What If How We Define Great Leadership Is Wrong?
We observe leadership everywhere these days. We talk about it in schools, on teams, in organizations, and across social media. We praise leaders who are charismatic, bold, decisive, and effective. And often, without realizing it, we begin to assume that leadership is simply about influence… about having people follow you.
But we instinctively know that definition is incomplete, don’t we? Few would feel comfortable saying that Adolf Hitler was a “great leader,” even though he had massive influence and an entire nation following him. The discomfort reveals something important: leadership isn’t just about whether people follow you, but about where you are leading them. Leadership always has a direction, and where the leader is going really counts.
There are leaders who are effective but not efficient, influential but not godly. God’s Word offers a better way, one that intertwines leadership with character. This is where the Bible begins to challenge many of our assumptions. Great leadership, biblically speaking, isn’t flashy. It isn’t built on hype, charisma, or quick wins. In fact, most of the time it looks surprisingly ordinary. Great leadership is often boring… and that’s not a weakness, it’s a strength.
We tend to admire leaders who make big splashes, generate momentum, and produce immediate results. But God consistently points us in a different direction. Godly leadership is marked by consistency, what God's Word calls faithfulness, not charisma. You don’t have to be the most gifted person in the room to be a leader worth following, but you do need integrity and faithfulness over time. Ordinary doesn’t mean passive or lazy - not at all! It means steady and faithful. Willing to do the same right things long after the excitement wears off.
One of the practical out workings of this is that consistency closes the gap between good intentions and real action. Over time, small and faithful decisions compound. The choices that seem insignificant in the moment often shape a leader more than the moments everyone sees. This is why leadership formation is rarely dramatic. It happens slowly, quietly, and is often unseen. And that’s exactly how God seems to prefer it.
One of the great mistakes we make is assuming that small decisions don’t matter much - that less significant good choices won’t really shape us, and small bad ones won’t really hurt us. But your life and your leadership are the sum of thousands of small decisions made over time. What feels boring to us is often what Scripture calls faithfulness.
This is especially important to grasp because leadership is not reserved for a select few. Some people have formal leadership positions. Others don’t. But everyone has influence. You may lead on a team, in a family, in a classroom, in a workplace, or simply among friends. Leadership is influence - but biblical leadership is influence aimed toward what is good, true- and honoring to God.
That’s why Scripture spends far less time teaching leaders how to command others and far more time shaping who leaders are becoming. Biblical leadership doesn’t begin with what you do. It begins with who you are. This is one of the foundational truths we’ll return to throughout this series: before you can lead others well, you must learn to lead yourself—or better yet, learn to follow the true leader. Leading yourself well requires a clear, rooted identity.
When we think about leadership, we often think about skills, strategies, and responsibilities. Scripture presses us deeper. God is far more concerned with the formation of the heart than the management of tasks. A leader’s public influence will never outpace their private character for long. This is why the Bible consistently ties leadership to identity. Who and what you believe shapes how you lead. If your identity is built on success, approval, or performance, your leadership will eventually reflect that. If your identity is rooted in God (secure, forgiven, and rooted in His purposes), your leadership will look different. This is also why godly leadership is formed, not assumed. No one drifts into becoming a leader worth following. Formation happens through habits, patterns, and small, repeated acts of faithfulness over time.
Leadership formation works the same way training does. If you focus on the right inputs consistently, the outcomes will eventually follow. We often resist this process because we crave quick wins and visible results. But Scripture calls us to play the long game.
Godly leadership is seen through the lens of Scripture, and God forms leaders not through hype or shortcuts, but through faithfulness, identity, and trust in Him over time. The Bible reminds us that leadership is shaped long before authority is given.
Take one of many examples: Daniel - a man with significant leadership and influence. His story doesn’t begin with power or prominence, but with quiet decisions where no one applauds. Before he influences a kingdom, he resolves to be faithful to God. That’s where godly leadership always starts.
Here’s are questions worth pondering: What if the leadership God is forming in you looks far less impressive in the moment, but far more impactful in the long run? What if faithfulness is actually the pathway to leadership that lasts?
We must first answer a more fundamental question: Who are you becoming?