M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Leadership for Saints, Part 13:
What Great Leaders Do
by Rodger Dean Duncan and Ed J. Pinegar

Some might imagine that “what great leaders do” would comprise a very long list of complicated and even mysterious activities. The reality is that great leadership is relatively simple. Note that we didn’t say easy. We said simple.

While it is true that great leaders benefit from certain skills like communication, organizing and planning, the real power of their leaderships flows more from who they are than from what they do.

The best leaders emulate the Savior himself. They constantly remember their role as servant. They shoulder responsibility for the vision and direction of the people they serve. They may have “official” authority, yet they lead by influence instead of by position.

This part of the book is a brief overview of what a leader does. It is not intended to be all encompassing, but rather a simple summary. We want this summary to be inviting, not overwhelming. We want you to remember that leadership is a developmental process. It is the process of becoming. You can become a great leader.

Great leaders use their vision to maintain a wise perspective on life around them and ahead of them. Dag Hammarsköld, the loveable Swede who served as secretary-general of the United Nations, had something to say that bears directly on the subject of righteous leadership: “The road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action.”

Feed Your Faith, Starve Your Doubts

As we have interviewed and counseled with and learned from thousands of Church members over the years, we have often begun with two simple questions:

• “What is the health of your testimony?” and

• “How do you make it grow?”

The answers we’ve received from these wonderful saints provide a simple tutorial on the kind of perspective (vision) that best serves great leaders: they feed their faith and starve their doubts.

Like any self-respecting verb, a good Latter-day Saint is active, not passive. Active verbs have power. Look around you. The people in your branch or ward or stake who exude the greatest happiness and who enjoy the most robust spiritual health are those whose character and habits are fueled by power verbs.

These are people who honor their covenants.

They hold to the rod of the word of God.

They obey the commandments.

They choose the right.

They serve their neighbors.

They love their enemies.

They forgive their trespassers.

They repent of their wrongs.

They lengthen their strides.

They preach correct principles.

They practice what they preach.

They control their tempers.

They share their talents and gifts.

They resist temptation.

They proclaim the gospel.

They defend the faith.

They testify of the truth.

They listen with empathy.

They teach with conviction.

They lead with power and energy and charity and hope.

These are the saints who are able to feed their faith and starve their doubts because their lives are characterized by power verbs such as renew, resolve, sacrifice and consecrate.

To one degree or another, all of us have faith. And in one way or another, each of us has doubts. It may be self-doubt, but it is doubt nonetheless.

Great leaders feed their faith and starve their doubts. Their sense of vision constantly reminds them who they are, whose they are, and what they can become.

With proper application of the principles of salvation, all of us can feed our faith and starve our doubts. This is particularly important in our family roles.

Quotes to Remember

Being in power is like being a lady. If you have to remind people that you are, you aren’t. — Margaret Thatcher

… the Church has no corps of professionals it must depend upon leaders developed from within the membership as a whole… the Church's need is greater than ever now, both in terms of numbers and a requirement for greater devotion and skill, … so must the need for more capable and responsible leadership multiply. – Neal A. Maxwell

… the successful leader has faith. He recognizes that the greatest force in this world today is the power of God as it works through man. – Thomas S. Monson 3

… a feeling of deep responsibility to act as the Lord's agent, is perhaps the highest attribute of leadership,... They seek only to serve, with no desire for self-aggrandizement or acclaim. They see themselves as the Lord's servants, on His errand, acting as His agents… – Alexander B. Morrison

Those who take seriously the covenants they make, who aspire to be numbered among the covenant people of God, wish only to be humble disciples of Jesus. …They recognize their dependence on God and His goodness…They voluntarily accept covenants that require both sacrifice and consecration. – Alexander B. Morrison

Note: The excerpts of Leadership for Saints posted on Meridian are only a fraction of the contents of this 349-page book. To learn more about this ground-breaking book and to order copies, click here.

© 2002 by Rodger Dean Duncan & Ed J. Pinegar