4 th Easter Sunday A 2020

4th Easter Sunday, 2020

Today, as a faithful shepherd, we have the opportunity to consider the characteristics of a leader. I can imagine five qualities a good leader should have, not only in the church but also in secular positions.

The first feature of the leader is the ability to see. A competent leader sees, hears, and understands more than others. He can clearly recognise people’s needs and the motives behind their behaviour. With a gift for seeing the core of things, he can read the character of the times and recognise the new challenges facing both himself and the community for which he is responsible. A wise leader sees God in everything, not only in the beauty of nature but also in the love and great deity of people. He sees God in both noise and silence, in light and darkness, in children’s laughter during the game, and in a quiet view of the beginning. Above all, however, a wise leader feels God, who lives and speaks in him. As a result of these qualities, the leader will have a strong influence, not even on what it does, but instead on how much it is.

The second feature of a good leader is a clear vision. The world needs visionaries. These are people who show a new direction when the old one no longer works. Someone who cannot point out that certain things do not work or that people have needs no one cares about and no one resolves will not feel the need to look for a solution and therefore will not have a vision. However, the right idea is more than just believing the past is ineffective. A competent leader is not only satisfied with the correct diagnosis of the past but can see the future. The right leader is like a competent builder. Imagine Joseph Strauss, a builder of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. No one had believed that it was possible to bridge the narrow strait over 2.5 km and stand on the bridge. He was the only one who did. Unlike sceptics and opponents, he had in mind not only the form of a new bridge but also how to construct it. The visionary must, therefore, be able to see the solutions and know how to make them. As far as the style is concerned, a good leader is not a cylinder that goes beyond its vision through the corpse. On the one hand, he must have the determination to go beyond what he believes, even if others do not understand; on the other hand, he must know that no island is without boundaries, and therefore the sophomore allows for doubt. A good leader can move closer to the people, but it does not allow them to abuse their crises to perform their mission. They seek to cooperate with people, listen to their views, but not let them prevent them. His motto will be ‘The dogs bark, but the caravan goes on.

3. Personal integrity is another of the qualities of a good leader. From a principled leader, we expect honest work and deeds. As someone said. The real leader serves the truth and not the people. Today, many people tend to remain silent when they should speak. Or act without thinking, instead of first paying serious attention to things and the possible consequences of your actions. They are tempted to join groups of people at all costs or to rush into things that actually need time to mature. All of these actions may be dangerous in our time. And here you need wisdom and courage, but especially the pure shield. Therefore, a competent leader does not have butter on his head. He has no past to be ashamed of and no butter on his head to hold him hostage to blackmailers.

4. A competent leader can work amid conflicts. It is clear that we live in a world of different views and conflicts. Properly addressing these problems is a quality of a capable leader. The people and groups a leader leads often oppose each other. This should not disgust the leader, but they can be oriented correctly in these conflicts and avoid being deceived. The wise leader does not seek unity but oneness. 

5. And finally, a wise leader is a man of faith and love for God. Being able to see, my vision is wise. However, all this would be useless if it were not connected to God and lacked faith and love for Him. Trust in God and love for God are sources for him, from which the leader draws inspiration, strength, and courage, helping him live in humility and truth. A leader with no connection to God is not only a leader of the blind but also dangerous. He cannot be the right leader if he himself is not kept. When these qualities of a good leader – the ability to see, have a vision, be direct and honest, have the courage, and be rooted in God are applied to ourselves, what are we, leaders?