Leadership: What Makes It Strong or Weak?

Why do I raise this question? There seems to be many factions of this country "zeroing-in" on who is a strong leader and who is not. It is easy to toss around phrases of strong, weak, or non-existent leadership abilities, without letting the listener know the factors used in making this determination. The speaker assumes that the listener 's definition parallels with his, even though the listener does not know what his is, and he has not bothered to state it.

After reading several definitions of the word "lead" in Webster, one that seems to get at the point of contention is, "induce to a course of action or thought." Induce means "to bring about." So, a person with leadership qualities is one who is able to bring about a desired thought, or course of action. If the desired result is achieved, one can conclude that the person has strong leadership qualities, If it is not achieved, one concludes the qualities are weak. None of the definitions that I read indicated a time limit, or a method in which this "bringing about" would be accomplished. Thus, one could conceivably conclude that as long as the end results are achieved, the person is called a strong leader. Are we in agreement?

Another word that begs for clarification is "strong." One definition says "physically powerful," while another says the opposite,"intellectually power." I lean toward the one that says "able to resist and endure attack." This definition indicates that strength comes from being able to use whatever it takes to persevere and get the job done--to continue doing something, in spite of the difficulty. It is not a superman mentality that makes one strong, but one of humility, persistence, and perseverance. I equate it to that part of the population that is the "silent majority," but the "overt authority." Growing up as a little girl, I heard my mother exclaim many times, "An empty wagon makes a lot of noise." Let's keep our wagons full, and the noise a whisper. The strong soldier is not one that just "waves the flag," he is the one that carries it in the face of the enemy. I think my point is well taken.

The greatest example of strong leadership is seen in the man Jesus. He was not only a leader, but a teacher who backed up his words with his deeds. He did not always get the job done in the manner that the world dictated, nor in the manner in which it approved, but ultimately, he got it done! He was ridiculed and labeled a failure. Yet, no man has achieved the success that he did. When one is going through the storm, it takes a strong and wise person to see fair weather. Let us walk by faith, as well as action, and we will ultimately be, triumphant.