The word “Leader”

The word “Leader” is used a lot these days. From teachers to police officers, from coaches to artists, and from actors to sports players. Everyone wants to “lead” something. But, what does it mean to lead? And is “leader” something that one can ascribe to themselves? 

I have come to believe that “leader” can mean a number of things but they all come back to one simple reality–there are people following. I do not mean “followers” on Instagram. I mean people who respect you enough to say, “I want to be more like them, and so I am going to model myself after them!” What is interesting about this is that it is not manufacturable. You can’t just decide that others are going to follow you. In fact, you can’t even decide if they like, respect, or admire you. 

What you CAN do is live a life that attracts people to it. Living a life of authentic grace positions one really well to lead. Of course, it is unlikely that you will even realize that is what is happening for quite some time. But one day, you wake up and recognize that you have been leading for 20 years, and never realized that it was even happening–or at least that is how it happened for me! 

Sure, I had been a teacher, a coach, a trainer and (most importantly) an older brother. I knew that people always told me I was a “natural leader” and I recognized that I was often found in positions of leadership (even without trying). But, it never really occurred to me that I was actually created for the purpose of leadership. Of course, that brings up HOW to be a leader, which is really only a fancy way to say servant. But that will have to wait for another time.