If a church or organization is to grow it must find new volunteer leaders.
Of course, equally vital is the quality of leaders being discovered. Good leaders learn to look for qualities in people which are conducive to good leadership. If you want to have a culture which reproduces leaders, read THIS POST first.
But where do you find these people who can be future servant leaders?
I find it helps to look for certain qualities, which all good leaders need or qualities which, consistently over time, seem to make good leaders. Of course, in context of the church, the Bible gives us clear guidance in selecting senior leaders. But my church is always in need of new leaders – from the parking lot to the hallways every Sunday.
Where do we find a continual pool of new leaders?
The following are traits I look for in leaders I hope to develop or with whom I want to work.
10 valuable traits when looking to find new volunteer leaders:
Concern/Love for others
You can’t lead people effectively if you don’t genuinely love them. I’ve seen people in positions who have great power, but they don’t appear to love others. These leaders often produce followers, but they never reproduce leaders.
Not a complainer
Candidly, leadership encounters complainers regardless of what we do. I certainly don’t want to add complainers to my team of leaders. A positive attitude will get my attention every time.
Teachable and open to suggestions
A person who thinks they have all the answers will repel other leaders. People with no desire to keep learning rarely find their place on my team of leaders.
Excellence in following
This is a biggie for me. I try to follow people I lead, because there are times they know more than I do. Someone who isn’t willing to follow is seldom ready to lead.
Reliability
Leadership is about trust. Trust is developed over time and consistency by doing what you said you would do. I look for people with this quality.
Interest
The people with a burning passion for the church often make great leaders. You can train someone to lead others, but you can’t train them to have interest.
Good character
Character counts. Not perfection. Not flawless. But good character is necessary to be trusted on a team. A humble desire to always be improving as a person of integrity – this kind of character.
Potential
God always saw potential in others they themselves couldn’t see. I try to have eyes to see potential in people.
Confidence
Leaders have to move forward when others are ready to retreat. This takes confidence. Not being prideful, but a genuine willingness to lead through the hard times – to do what others aren’t willing to do.
People skills
This goes without saying, but you can’t lead people if you can’t communicate with people. You don’t have to be the life of the party (I’m a strong Introvert), but you do have to be able to engage people and make them feel a part of things.
Those are some traits I look for to find new volunteer leaders. Do you have other traits you look for in recruiting leaders?
