Basic Leadership 101 part 2 | Godly Leadership traits
May 6, 2025 | by Teacher Michael Carter
Good Leadership Inward Traits.
Inward traits deal with the condition and the motives of the heart.
Godly moral character - The bible calls them the fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23. Moral character is the standard that determines a person’s moral compass and qualities. In the case of Godly moral character, it’s defined by God. They speak to those Godly attributes referred to in the bible as the fruit of the Spirit. (Click here for a more detailed view of them}.
Godly leader have a high moral compass that undergirds and informs their behavior and choices. As Godly leaders we are to maintain His morals, standards and boundaries in regards to our choices. Nothing is worth compromising your moral values.
Genuineness - Having a clean sincere heart with no hidden motives. 2 Corinthians 1:12
It a condition of the heart to not having deceptive motives, deceit or hidden agendas. Godly leaders desire their best, and the success of the organization and to please God. This is their primary motive. No selfish agendas, behind the scenes maneuvers or deceptive actions. Keep your motives pure, desiring the very best for all and the organizations success. And be mindful to avoid selfish ambitions and indulgences; they can pollute your hearts Genuineness.
Integrity - The quality or state of being sound and blameless. Genesis 20:1-7
Being the same whether people are looking at you or not. You’re operating in God's standards with yourself and others. Integrity also means to be one with your word. People can follow and depend on someone who keep their word. It shows that they have a high level of integrity. And when you give your word; insure that you stand on it and commit to bringing it to past. And integrity says that you are who you say you are and are one with your words; Not a hypocrite, liar or as an unstable person. But a Godly leader of consistency and integrity.
Trustworthy – It is earned confidence in our ability to be faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2
Trustworthiness is earned. It's others believing that that they can commit to you. It is similar to a marriage. We are to treasure that confidence that our partner has placed in us to behave according to the covenant union of the marriage. This gives them confidence that they you can commit their heart to you. Once this is broken, it is difficult to regain. People will follow you if they deem you trustworthy you. Try your best not to break that trustworthiness with people. It's a very valuable leadership trait.
They have confidence that you have the organization and their best entrances at heart. And they ca commit to you. Try not to violate the trustworthiness people have placed in you. Guard it dearly; it can be the difference in whether folk are following you or tolerating you.
Empathy - Philippians 2:3-4 Good leaders are concerned about the welfare of those they serve in leadership. They are concerned about their conditions, families and problems they face. And show it by inquiring how things are going and displaying empathy. People better respond to those who care about them. Rather than being cold and not caring, only looking at them from a job’s perspective. Consider showing empathy and looking for solutions that may assist them when they are challenged.
Consider the state and concerns of those you lead. Empathy moves you to care and encourage people. This allows people to know you care for them personally, not just because of what they do from a business perspective. No, you don't have to bring them home to meet the family, but you do have to care. Showing empathy lets them know that you care. Proverbs 27:23
Honesty – honesty is the ability to tell the truth and not be a liar. Proverbs 12:22
It’s telling the whole truth in its complete form, not telling half truths. When in actuality is a deception. This involves integrity and a genuine of heart. No matter how you think it may impact someone, or how you think they may respond; at the end of the day, most people appreciate someone who simply tells the truth.
Honesty also deals with the motives and the condition of the heart. As a Godly leader, principle your motives in honesty, having no hidden agendas or deceptions. When those you lead think that you are not honest, they draw back their trustworthiness and tend to be more guarded. But when they see that you are a honest leader, even your mistakes will be counted to the head and not the heart.
Godly leadership Outward Traits
Outward traits deal with those areas that influence people and cause them to buy in and follow you.
Vision or purpose–There must be a clear vision or purpose in regards to where you are leading people and what the teams goals and task are. How can you expect someone to follow you when you have no idea where you are going or have made it clear to them. Knowing and clearly conveying to people the vision or end results enables you to project goals and garner buy in. Habakkuk 2:1-3
Having vision is the ability to see the end at the beginning. That’s what you are presenting to them.
And then there is vision in regards to those you lead.
