Leadership is influence exuding from character. If you have no influence over people, they will not follow you. If you want to be a leader, you have to learn how to develop your influence. The amount of influence you have will be determined by what kind of person you are---your character. Your character will also determine the type of people who will follow you.

Important questions arise from this simple definition:

Are Leaders Born or Made?

Some people are born into families of influence, and therefore inherit a certain amount of influence from their family's reputation. For example, a young preacher may be respected and believed simply because people know and respect his father. His father has paved the path before him. I know that this was the case for me.

My father is a great man in many ways. He is the most honest man I have ever known---never have I known him to tell a lie. He is faithful. He has continued to serve the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully through many problems, setbacks, and heartaches. People that know him well know that he will never stop until the goal he is leading them toward has been achieved. They never question his determination or ability to reach the goal, but just assume that the goal will eventually be reahed. He is a proven achiever, having successfully established several churches. In fact, we recently attended the organizational service of the Clearview Baptist Church in Desoto, Kansas---the forth church my dad has established. Dad is 83 years old and still a stong leader.

Because I am my dad's son and grew up under his direction, people automatically believe that I will be like him. And of course, to a certain degree they are correct in believing this. My dad set a very good example before me, and I did learn a lot from him. I should be capable of following in his footsteps, and even exceeding his accomplishments. Since I have his accomplishments to build upon, I should be able to go further faster. And my sons should be able to do even more yet.

However, what should happen is not always what happens. A son is not his father. A son may not have listened to his father, or may have misunderstood what his father taught. Or a father may not have taught his son, or perhaps lived differently at home than he did in the public eye. Inherited influence is not in one's genes, but in his family's history. His father was respected and had influence because of his high character. Such inherited influence can be easily lost. All it takes is for the son to display a different character for a sufficient space of time for all of that inherited influence to disappear.

Some people are born into famlies of such bad reputation that they inherit no influence at all except among the criminal element. This can be hard to overcome, but some of the greatest Christian leaders of all time were saved out of such a heritage. It is important to remember that inherited influence is not inherited in one's genes, but merely in one's family history. All it takes is for the son to display a different character for a sufficient space of time for all of that inherited infamy to disappear. In other words, leadership can be learned, and leaders can be made. You can be a leader if you want to be one bad enough to make the necessary changes in your character.

Earned influence is therefore more important than inherited influence in the process of leadership.

How Many Followers Does It Take To Make Someone a Leader?

The answer is: one. If there is anyone at all following you---if you have influence over even just one person---, then you are a leader. As you learn and put into practice more and more leadership principles you will gain more followers.

However, quality of leadership is not determined by the number of followers. Most people in this world do not follow Jesus--they follow Satan. Does that make Satan a greater leader than Jesus? Consider the implications of this question well before you base your ministry on an answer.

The answer is, no, Satan is not the greater leader. The greatness of leadership is not determined by the number of followers, but by winning the war.

How Can Phony Leadership Be Detected?

True leadership is not a position. It is influence based on character. A pastor is not a true leader if he is an ear tickler, telling people what they want to hear instead of the truth. Aaron may have seemed to be Israel's leader while Moses was up on the mount, but when he yielded to their demands and made a golden calf of their earrings, he showed himself to be a mere follower---not a leader. He was a leader by position, but not in reality---true leadership is based on strength not weakness.

Remember that Jesus told people the truths they needed to know for the sake of their eternal destinies, even though the end result was that thousands of them left him and never followed him again. He was left with only 12 disciples, of whom one was Judas Iscariot. Read about this in John chapter six.

So, contray to what is commonly taught, great leadership cannot be measured by the number of followers but only by winning wars (be they physical or spiritual).

Can a Wicked Man Be a True Leader?

Yes, of course. Obviously, there are leaders among the wicked---they are the men who have developed influence over others. The principles of leadership are the same for leaders in evil causes as for leaders of good causes. For a wicked man to be a true leader he must strongly believe in and consistently practice evil principles. He will then attract to himself people of the same wicked character and wicked principles.

Remember, however, that being a strong leader does not make a wicked man right, but merely more dangerous. And wicked leaders will fall before the righteous in the end. They may win battles, but they will lose the war.

Proverbs 11:5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

Proverbs 29:16 When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.