Chaplain (Col) Ray Fairman

The leader who desires to acquit himself well, must naturally exude confidence, a trait that must never be confused with arrogance. When beginning the climb toward a position that that entails the administration of certain powers, the embryonic leader often starts from a position of reluctance and eventually, with the proper seasoning and experience, arrives at their destination with the level of confidence required of that position. All too often, however, there remains the danger of allowing that confidence to take on a life of its own, especially when it is allowed to feast on the fruits of its labors unfettered. When that occurs, it often has a way of morphing the personality of the leader who allows that feasting to go unchecked into that of the dreaded "arrogant moron."

Keep reading to find out how God Taught Gideon a good lesson about confidence.

A Journey from Reluctance to Confidence

Lets begin our journey by looking at the Old Testament passage of Judges 6:11 - 8:35, where we will discover a great example of a somewhat reluctant leader and yet one who turned out to be quite an effective force in the long run. I am talking of course about Gideon. He was an obscure man from one of the weakest of the minor Israelite clans. A man who never envisioned himself as a national leader and yet he was clearly used by God to overcome the Midianites in the most asymmetrical victory in Israel's long history of battles. How could this have occurred? Well, I have a few ideas, which I would like to share with you regarding Gideon and his leadership.

First of all, Gideon wisely began to develop and display his leadership in his own home. With ten of his servants he destroyed an altar to the false god Baal and constructed an altar to The One True God. If we desire to perfect our character and enhance our leadership capabilities, we too must begin this process in our own homes. Let me ask you a direct question, only one of many I may ask as we progress along our leadership journey, do you accept the God given responsibility for the spiritual state of your own life, home and family? If a man cannot find the courage and discipline to face the challenges of leadership in his own home where love abounds and with his own family, how will he ever be able to lead in an environment of strife and conflict and where the resistance to his guidance is often plentiful?

Gideon also took the time to gain the support and confidence of a person of critical influence. He did this with his charisma and appropriate behavior and before he began to display or exercise any authority as a leader. Moreover he was wise enough to initially broaden his "sphere of influence" among the people of his own region. It is a well-known fact that as a person's popularity grows, so does their influence and credibility. If you doubt that this is true, you merely need to take a critical look at the impact that Politicians, Sports Figures, Hollywood Actors, Rock Stars and the rest of the world of celebrities and entertainers has on our society and the development (or devastation) of its moral and ethical value definitions.

Gideon's maturing leadership and confidence eventually influenced so many people that in retrospect it is easy to see why, that in order for God's power to be the dominant factor in this victory, God had to have him send a great number of his followers home. Yet it is also clearly visible why, acting under God's direction and timing and with insight is also important. For it was by following some simple steps to mature his leadership and gain support before "Taking Over" that God used Gideon's ability to win a great battle and victory with only 300 combat troops.

I like to refer to Gideon's leadership contribution as "The Trait of Self-assurance", though others may merely want to call it "self-confidence."  You see Gideon knew that people must somehow visualize you as a leader before they will ever agree to follow you. He was also ready to answer a critical question all followers are sure to ask, "Why should I follow you?" That is a question that you too must always be prepared to answer.

You see until people are confident about the value you place on your character and can see how important it truly is to you, they will never feel confident about anything you envision, no matter how worthy a goal it seems to be. This is because people are looking for some very specific character traits in those people in whom they choose to invest their confidence and trust.

Lets take a closer look at some of those traits shall we? People are usually looking to follow someone who not only wants to "lead from the front," but can also demonstrate a "calling to lead." Sometimes emotion alone can send someone into battle, but that emotion can never sustain their effort. What is required is that a person who desires to lead, display a bold, passionate and confident attitude without developing an arrogant, pompous, egotistical or self-important attitude. This is not always easily accomplished and it is an attitude that generally takes a concentrated effort to maintain.

Subordinates are also looking for leaders who can display a "heightened degree of insight." A characteristic that is frequently exemplified through a person's wisdom and vision for what lies ahead.

Another important factor is a person's "charisma" which is most often detected in a leader's ability to make people feel valuable and good about themselves and their accomplishments.

They also want to follow only those leaders who can show them that they are both "technically and professionally talented." After all you can't learn to tap dance from a plumber and you don't expect a ballerina to repair the transmission on your Volkswagen do you?

One of the most important traits looked for by followers is also one of the most difficult to acquire. That skill is the ability to "remain a part of the team while leading it." You are going to hear me say this more than once and in various ways, but I feel it is that important. "You can ride to victory on the shoulders of those you lead or be trampled beneath their feet." The choice is yours and the difference is determined by the leadership styles, methods and principles you choose to employ.

You will never be able to lead successfully, unless you have developed good "communication skills." You must count the ability to listen among the most important of the skills you use to communicate. You need not always act on what you hear, but if you ignore the feedback you are receiving, disaster is often only a heartbeat away.

Last but certainly not least people want to follow leaders whom they feel they can continue to look up to; leaders who display a "stable moral and ethical character." A properly adjusted moral compass will always point the way toward the foundations of trust that are required by all successful leaders, even those who are reluctant and seem to lack confidence, like Gideon, at the onset of their careers.

Just be sure that you keep a tight rein on your maturing confidence or it is apt to turn into a malignant arrogance and destructive self-sufficiency.

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