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December 18, 2000
By Rev. MISAEL ZARAGOZA Looking For High-Potential LeadersHenry Ford said, "I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done." As a leader in your church, I'm sure you share the same desire. Ultimately, your success lies within your ability to recognize and recruit potential leaders for your church. The better you are at surrounding yourself with people of high potential, the greater your chance for potential success. Spotting the "eagles" in your church is the first step to empowering them. The question is: How do you become better at spotting potential leaders? Start by knowing what they look like. The following list of characteristics paints a vivid picture of an individual with great leadership potential. Use the list as a blueprint to assess your people as well as those you intend to recruit. People With Leadership Potential. . .1. Make things happen. There is no future in any job. The future lies in the person who holds the job. Potential leaders make themselves valuable because they see and seize opportunities to better the church -- regardless of the nature or size of the task. They have a "can do" mentality and represent the church well. When you hand them the ball, you know they're going to score. 2. Influence others. They possess the ability to directly and indirectly influence others in your church in a positive way. Though not in a position of leadership, these people are often the ones that others look to for advice and suggestions for improvement. They can be spotted when important decisions are being made because they're the ones explaining what needs to be done. 3. Add value to you. Every relationship in your organization will affect you one way or another. Those who do not increase you will inevitably decrease you. Take note of those who readily share your vision and complement your personal efforts because they're the ones who will make you better. 4. Possess a great attitude. "The winner's edge," Dennis Waitley notes, paraphrasing Calvin Coolidge, is not in a gifted birth, high IQ, or in talent. The winner's edge is all in the attitude, not aptitude. Attitude is the criterion for success. But you can't buy an attitude for a million dollars. Attitudes are not for sale. 5. Provide ideas that help the Church. The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. You are today where the thoughts of your people have brought you. You will be tomorrow where the thoughts of your people will take you. Ask yourself who is able to mentally sustain your church vision if you quit thinking for the next month. Those are the individuals whose thinking will take the church to the next level. 6. Live up to their commitments. Potential leaders take ownership of their jobs and rarely have to be checked up on. They're the people in your church who come to you to offer help more often than you go to them to give guidance. They are not only committed to their responsibilities but they are also committed to the vision and mission of the church, and they show it by their willingness to complete tasks outside their area of responsibility. 7. Display loyalty. This is the one characteristic that should not be overlooked. As you and your church become more successful, you will continually ask: Who is trustworthy? Who will stick with the team and me even during the tough times? Though loyalty does not make a leader, disloyalty prevents a person from becoming one. The more time you practice spotting potential leaders, the more it will become second nature to you. Use these seven characteristics as your template for prospective leaders and the standard for your current workforce. God bless you and your ministry in the coming new year.
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