Effective Leaders

[Chris]

I agree that not all leaders will have the same capacity, and I further agree that we can all increase our capacity and become better leaders.

I absolutely believe that I can increase my leadership capacity. One of the main areas of growth required for me personally is to stop trying to do everything myself! I tend to avoid working in groups, as I often find it easier to just do things myself. But as a leader, I must look for opportunities to allow others to get involved in order for them to grow as well.

[Taliya]

What Wes Mills said about people having a different leadership capacity took a weight off my shoulders. In high school I was always told I could be a great leader. I was in a leadership role at a summer camp after that and had an awful experience. I then decided I was not equipped to be a leader – that I didn’t have the personality for it. But Now learning that being a leader means having influence and having the characteristics of spirituality, casting vision, understanding my strengths and weaknesses, and so on has helped me to see that I am a leader. And I am a leader with a smaller leadership capacity. I see the influence I have in small circles, so I know I can operate in leadership in that environment. But I would struggle to have influence over even a group of 30. The concept of leadership capacity helps me to not disqualify myself from leadership.

Because this concept if fairly new to me, I don’t see a way I can increase my leadership capacity presently. Possibly in the future, but I wouldn’t know what steps would be needed for that until I better understand being a leader in this stage of my life.

[Sarah]

Leadership capacity is something I did not understand for a long time. I believed that capacity was about discipline and determination alone and not actual limitations that are Biblical and healthy. As a result, I never stopped to ask myself “what is my leadership capacity” or “what is the capacity of those around me.” I have often been told I have a high leadership capacity; however, I think more often than not it is because I have pushed past my capacity into burnout in order to prove that to be true. The idea of a leadership capacity has been a very helpful thing for me to understand because it allows me to appreciate what I am able to give and what others are able to give in a healthy way without pushing each other’s boundaries or leading to disappointment because of false expectation. Nevertheless, I appreciate how Wes describes how to grow your leadership capacity where we can be honest about what we can handle, but we can continue to grow to take on more and increase our leadership ability.

[Caleb]

I think leadership capacity is something we don’t talk about enough. Biblically Jesus in calling all of us to be leaders, bringing the lost to Him. It is important to know that everyone is a leader, but it is also key to remember that nobody is perfect. some people may not have the capacity to be a great and strong leader to hundreds or thousands of people, and that is ok, maybe even a good thing. God is always going to push us to grow and excel in our contexts to be better ministers for him, but he is never going to send you in unprepared. That being said, with a reliance on the Holy Spirit we are able to lead well. If we aren’t ready for the step of leading in the hundreds or thousands, God isn’t going to push us or even want us to do that. we all have a personal capacity because everyone is different. We need to spend time with God to grow our capacity, taking time in devotions and worship. we need to dialogue with God, understand what he sees in us, and walk faithfully. a good practice is also to ask others how they might see God working in your life and listen to what others think you need to do to improve. Leadership is a gift I think God especially gives to all believers when we are saved. Our capacity grows with our mission.