The Unlikely Leader

INTRODUCTION

Were you born to be a leader? John Maxwell would quip, “I don’t know any leaders who are unborn.” While many people exhibit strong leadership characteristics early on in life, it is important to recognize that leadership skills can be learned and honed, vastly as a result of life experience. What makes a great leader? There are many identifying traits compiled by various experts listing many similarities and overlapping qualities, but which leaders make the greatest impact and why? I believe these are the Unlikely Leaders — the leaders who have faced and overcome adversity, making them empathetic, relatable, and most effective as a result.

If you come from an affluent background, have educational opportunities that others don’t, have not endured significant trauma, and have not been presented with obstacles because of your gender, race, or nationality, then obtaining success is essentially a social inevitability. But what about the people who aren’t afforded these advantages or who have faced unexpected, derailing challenges? Oftentimes, people who come from a background of trauma, setbacks, and disadvantages feel that sought-after leadership roles are out of their grasp due to emotional shrapnel or stigma; however, the opposite couldn’t be more true. The Bible tells us that it is the adversity you have faced and overcome which has developed and strengthened your character. This makes you better able to connect and empathize with others. It is what makes the best leaders: strong conviction and integrity, tethered by compassionate understanding and relatability.

In The Bible, God uses many ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Moses didn’t think he was a leader when God chose him; people laughed at Noah for building that ark for so many years; Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers only to rise to second-in-command of all of Egypt. God makes it a point of taking ordinary people — people who have overcome great adversity and hardship — and using them to lead.

One of my favorite analogies that illustrates this concept is explained in the Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional, The Confident Woman. Meyer asks the reader to imagine a clay pot. The idea is that no one can see what’s inside, but through our imperfections (a cracked clay pot), light is able to shine through.

While much of this book is focused on the educational arena, and while I incorporate my twenty-five years of experience in education in its writing, the guiding principles are based on the Christian faith, as that is what I see as the foundation for good and solid leadership in any and all arenas.

Instead of viewing your struggles as setbacks, this book will teach you how you can utilize them in your ability to grow and effectively lead others. It is the Unlikely Leader who has the most significant impact!