Developing Young Leaders - Dr. Jon Spence
February 18th, 2008 | 3:14pm
No matter what is written or said about leadership, it always comes down to influence. It is a sobering fact that, regardless of my role, my words and actions influence the decisions others make with their lives. As I work with others around me, I am responsible to assist them in connecting the dots between who God designed them to be and how they are to use their wiring to impact the world. For the past 20 years I have had the privilege to work with young people as they develop their potential. The Lord has helped me to define three principles of leadership that I try to emphasize with young people that will help them regardless of the context of their lives:
Leaders never come off the clock. I watch the counter help every time I go into a fast food restaurant just to see initiative in action. In a matter of seconds I can tell whether the young person serving me views his job as a means for financing his car and insurance or if he recognizes he holds the power of a customer’s return to the restaurant. It’s the concept of ownership. A leader doesn’t have the luxury of deciding when he is or isn’t going to be an example; the true leader takes ownership of his place in each situation. As David stated his case before Saul in I Samuel 17, his readiness for Goliath was based on his ownership of his father’s sheep (I Samuel 17:34-36). It is critical to teach young people that some of the greatest leadership lessons are learned when they take ownership of what seems like meaningless moments. Leaders do not ride the bench. When I go to football games, I often watch the players on the sideline. For many, this is symbolic of their lives; never participating in the action, never expecting to make an impact on the results of the contest. Often people take on the persona of a benchwarmer; that their existence is just to fill space. Yet, God took the time to create each individual with amazing potential only to be maximized when that individual partners with Him. Gideon only saw himself as a benchwarmer, “the least of the least (Judges 6:15).” When he chose to trust and obey the Lord’s command, Gideon was transformed into a mighty warrior who led a small band of men to defeat an enemy that numbered in the thousands (Judges 7:21-25). We must engrain in young people that regardless of their level of development, God created each person to accomplish extraordinary things in His time frame. God does not create people to live pedestrian lives; each person is uniquely wired to be an impact player. Leaders utilize reliable metal detectors. It is rare that while on trips to the beach that I don’t see someone with a metal detector searching for valuables. In warfare, metal detectors saved lives by revealing buried explosives. Leadership is no different. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was a metal detector. He saw that Moses’ governing practices were both ineffective and unhealthy (Exodus 18:17-22). When Moses followed Jethro’s advice to change his system, he became a more effective leader. Great leaders readily point to their support system as the backbone of success. Young leaders are in desperate need of supporting advisors who recognize potential and can operate as metal detectors in their lives. These mentors reveal both the land mines and the buried treasure that transports young leaders to new levels of maturity and productivity for the Kingdom.
