What do people want in their leaders?

In 1993 James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner wrote Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It.  In 2011 the book was revised based upon new research they had done in the intervening years.  The book examines the reasons people follow the leaders they choose to follow and looks at the traits people identify as the most important qualities they look for in their leaders.  One interesting finding in the book is that the top three qualities had not changed in the nearly two decades since the first book was released.  These top three qualities are

1. Integrity (honest, trustworthy, a person of character and conviction)
2. Competence (capable, productive, and efficient)
3. Leadership (inspiring, decisive, and provides direction)

The writers explain that "The key to unlocking greater leadership potential can be found when you seek to understand the desires and expectations of your constituents and when you act on them in ways that correspond to their image of what an exemplary leader is and does."  This is true whether you are the head of a Fortune 500 company or the pastor of a bivocational church.  People will be more willing to follow you if you exhibit these three qualities and they will be more committed to helping you achieve the vision you have laid out before them.

As I work with church leaders I see some who exhibit some of these three qualities but not all of them.  Some are totally honest people but they lack competence.  It's not that they don't try to accomplish good things; they just don't know how.  Some lack leadership abilities.  The way they relate to the people they serve fails to inspire those people.  They have no vision for the future of the church so they are unable to provide direction.  Like the Israelites in the Wilderness, the church spends its time wandering in the wilderness under their leadership.  The saddest group however are those leaders who lack integrity.  Because of their track record people no longer trust them to tell the truth.  Of the three, integrity is the most important because if the people do not trust you no one will follow you regardless of how talented you might be.  The most successful church leaders are those who show evidence of all three qualities.

Now that you know what people are looking for in their leaders, and if the statement in the second paragraph is true, now is a good time to examine yourself and see how you rate on these three qualities.  As part of that evaluation you should try to see yourself through the eyes of those you are leading.  How would they evaluate you in these three categories? 

Competence and leadership can be learned, and as a person called to a leadership position you should be committed to growing in each of these areas.  Integrity is an inside job and has to do with your character.  Once integrity is violated and people view their leader as a person that cannot be trusted it is very difficult to earn back that trust.  Congregations will often offer grace to a pastor who leads them in a ministry that doesn't produce the desired results; much less grace is often afforded the pastor who violates their trust in his or her integrity.  I once heard a long-tenured pastor of a church say that even when people did not necessarily agree with the direction he sought to take them as a congregation they were willing to follow him because they knew his heart.  They trusted his intentions because they trusted him as a man of integrity.

As I read the section of the book that addressed these issues I was reminded again of how important a long tenure is in a church, especially a smaller church that has experienced frequent pastoral turnover.  It takes time to prove you are a person of integrity.  It takes time to prove one's competence and ability to lead, and until these qualities are proven to the congregation they are unlikely to accept the pastor as a leader in the church.

If you are a leader of a church, or any organization for that matter, keep these three qualities in mind at all times.  Be a person of your word.  Don't promise something if you do not intend to keep it.  Remember that people are watching you at all times so be a person of character.  Work as much as possible in the areas of your strengths because that is where you will be most competent.  Prayerfully seek God's vision for your church and lead the people in the fulfillment of that vision. Demonstrate courage and lead.  As you consistently focus on demonstrating these three qualities in your life and ministry you will find greater acceptance as a leader, and one day you'll suddenly notice just how far you have led the people God has given you.