What Type Of Leader Are You?

Courtesy of Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections/ Creative Commons License

There are going to be those days when you struggle to understand, why God has placed you in a leadership role.  Those are the days when ministry is an uphill battle.  Those are the days when it feels like no one is listening, ministry is like running through mud and you wonder, “How long can I keep this up?”
When we hit those days it’s really hard not to question your leadership.  If you’ve ever felt that way, don’t worry you aren’t alone.
Whether you are full time, part time, or volunteer you are in a position of leadership when it comes to student ministry.  There are going to be days full of highlights and days when we just want to runaway.  Again, it doesn’t matter where you lead or who you lead, God has put you there for a reason.  The question you need to answer is, “What type of leader has God created me to be?”
Over the years I’ve evaluated this question because I’ve realized how I lead not only effects the ministry that I run but, the relationships I have with my coworkers, friends, family and God.  It’s a question we all need to address in our ministries because it will help you overcome the obstacles that fall in our way of growing disciples.  To help you discern your leadership ability make sure you:

• Take Time Away With God: God designed you to be the type of leader He wanted you to be.  What that means is you need to seek Him if you want to know what that looks like.  To get a good understanding find quiet time in your day, and try to get away every once in a while where you can be alone, listening to God.
• Study Other Leaders: Whether they are youth ministers or CEO’s just look and observe what makes them tick.  Read about them, go hear them speak, and if you know some, talk with them.  You can plug into many great leaders through sites like Catalyst and TED, follow them on Twitter or walk the leadership aisle at the bookstore.  Just seek them out because great leaders are learners.
• Get Feedback: We all need accountability to help us in our walk with life; however, many of us need accountability in how we lead others.  When you make a bone-headed decision, who is going to call you out?  When you need courage to face adversity, who is going to cheer you on?  We need people who are going to give us the feedback we need to grow as a leader.

When you do this you’ll discover your leadership style.  For many of us it’s going to be different; however, that’s okay.  You may find that you value tasks more than relationships.  You might discover that you care more about people than getting the job done.  We all naturally value one over the other; it’s not wrong, it’s just how we are wired. However, it’s important to know which way you lean so you can make adjustments to become a more balanced leader.
Recently, I came across a new leadership tool from the guys at LeaderTreks.  It’s called the LeaderTreks Youth Workers Leadership Style Assessment.  I took it and loved it, because it’s not just geared for youth ministers, but for the student leaders in your ministry as well.  There are many ways you can utilize this tool and what I liked is how after you assess your leadership style, they give you resources to help you strengthen it.  So be sure to check it out, it only takes a few minutes.

No matter what tools you use, make sure you always take time to review the type of leader that God has created you to be.

What do you do to assess your leadership style?