What Is a Good Leader?

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Recently I read an article by Rajeev Peshawaria entitled, “Who Defines Good Leadership?” (Peshawaria is the CEO of the Iclif Leadership and Governance Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.) The author contended that being an effective leader requires the leader “develop laser-sharp clarity about your purpose, a better future that you want to create based on the values you believe your company should embrace.” He then goes on to list a variety of historically effective leaders.

Peshawaria throws a curve to the standard leadership article when he asks, “Who should decide if a leader’s purpose creates the best future and what values should guide that purpose?” In short, the question is, “What makes a good leader?”

For example, Peshawaria claims, “In my leadership programs and seminars, people will ask if Hitler and Osama bin Laden were good and effective leaders. If we assess leadership only from the point of view of motivating people toward a desired end, then both men were extremely effective leaders. But were they good leaders?”

It occurs to me that some of the problem might be in the way we loosely throw around the word “good.” We use “good” to describe pleasurable chocolate cake, effective employees, dynamic movies, and so forth. But what if “good” means something else? What if it means, as the ancients thought, something that is beneficial, wholesome, pure? Putting the question that way changes the dynamic. Was Hitler a good leader? He effectively motivated people, but his desired end was abhorrent.

Returning to an original definition of “good” means that asking whether or not someone is a “good leader” is really rooted in whether or not they are a “good person.” A “good person” will make a “good leader” (remember that effectiveness is a separate question!).

Back to Peshawaria’s question: “Who defines good leadership?” For Christians, our answer is as follows: “The same as who defines goodness.”

Remember a similar exchange from the Gospels? A rich young man came to Jesus and said, “Good Teacher…” Jesus responded, “Why do you call me good? There is none good but God.” Jesus’ response was subtle: “If you truly see me as good, then what are you seeing?” There is none good but God. God is revealed in Jesus. Therefore, goodness is revealed in Jesus.

Who defines good leadership? Jesus. In Jesus we see the revelation of a new way of being human and thus a new way of being a leader. This way of being is based on the in-breaking Kingdom of God that is contrary to the rulers and empires and corporations of this world. The power of that way of being comes from the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit rather than from accumulated might, wealth, position, or other tools of seduction and intimidation.

Essentially, a good leader looks like someone who has learned and received life from Jesus. We have a lot of leadership models and a lot of leadership theories - “Of the making of many books there is no end” (Ecclesiastes 12:12).

Maybe it is time for Christian leaders to start again with Jesus?