

Speaking of pastors in particular, some try to lead congregations through preaching alone—leading from the pulpit. Others have tried to lead through being effective administrators—leading from the office, you might say. And then of course there are the dictators—leading through tyrannical abuse of power. However, none of these work long-term. A positive leader is out among his people, present with them, caring for them, and providing for them. And that’s not just when illness, bereavement, or problems arise; that would be reactive leadership; positive leadership means getting out in front of the problems and trials, getting to know people in the calm, not just appearing in the storm. It’s building relationships over years so that trust and credibility is present when real difficulties arise. The positive leader is not just waiting for trouble; he’s positively investing in lives and families over the long-term.

Conclusion

There are many leadership types in the Bible but, on the whole, the most commended leaders are those who demonstrate this positive approach to their high calling.