Thoughts on Leadership

It’s hard to think of many men I have personally known who have had as much worldwide impact as John MacArthur.

So it was a tremendous privilege at the Legacy Conference to have him visit with us and share some of the lessons he has learned over the years about leadership. Here are a few of things I scribbled down as I was listening.

1. Leadership involves being able to accomplish things through others.
2. Leadership is about influence. It is not something you can demand. It is granted to you.
3. There are several different ways a person might attempt to get others to follow him. One is by causing them to fear, another is by manipulating them. Don’t! The best way is inspiration.
4. To have a sustained influence in other people’s lives there needs to be a consistency.
5. Virtually all leadership is verbal. If you want to inspire others you must be able to articulate the vision and articulate it with clarity.
6. Emphasizing the importance of verbal communication is not minimizing the significance of personal integrity. If there is a disconnect between what you say and what you are, people will believe what you are.
7. Selflessness needs to dominate. Your whole life as a leader needs to be a battle to advance your people. Don’t worry about your ministry. But always think about glorifying God and protecting His people.
8. Leaders need to see what others don’t. What makes a leader is trust. They trust that you are able to see what they can’t in a critical situation.
9. Authenticity is being true to biblical convictions. It’s being willing to deny yourself and do what is right for the glory of God. Leaders must define morality biblically and confront fake authenticity.
10. Attitude is more important than skill in looking for future leaders. Hire good attitude and train skill.
11. Leaders must work hard. They must be the first to serve. The currency of success is energy.
12. Kindness and joy are invaluable. Self-interest and consistent negativity are destructive. You want to give the people following a sense of sanctified fun.
13. You want to create an environment where good ideas are recognized and where they thrive by being willing to listen and promote what works best even if it comes from people other than you.