Some leadership styles are role-specific, but several traits of leadership styles seem to work in all congregations.
Twelve Traits For Maximum Effect:
1. Spiritual consciousness. In the Middle Ages, being knighted gave someone a special relationship with the king. Likewise, the words and behavior of Christian leaders point people toward God.
2. Enthusiasm. Meaningful ideas delivered in a dull, listless manner can seem irrelevant. The same ideas communicated with enthusiasm can light the fire of commitment that leads to positive change.
3. Joyful attitude. Joyfulness and a sense of humor help people relax and enjoy their work. They also send the signal that having fun while working together is as important as the work itself.
4. Spiritual optimism. People who dispense the quality of hope in their conversation are appreciated like rain after a drought. They attract allegiance to themselves and their goals.
5. High energy level. Effective leaders can maintain a fast pace and juggle several demands simultaneously. As Lewis Carroll says in Alice in Wonderland, “It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast.”
6. Self- discipline. Some people accomplish two to six times as much as coworkers during a 40-hour week. Such productivity comes from a high-energy level charged by motivation and self-discipline.
7. Positive appearance. Neat apparel and shiny shoes do not bring people into the kingdom of God. But, if the package is shabby, people may not bother to examine its contents.
8. Tactfulness. There’s a difference between telling the truth and telling the truth all the time, even when it accomplishes no practical purpose. Lack of tact can debilitate every other positive quality in a leader.
9. Flexibility. Flexible leaders are willing to experiment with a suggestion until it is proved or disproved, concentrating more on relationships with followers than maintaining arbitrary rules.
10. Conviction without dominance. High dominance must be buffered by other traits for it to work in church. If their role requires much interaction with people, dominant leaders may have to work hard to compensate for their inflexible style or look for a leadership position in which it works better.
11. Indiscriminate affirmation. Effective leaders do not merely restrain criticism when things go wrong and remain silent when things go right. They know the best form of constructive criticism is praise.
12. Nonjudgmental attitude. Effective leaders extend grace to people who don’t have ethical or religious standards identical to their own. They avoid dwelling on negative thoughts about other people.
