The One Quality Every Leader Must Have

Being a Leader requires a lot.

You have to be Intentional, Engaging, Encouraging, Administrative, Inspiring, Practical and on and on. Entrepreneur.com posted a article entitled “22 Qualities That Make a Great Leader.” Great article but WOW – that’s a lot of qualities. When I look around influential organizations, especially the church, I see all kinds of leaders yet one quality remains constant. Every leader, no matter the level, experience or influence must have one quality; Courage.

Courage is the backbone of all effective leadership. There are many qualities that make up a great leader – integrity, honesty, passion, grace, decisiveness – but none of them are possible without Courage. To have courage is to have the ability to use all the tools in a leader’s toolbox.

Here are 4 practical uses of Courage that your leadership needs today.

1. Have the Courage to Stay When It’s Easier to Go.

Whether you stay or go needs to depend on what you hear on your knees in prayer not from your circumstances. Courage forces you to listen to God instead of your issues. Share on X There will always be something pulling on you, asking something from you that you didn’t know you had. From your marriage, to your ministry, to your family, school, relationships, finances, health – there will never be a day that a leader is not required to make a withdrawal. It’s not the fight, but staying in the fight that makes you a champion. The courage to stay to when it’s tough is what separates the leaders from the followers. When things get rough always ask; “Before I leave, will this be a tipping moment for me?”

2. Have the Courage to Leave When It’s Easier to Stay.

Sometimes what we do becomes more important than who we do it for. Our roles, our titles, our responsibilities can begin to overshadow our relationship with the Lord. A leader in broken relationship leads out of their own strength and the Lord is not with them (1 Samuel 16:14).  That’s when you must have the courage to step aside and allow God to do a new thing. If you find yourself getting your identity from what you do rather than who you do it for, then something is wrong. If you can’t let it go… maybe it’s time to go.

Sometimes the One On High wants to call us higher. Share on X
If you can’t shake the feeling to go, to start something new.. then follow it. Yes, He called you to this but He can also call you to something else. If you have faithfully stewarded what He has given you then don’t be surprised when He gives you a new thing.

3. Have the Courage to Ask for Help Instead of Pretending Everything is Ok.

The higher you go the harder it is to ask for help. We feel like we should know the answers and not need others to help us. We couldn’t be more wrong. Leaders get attacked more thus need the most help – but are the most unlikely to ask. Leaders and secrets don’t mix. Anything that grows in the dark is not a good thing and will not produce good fruit. The trap of the enemy is to bring down a high profile leader and bring shame to the gospel but if he can’t then he’ll bring down many unsuspecting leaders who refused to ask for help when they needed it. If things aren’t working, if you feel discouraged, don’t stand alone and allow yourself to be taken out. Have the courage to stand up and reach out.

4. Have the Courage to be an Owner Instead of a Consumer.

Leaders have to drive the cause. Leaders must have the heart for the purpose. Leaders must OWN their group, department, or class. You have to give it your all. People have a consumer mentality, and if the area they want isn’t present they leave. Those are consumers. Leaders can’t operate like that. Leaders must see the need, own it and run with it. Owners push it forward and pray it forward. Leaders must have the courage to own their part of the kingdom and see it through till the end.

Avery