Remember, good leaders produce leaders. This vision requires that you look pass where they currently are and look to where they can be. You’re looking at them as future leaders. When this is conveyed, most will gravitate to you.
Passion – People gravitate to leaders that have a passion for the things they believe in. Passion breads energy. And you need energy to accomplish goals. People need to know that you are all in and willing to spend your energy to accomplish things. If they do not realize your passion, they will not want to follow you. Bring the passion and energy. Colossians 3:1-2
If you don't bring that energy from passion, how do you expect to create a spark in them that motivates them. Some would contend that; that's what their paycheck do. But what if you are in a volunteer situation, and their is not check? Well, you are going to need to motivate them. And when you bring your passion and energy, it motivates others to bring their passion and energy as well. This works with or without a paycheck.
Perseverance – One of the most important leadership traits a leader must have is perseverance. Sometimes things may not go the way you planned them to go. Yeah, maybe in a perfect world. But we don’t live in a perfect world. And we as people certainly aren’t perfect. So things will happen. In a world of challenges resistance and different personalities you must learn to display. Ephesians 6:10-18
In this life, things are going to happen. The question is will you give up, or persevere. Will you back down when the majority does not see things the way God's leading you or challenges arise? People need to see you persevering. It may be the difference in them giving up or continuing.
Initiator and doers - A good leader has a doer’s mindset. They aren’t waiting for someone else to do it, they initiate it. They may have already waited to see if someone else would step up, move and do it. No one else did. So, they listened to that inner leadership spirit and moved. They don’t just talk, complain, philosophy or give their opinions, they initiate and do. James 1:22
It becomes easy to follow a person who initiates and do more than talk. They lead through example. They will not tell you to do something that they are not willing to do themselves first, or have done themselves. They are purpose driven initiators. They are doers.
Accountability - It is an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for one's actions. Good leaders take responsibility for their choices and the outcomes in the areas they are responsible for.
- They are accountable to themselves. Holding themselves to a high standard of excellence
- They are accountable to the team for their actions, choices, role and how it impact the team and the task
- They are accountable to God for their actions according to His will, purpose and plans.
When those you lead recognize that there is no accountability, they tend to lose respect for the position. This hinders buy in and cooperation. Accountability is God’s system of checks and balances. Whether it’s your spouse, friend, mentor or supervisor, you must be accountable. Fact is; when humans have total autonomy with no accountability bad things tend to happen. Accountability is for all of our good. Romans 14:12 / Proverbs 27:17
Flexible – It is the ability to adopt and change. Good leaders are willing to change. Upon realizing that the direction that you are going is not the best way, you must be flexible to change. The issue is your ability to set your ego aside when you realize that there are mistakes or the way you chose is not the best way? A Godly good leader does this. They make it about the success of all, not themselves. Be flexible, be willing to adopt and change. Philippians 4:12-14
However, being flexible does not mean abandoning organization pillars and principles. We find leaders doing this in response to people. Yet, it’s at the expense of eroding morals and the success of the organization. Being flexible means that you are willing to adjust how you do what you do based on new technology, concept or equipment, but not at the expense of morals, principles and organizational pillars.
In some cases, you’ve been doing things a certain way for years. Be flexible to consider doing it another way. It provokes new ideas from the team. And because it was their idea, they are more willing to support it and buy in.
As we grow in these areas, we become Godly leaders and agents of impact and change.
Developing as a Godly leadership is an ongoing process of growth and evolution. Although we were born with a leadership spirit, it must be awakened, natured and developed. That includes our academic side, learning from others and gleaning from life itself. Godly leadership is a life long journey of growth and maturation. You want to serve people as an effective leader.
Godly leaders experience fulfillment in life and glorify God.
Godly leadership is about serving those in the sphere of our leadership influence according to purpose. It should be done in a manner that glorifies God. Whenever something functions according to God’s purposes and design, He gets the glory as it designer and master architect and creator. We all were created to lead. Grow and be the leader you were designed and created to be by God. It may not be easy, but it’s worth it. And the sphere of you influence will be blessed.