If you had asked me this question three years ago I would have called you crazy. I am an extreme introvert. As a result, the thought of being a leader\u2014of telling people what to do or making decisions for a group\u2014made me want to retreat to my quiet corner of the world and hide behind the cover of a book.<\/p>\n
Not only am I an introvert, but I’m really good at helping out behind the scenes. Do you need kitchen help at a church hosted dinner? No problem! Music selected and organized for the worship team next Sabbath? You got it! Any position that involved operating quietly in the background was my special niche. It was where I felt safe and comfortable.<\/p>\n
However, this feeling of safety was compromised when I took a leadership course<\/a>[ref]through Signature Leadership Courses<\/a>[\/ref]. Immediately the way I had always defined myself was challenged. This redefinition began with a simple statement: as a Christian you have been re-created to be a leader in your every day life.<\/em><\/p>\n I didn’t believe the instructor at first. Surely he couldn’t be talking about introverts? If he knew me he would agree that I was more adept at staying behind the scenes.<\/p>\n Wrong.<\/p>\n He meant everyone who has accepted Christ as Lord and Savior has been re-created to live a new life\u2014a life of encouraging others to know Christ and His Kingdom<\/a>.<\/p>\n What’s more, according to\u00a0John Maxwell<\/a>, this leadership is defined\u00a0as influence<\/em>. It’s as simple as that. Whenever you influence someone to act in a certain way you are leading them<\/em>. We all have some amount of influence over someone else, no matter how small, and that means we are all leaders.<\/em><\/p>\n [bctt tweet=”Leadership is influence. – John Maxwell”]<\/p>\n With this revelation, the question we need to ask ourselves is not “am I a leader?” but rather, “what kind<\/em> of leader am I?”<\/p>\n To help you further understand your redefined role as a leader,\u00a0Artios Christian College<\/a>\u00a0is here with a candid conversation about leadership. In this short video, Artios’ Dean of Academic Affairs, Isreal Steinmetz and Artios’ Dean of Administration, Amber Riggs expand on this concept of leadership and what it looks like in your daily life.<\/p>\nThe Leadership Conversation<\/h3>\n