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If I Only Had One Leadership Principle To Share

By September 21, 2017Church, Leadership

I once received an email:

Ron, a question for you.

If you had to pass one and only one leadership principle to others leaders, what would that one principle be and why that one?

That’s a hard question, because I can think of so many principles of what leadership is – maybe even seven or ten of them. I thought for a minute and came to a conclusion.

If I only had one principle of leadership to share it would be:

It’s not about you.

It’s not about the leader.

Why would I say that?

Because, leadership is about something bigger than you.

Leaders need to be continually conscious that we are called to advance a worthy cause for the benefit of others. Leadership is a stewardship of trust. It is a sacred privilege to have people willing to follow our lead. Without others – there is no leadership.

If ever we begin to believe leadership is about us, or our agenda, or our plan we will become controlling, prideful and eventually ineffective. And, I’m not sure we would even be leading anymore.

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Ron Edmondson

Author Ron Edmondson

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Join the discussion 21 Comments

  • God bless you for this insist because whether we believe it or not we are all leaders.

  • ThomasGibra says:

    Sir Bobby Charlton made his Manchester United inauguration 60 years ago today (Thursday), when he scored twice in a 4-2 superiority once more Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford.
    Charlton joined United in 1953 as an England Schoolboys prodigy with a giant noted and was yearning to make his trait in Matt Busby’s free-flowing team. With Tommy Taylor away with England on global charge in return a amusement against Northern Ireland, his strapping chance arrived, five days limited of his 19th birthday.
    The conspicuous footballing Knight spoke to MUTV some in unison a all the same ago less his bend in grand feature as he offered his recollections of the start of an inconceivable odyssey.
    “It was the longest conditions I’d in any case been below par the send injured,” recalled Sir Bobby. “There was a gamin called Keith Marsden who played centre-back in support of Manchester Megalopolis Reserves and we both swat the ball at the notwithstanding notwithstanding and my ankle swelled up. Three weeks later, Sir Matt Busby asked me how I was.
    Manchester

  • Al Hayes says:

    Simply Jesus washing of the Disciples feet at a time where could of been doing anything else but this was the perfect example on leadership.
    Servant Leadership.
    In business I call it Servant Economics. By your Service you earn.
    It is truly God's way and cannot be matched by any other human contraption or concept.

  • Brent Dumler says:

    You are so right on this. If I were to add something, I'd toss in what I call the Trinity of Leadership.
    Love God…Love Others…Love Yourself.
    The first two keep us humble and able to remember that it really isn't about us. And the last one helps us to accept the call God has for us as a child of his.

  • stevemaan says:

    Leadership quality is GOD gifted we can create any quality by our self so i believe that it is only God's Gift

  • João Cavalcanti says:

    I believe that leadership has everything to do with the words of the Apostle Paul in I Corithians 3:4-9
    Has nothing to do with what we are but God in us!

  • Yohan Perera says:

    Exactly. It's because wanna be leaders think that leadership is about them, that churches split and congregations rebel.

  • Caleb says:

    That's a great one Ron. I'm not sure I could think of one guiding principle that would be better. One thing I remind myself of often is that leadership is more about a relationship than it is about having authority to command obedience.

  • Greg Conley says:

    Ron, I love it brother! Servant leadership is the only way to lead. I’ve worked for or with Fortune 500 companies for 25 years and unfortunately, I’ve been around many more people who want to be served in order to stroke their own ego vs those who want to humbly serve for the betterment of all involved! We need more leaders like Christ! Christ led by serving God; serving others. He humbly died so others might live! We should lead by His example! Thank you for your wise words & humble leadership style! Your a true servant leader!

  • jimmylsc says:

    Ron, worst of all is when a person thinks, it's about my leadership "style." Not only is that person not a leader, he/she doesn't understand leadership.

    This is what every leader must have.
    http://creativefollowership.com/20131111bp/

    Jimmy Collins

  • cycleguy says:

    Most definitely the way to describe leadership. The leader who is "all about me" is a very small one for sure.

  • Eric says:

    So simple, so profound… Thank you for the insight…