By Coach Jerry Moore (retired), Appalachian State University

SOME PEOPLE DEFINE LEADERSHIP AS THE ABILITY TO OBTAIN FOLLOWERS.

OTHERS DEFINE IT AS THE ABILITY TO ACHIEVE. AT ITS CORE, LEADERSHIP IS INFLUENCE. AS LEADERS, WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHO OR HOW WE WILL INFLUENCE OTHERS, BUT ROMANS 12:8 GIVES US A GUIDE: “IF YOUR GIFT IS TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS, BE ENCOURAGING. IF IT IS GIVING, GIVE GENEROUSLY. IF GOD HAS GIVEN YOU LEADERSHIP ABILITY, TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY SERIOUSLY. AND IF YOU HAVE A GIFT FOR SHOWING KINDNESS TO OTHERS, DO IT GLADLY.”

One of the most powerful things a leader can do is recognize that responsibility is not the same thing as leadership. I learned this when I went to my first FCA Camp in Nacogdoches, Texas. I was coaching at Southern Methodist University and the players wanted to start an FCA Huddle. They asked me to lead it since I was the youngest member on staff. I made all kinds of excuses for why I couldn’t do it, but I finally told them yes. I took the responsibility, but not the leadership. That changed during my week at Camp.

My roommate was the Rev. Ralph Langley, and he taught me how to develop a consistent prayer life. That week, I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. Langley’s leadership prepared me not just for the responsibility as a coach and Huddle leader, but for true leadership. He made a significant difference in my life, my family’s lives, and the thousands of young people’s lives who I’ve impacted since then.

Anyone can be a leader. Hitler, Jim Jones, Martin Luther King, Jr., Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy and Jesus of Nazareth are all leaders in human history, but they carried different values. The best leaders serve others over themselves; Jesus is the greatest example of a leader, for He showed us leadership begins in the heart. How can you be a great leader? Here are seven qualities I believe all leaders need:

1) COMMUNICATE EXPECTATIONS – Followers need to know their expectations; it helps them take part-ownership of the results. This will result in respect and loyalty.

2) FORM AN INNER CIRCLE – Leaders need people who can help them through tough times, just like Moses did with his father-in-law, Jethro. “Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. Teach them God’s decrees, and give them His instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives,” (Exodus 18:19-20).

3) MAKE GOOD CHOICES – Recognize that your choices will reflect the type of leader you become, so get rid of what does not make you and the people around you better. (Don’t lie to yourself!) Integrity is a vanishing commodity today. Uphold personal standards in a world that is in hot pursuit of personal pleasure.

4) DO – There’s a big gap today in knowing and doing. Even “real” leaders who know the right things don’t do them. Do the right thing.

5) ASK YOURSELF QUESTIONS – Success and leadership begin with identity. Who are you? What do you want to be? What are you willing to give up? (Whatever it is, it will probably be something you enjoy.) What do you love?

6) FIND THE WIN – Leaders need to feel proud of what they accomplished in a day. Have you done something meaningful? Did you take advantage of an opportunity to lead well? Find the win.

7) BE WILLING TO LEAD – Respect cannot be ordered, but it can be earned through a willingness to lead. I always had a lot of confidence as a coach—I love to teach, correct and even recruit—but coaching took on a new dimension when I learned how to lead and instilled the importance of leadership in my players. We cannot separate leadership from life. If God’s given us a leadership gift, we must take responsibility and serve others. Our children, spouses, neighbors, teams, employees and country need us to be the leaders God intended us to be.

Prayer: Jesus, help me be a servant-leader with influence like you and not just take on responsibility, but the sacrificial leadership that comes with it. Amen.

Coach Jerry Moore is the winningest football coach in Appalachian State University and Southern Conference history. In 31 years as a head coach, he was 242-135-2, which places him amongst the top 15 all-time NCAA Division I coaches. With the Mountaineers, his record includes three straight Division I-AA National Championships and 10 Southern Conference Championships. He won a Lifetime Achievement Award from FCA in 2007, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014, and was recognized in the 2018 FCA Hall of Champions. He lives in Boone, West Virginia, with his wife of 59 years, Margaret.

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