What Makes a Good Leader?

Earlier today in one of my management classes, we discussed the attributes of a good leader. We spent a good portion of the class listening to Simon Sinek, who is a great speaker and very knowledgable. He gave a TED talk that revolved around a single question. What makes a good leader? Or what are good attributes of a leader?

According to Sinek, humans have developed the concept of community. From a scientific standpoint, danger has always existed in the world. And it was more apparent back in the "caveman" days. There were dangerous things all around us. For example, there are bears, lions, tigers, and dragons (maybe) out there to kill us. In order to avoid this danger, humans developed community. A community allows a group of humans to trust one another and create an environment of safety in the midst of the "dangerous" world.

So let's go back to the main question. What makes a good leader?

To put it in a nutshell, a good leader can foster an environment where an organization/group is built on trust. Trust allows people to feel safety, which is what we (scientifically) desire in a dangerous world. For example, if we were out in the wilderness, I want to trust that you can keep watch at night while I sleep.

But Sinek goes on to explain that trust cannot be forced. An authoritative leader can't command you to trust someone. It's just not possible. Trust is something that is abstract. It's somehow developed. It's different. It's complex. It must come from within.

But it got me thinking about how Sinek's research relates with the church. A church is considered a community/organization. And we, as the church, have a leader. Our leader is God. So Sinek's research can apply to the church.

Recall, Sinek stated that trust cannot be forced. Trust is something that cannot quite be explained. Trust is just... trust. There are many parts of scripture where God tells us to trust in Him. I don't know about you, but I still struggle in trusting God. So how can we trust in God if His command doesn't make us do it? It's the same issue with other organizations in the world today. How do we develop trust? What makes trust?

I believe that our faith develops our trust. The only way we can trust in God is by having faith in Him. But that goes on to another question. How do we get faith in order to develop our trust?

"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." - Hebrews 12:2 

If you haven't guessed already, the answers always Jesus. Like seriously.

1. Jesus is the perfecter of our faith. 
2. That means Jesus is the perfecter of our trust in God. 
3. As a result, our trust in God provides us complete satisfaction/peace/safety in life.

I'm beginning to see God's truth in every aspect of life. Even the "secular" research of Simon Sinek points back to Christ.