Can Anyone Be a Good Leader?

Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” -  Exodus 4:10-12

A rich businessman once held a dinner party to which Calvin Coolidge had been invited. After Coolidge left, the man remarked that he thought Coolidge would one day make a good president of the United States. Some disagreed, feeling Coolidge lacked the personality and charisma needed to hold such a high office.

The man’s six-year-old daughter spoke up. “I like him,” she said, holding up her pointer finger with a bandage around it. “He was the only one at the party who asked me about my hurt finger.”

“And that’s exactly why he would be a great president,” added her father.

People very often value charm or charisma in their leaders over and above things like character and compassion. But the truth is, attractive personalities in leaders are often nothing more than a façade to mask their shortcomings.

Things like charisma and an attractive personality aren’t necessarily bad. But a good leader must have much more.

So instead of counting yourself out as a leader simply because you think you don’t have the right personality, look inside to the gifts God has given you, like compassion, wisdom, and character. When you do, you’ll find you do have what it takes to be a spiritual leader to others.

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to open your eyes to the gifts He’s given you that you can use to lead others.

Questions for Thought

When you think of a great leader, what leadership characteristics come to mind?

What might be the advantages of having a leader who focuses less on personality and more on things like compassion and wisdom?