Leaders must have the commitment of their team if they hope to succeed. Read John 6:41-65.

Often Jesus had large crowds that followed Him. Many of them hung on His every word. However, when He said, “I am the bread that comes down from heaven,” many in the crowd began to grumble and said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, ‘I came down from heaven?’” The issues got even deeper when Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” “On hearing it, many of His disciples said, ‘this is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’” The result according to verse 66, “From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.” Jesus clarified the level of commitment He expected from His followers.

When a leader has the respect of their team, their team will accept their vision. Read John 2:1-11.

A number of men, some of whom would eventually become part of His inner circle of 12 Apostles, had joined Jesus in His mission even before His first public miracle at a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. These men were committed to Him and left their profession and accompanied Him as He traveled around northern Israel, but, according to verse 11, it was after He turned the water into wine that “His disciples put their faith in Him.” An important leadership principle is, “When a team trusts in a leader’s credibility, they will believe in that leader’s vision.”

God has given every leader a purpose for living and leaders can trust Him to guide them. Read John 1:19-28.

John the Baptist was the God-appointed messenger to announce the arrival of Jesus. John’s birth was foretold in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 4:5. John was a unique leader. He wore odd clothes, ate strange foods and preached an unusual message to the Judeans who went into the wasteland to see him. John had no power or position in the Jewish political system, but he spoke with almost irresistible authority. People were moved by his words because he spoke the truth, challenging the people to turn from their sins and baptizing them as a symbol of their repentance. John the Baptist believed God was directing his purpose and that allowed him to become a leader of great courage and great passion.

Leaders are simply stewards of the resources God has given them. Read Luke 19:11-26.

During His public ministry Jesus often told stories that illustrated a principles for life. In one of these stories Jesus told about a landowner who, just prior to leaving on an extended trip, gave three men some funds to spend, save, or invest. Each had the freedom to use the money as they saw fit but each would be asked for an account of how they handled the money when the landowner returned. The landowner’s expectation was that these men would be stewards of the money he had given them and, in Jesus’ story, those who had been faithful stewards of the funds were rewarded for their efforts and those who did not steward the funds would be held accountable.

A leader’s desire for greatness is good. It is the formula for greatness that can become a problem. Read Mark 9:33-37.

When Jesus confronted His disciples for arguing over which of them was greatest, they felt embarrassed. Jesus’ example had been that true greatness is measured by how leaders serve others not who achieves the most positional authority. Jesus’ formula for greatness did not center on pleasing other men but pleasing God. He made it clear that service to others is a measure of service we give to God. The Biblical formula to becoming a great leader is measured by how leaders serve others and thus serve God.