Leadership is a Calling

Leadership is a calling. We may not have been born leaders but we are all called to lead. How we respond to that calling is what makes us leaders. Just like any other calling, we have to pursue it and act on it if it is really our desire to respond. In my Filipino cultural upbringing, there is a popular saying:

“Nasa Diyos ang awa; nasa tao ang gawa.” Translated into English, it means, “Mercy resides in God; deeds are in men.” If we want something in life, we have to work at it. God rewards us for our hard work.

Leadership is, as leadership guru Stephen Covey said, “our birthright,” and our ability to lead is not a fixed trait that we are born with nor does it fully emerge overnight. Leadership ability has to be nurtured. Just like with any other talent or ability, we must put in the effort to develop it to make it useful. We need to have a growth mindset versus having a fixed mindset when thinking about leadership. Every single day is an opportunity to grow, improve, and maximize our God-given potential, including our leadership potential.

We have to scratch the thinking that we can never be leaders or that we just don’t have the qualities to be leaders. We may never be leaders on the world stage or at the top of a corporate ladder, but we, in our own ways and in our own personal sphere, can become leaders to the people around us, people we love and care for, people we are responsible for. Leadership, which comes from the root word "Laed" which means "show the way," gives us the opportunity to lead our brothers and sisters. But in order for us to be good leaders, we have to first know the WAY ourselves--the WAY that our leader, Jesus Christ, had shown us.

Looking at the Saints’ lives and stories, they fostered their leadership abilities similar to the way they grew in their saintliness. They were aided by the people around them, their families, and the people that surrounded them, and most importantly, their leadership, as well as their saintliness, were nurtured by constant prayer and discernment of the will of God. Their saintliness and leadership did not just happen one day. It was not just one great act of sainthood or martyrdom that defined their lives. In fact, their entire lives were spent training and growing so they would be prepared for the moment when God called them to lead and be holy. The Saints have what is called a “growth mindset.” They did not yield to the thinking that saintliness or leadership is just for the select gifted few. They knew that holiness or leadership qualities were not fixed traits. They understood that there is plenty of room for growth and improvement in the Christian journey. They heard God’s calling, stood up, and responded to the call. They pursued holiness with vigor and continued to do God’s will until they drew their last breath.

Stewart Friedman, author of the book Total Leadership and Leading the Life You Want, where he profiled some notable figures like Michelle Obama and Bruce Springsteen, concluded that people are not born to be great leaders. Friedman says that becoming a great leader requires persistence, passion, discipline, and courage to pursue what is important to you and to the people around you. Leadership is a skill—a learned or acquired ability and not a quality that people are born with. It is a skill available to us. It is a calling to us all, but we have to go after it. Some say that leadership can be taught, but really, it must be learned. Learning leadership is a two-way street. Someone can spend the time and effort teaching it, but we, the recipients, must spend the time and effort pursuing it, learning it, and wanting it. We need to recognize that leadership is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and sharpened. And it could take an entire lifetime to develop. Leadership is always a work in progress and there is always room for improvement. Leadership is a calling that needs to be heard, discerned, and honored.

For more about the lessons in leadership from the Saints, read my latest book, as I explore and dive deep into the lives of the Saints, looking for examples and models for today's leadership demands.