Real Leadership is Hard to Find

A number of years ago, a young man who took over the presidency of Missouri's second largest university at age 31, was confronted by his dad with this proposal: 'Why don't you take a cut in pay, mow your own lawn, and prepare your own meals and provide some leadership in education?" Dr. Arthur L. Mallory left Missouri State University and became the best commissioner of education Missouri has ever had. Following his tenure as commissioner, Arthur became president of the Missouri Baptist Convention where he again provided great leadership.

Dr. Mallory is a servant leader and a dedicated Christian. His entire family serves our Lord in various capacities and it was a privilege for me as Chairman of the Missouri Higher Education Authority (MOHELA) to give him a plaque indicating our appreciation for his leadership to Missouri students and families.

Sue recently gave me a book entitled "The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham." I have not completed reading this accounting of Dr. Graham's leadership, but what I have read suggests that he was not much of a speaker or leader until he gave himself totally to Christ. Could this be the key to great leadership? When you study leadership, very little credit is given to Jesus as a leader; however, even if you take the fact that He was the Son of God out of the equation, the fact remains that more that 2000 years after he lived, more that 75% of American adults claim belief in His deity and more that 2 billion folks worldwide claim that same belief.

Rick Warren is pastor of a church that has 70,000 believers. When you look at the ministries of Dr. Warren and Dr. Graham, you must conclude that these folks have some special abilities in the way of leadership. President Woodrow Wilson said: "Absolute identity with one's cause is the first and great condition of leadership." Jim Collins, who authored "Good to Great," said this: "We were surprised, shocked really to discover that real leadership requires a paradoxical blend of humility and 'ferocious resolve.'"

The world tries to keep the leadership of ministers, preachers, and popes in the church. Sadly, we as believers often do the same. But when you think about it, the greatest leaders in our world are believers. You and I might be one of those hard to find leaders if we would do what Billy Graham did a long time ago - give ourselves totally to God.