An “l” (small “l”) is a person with a certain level of ability to learn various degrees of leadership skill. This is equivalent to a recreational soccer player as compared to a travel team or pro soccer athlete. Playing at soccer can be fun and a good social experience, but few are apt to earn a scholarship or make a living from the skill.
An “F” is a follower, someone who can be a great team member, but has little aptitude for leading. Everyone should learn how leadership works, how to identify a bad leader, and how to serve according to his or her gifts. But we do best concentrating leadership development on those with God given wiring to lead. It’s a matter of stewardship.
Biblical passages reflecting limited commodity strengths, in addition to the traditional 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4 include Jesus’ parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, and Exodus 18, where God organizes the people of Israel. Jesus told the story of three servants, each given 1, 2, and 5 Talents respectively. Each was not given an equal amount. Jesus said, “they were given according to their abilities.” In other words, Talents represented opportunity and responsibility more than ability. In Exodus 18, Jethro tells Moses to find people who can lead groups of 10, 50, 100, and 1000. Different responsibilities require appropriate abilities to respond.
While we like the American concept of egalitarian opportunity, accomplishing whatever you dream possible, reality says that all of us are only good at a few things. We’ll be most productive if we discover what these are and play to our strengths. For example, it is impossible for more than a dozen or so people in a lifetime to become President of the United States, so out of 300,000,000, chances are slim that those who dream it will experience it. Enough said.
I have belabored the point because I constantly run into people who object to identifying and culling out leaders, for fear of creating an elitist attitude. The goal is not to exclude kids, as it is to include those who should be invited for specialized training. This is an important part of our LeadNow training, in that we’ve found that those with leadership aptitude learn significantly from their peers, catalyzing further and faster development. This provides a unique opportunity to develop those who will become leaders of 100’s and 1000’s in years to come, providing them a 10-20 year head start from when most leadership training begins.
Now, let’s look at 5 brief characteristics that are indicative of youth who possess strong leadership aptitude.
1. To whom do other kids look for direction?
Years ago, an advertisement campaign featured an investment company named EF Hutton. The tagline went, “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.” The EF Hutton effect holds true for leaders. Not all kids are created equal when it comes to natural influence. When certain individuals say things in small and large groups, they get more attention. This is a sign of leadership. Peers look to these kids and listen. Children who act out may get momentary attention, but heads return quickly to the previous activity. Leaders are those who hold the glance significantly longer.
