Leadership is First of All Love

Leadership, for too long, has been characterized by arrogance and self-righteousness that often led to hypocrisy as leaders developed a self centered agenda then strived to conceal who they really were. If leadership is tied to influence then it stands to reason that a key to effective leadership is relationship. The key to successful relationship is love. This idea of a leader being qualified through influence; influence being dependent on relationship; and relationship being enhanced by love is supported by Bruce Winston in his book Be a Leader for God’s Sake when he asserts that “leadership is first of all love!” If we want to get a clear picture of what this kind of leadership looks like, all we have to do is look at Jesus. If leadership is first of all love, then God help me to be a leader like Jesus!