What makes a Great Leader?

What makes a great leader? Is it charisma? Intellect? Emotional stability? Profit or productivity? If it could be one phrase, I would choose this one:

                        A great leader brings out the best in others.

Intellect, giftings, and personality of a charisma leader may help you for a while… but what makes an organization; whether a church, business, sports team, non – profit; is if the leader brings out the best in others.

Here are some thoughts about bringing out the best in your organization:

Share your heart – communicate vision that moves people… not just product.

Challenge your people to get involved – communicate to people not just to participate but to share the vision… to make it their own. This naturally comes out of intentional relationships.

Encourage – keep on encouraging your people. I think there is a HUGE misunderstanding in leaders today that think: “I could do things better…” This may be true, but it won’t help you or your organization. If your people do, at the most 80% of what you could have done, that will save you 100% of your time to focus somewhere else. In saying that, I am not encouraging delegation as much as bringing out the best. Get your people in their zone.

Example – you build the environment in your organization. You build what you are. Is your organization bringing out the best in people or are you using people to bring out your best?

Humility – helping others to be their best is to back out and let your best people lead. You don’t always have to be in the spot light… tough one, but the greatest leaders bring out the best in others.

The greatest organizations of all time; including businesses, sport teams, churches are ones that build a culture (that starts with the lead guy) on bringing out the best in others.