We asked the top pastors and Christian leaders the following questions: “What would be the best courses or classes that you wished you had studied in college or seminary but were never taught?” “What would you like to teach your leaders, staff, or members in your congregation or organization to help them to become better leaders and witnesses to the World?” From this leadership survey, we came up with this list of ten “Leadership Essentials”

1. The Leader’s Inner Life
2. Thinking Like a Leader
3. Leading Like Jesus
4. Defining Leadership
5. Ethics and the Moral Gap
6. Biblical Principles of Problem Solving
7. Successful Financing
8. Team Leadership
9. Effective Communication
10. Leadership Heart and Habits

Consider just the first one: “The Leader’s Inner Life.” When it comes to leadership it is important that we learn from good role models, and Jesus should be our ultimate example. We want to think like Jesus, speak like Jesus, and even live like Jesus. Jesus’ life was broken up into four domains: his head, heart, hands, and habits.

Jesus had the habit of practicing solitude, the habit of practicing prayer, the habit of knowing and applying scripture, and finally the habit of maintaining supportive relationships. These habits develop the heart and the core of the leader from the inside out. It is about abiding with God and his love.

You see, the inner life of the leader is extremely important. New Hope Christian College helps students develop from the inside out. Students look at leadership from the life of Jesus and learn from the experiences of Pastor Wayne Cordeiro especially when life and ministry get tough. For example, students learn the principle of filling one’s tank, identifying what fills you and drains you, what makes you feel most alive and the fullest and what makes you feel dead tired and empty. Too often when the things that drain us increase, we have the tendency to cut off what fills our tank, which actually makes everything worse! Increasing what fills you when you increase what drains you will actually improve your leadership ability. This one activity will transform the way you think about leadership from within that shape your leadership in public.