“When did you realize you were a leader?”
Someone asked me to answer this question recently. I shared a story from college. The admissions department chose me – an 18-year-old freshman – to lead a team of students on regular recruitment trips around the country. That summer, I remember driving a 15-passenger van full of teammates and pulling a trailer loaded with thousands of dollars of equipment along I-95 somewhere in Virginia when the thought struck me: “I am responsible for all this. This must be what it feels like to be a leader.”
Upon reflection, I realized it wasn’t the earliest moment at which I realized I was a leader.
A year earlier, I learned I was a leader while mowing the grass before games, tossing batting practice, and cheering from the dugout. It was my dream to play varsity baseball during high school. Shoulder surgery ended my senior season before it began. I spent the season shoveling dirt, holding the scorebook, and giving high fives.
What does that have to do with my realization that I was a leader?
I’ve become convinced that there are two paths to leadership.
The first is the path I’d choose for myself. It’s broad, freshly paved, well lit, and always moving me toward higher position, more responsibility, and (if I’m being honest) more glory.
I wouldn’t choose the second path if it was up to me. It’s challenging, full of obstacles, and, frankly, unglamorous. It’s more about my character than my position, the extent to which I’m willing to bless others without demanding what’s in it for me.
You see, I didn’t learn I was a leader by being given a position and title. I wanted a place in the starting lineup. God handed me a rake and asked me to invest in the people around me. In hindsight, that’s when he began to teach me to lead. Then, slowly, painfully, graciously, and lovingly, he changed my definition of leadership.
The former is the path of self. The latter is the path of service. A true leader—one who makes a Kingdom-of-God-sized impact in the world—is willing to follow Christ’s example of selfless, sacrificial service for God’s glory and the common good. If Jesus himself not to be served but to serve, then that’s the path of leadership I want to follow.
Men IN Action, when did you first realize you were a leader? Which path will you choose?
Kevin Carr
Communications Coordinator, Avon Community School Corporation
A Man IN Action
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