TRUE LEADERS ARE HONEST.

TRUE LEADERS ARE HONEST; THERE IS NO

MANIPULATION OR DECEPTION IN THEM.

Adam was comfortable in God’s company because he was just like Him. In effect, the nature of the leadership spirit is to be comfortable in the presence of power, authority, and might without being intimidated. When the leadership spirit is fully restored, you revere and respect God and His authority but are never fearful in His presence; you rejoice in His company. True leaders respect and honor authority but are comfortable in its presence.

THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP IS AN

OTHERWORLDLY CONFIDENCE

The restoration of the leadership spirit also brings a level of confidence that is not common, and that, in the eyes of many, seems to come from another world. Your thinking and perception come from a higher plane. When Jesus was on trial before the Roman procurator Pilate, the ruler asked Him, “Are you a king?” He answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.” In other words, “My government is from another place.” When a person rediscovers the leadership spirit, his confidence emerges from an understanding of who and what he is and an awareness of his true capacity and abilities. This natural confidence, grounded in a conviction of self-discovery and self-awareness, is so sure that it is sometimes mistaken for arrogance by the insecure.

THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP DEMONSTRATES

INTERNAL SOUNDNESS AND SECURITY

When you rediscover the leadership spirit, you love and are comfortable with yourself because you become aware that your self-worth, self-esteem, and self-concept are the result of the fact that you were made in God’s image and possess His qualities and characteristics. Suddenly, you’re not trying to compensate for a sense of inadequacy or inferiority, and you’re not trying to use or abuse people to make yourself feel superior.

The self-esteem derived from self-discovery sets you free from the assessments of others. When the estimation of your personal value and worth is found in your realization that you are in the “god-class,” in the sense of your being created in God’s image and likeness (though not equal to Him), then the result is a high self-esteem. This high self-esteem sets you free from the negative effects of other people’s opinions. That is the reason that you can serve them as a servant leader. Even if they mistreat you, it doesn’t affect your estimation of your value to them. This is why Jesus Christ could say on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” He knew how valuable He was to them – both in who He was and in what He was doing on their behalf. His self-esteem was intact, right to the end.

Because a true leadership spirit is borne out of a strong sense of self-worth and self-esteem, leaders can be compassionate, patient, forgiving, and kind. They do not need to gain their self-assessment from the people whom they are serving. They understand that you cannot set people free until you are free from them. If you need the people whom you are leading in order to feel important, then you cannot lead them. Ultimately, they end up leading you.

This is why discovering the leadership spirit is a prerequisite to serving. If you never discover who you are, you will always misinterpret the attitudes and actions of others. You’ll also underestimate everyone else – you’ll consider them less than what they really are because you’ll want to feel that you are above them. You will “under-esteem” them. However, you will treat people well and esteem them highly when you rediscover the leadership spirit and are secure in yourself.