Skills are good. Creativity is fine. Results are important. Each of those, from a Christian perspective, is trumped by character.
We should never get so pragmatic that results, even if they are good results, are valued over a person’s character. Unlike the corporate world where leadership is measured by results (primarily profit), the Kingdom of God operates with a different set of standards.
How can we help younger leaders develop the right character? It starts with having the right character ourselves. We pass on what God has been doing within us.
With that one hopefully being a given, there are other things we can do to help a younger leader develop the right character.
- Lovingly challenge ungodly behavior and attitudes. Depending on their background, a younger leader may never have been shown what godly character looks like. When a selfish or sinful attitude appears, lovingly point it out and map out a positive strategy for moving forward.
- Catch them doing things right and reinforce it.
- Feed them reading material. Biographies, books on spiritual disciplines, and most of all — pertinent passages from the Bible.
- Encourage them to find an accountability group.
I’ve seen potential leaders overlooked or ignored because they had rough spots that rubbed older leaders the wrong way. If we are to take our task of developing leaders seriously, we must change we see these potential leaders. Rise to the challenge!