Of all the qualities and characteristics ascribed to leadership, there is one person who provided us with information to guide our climb up the leadership mountain. For the next few weeks we want to examine these steps.

The first step is really a step down: “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Leaders begin the climb with a step of humility, an emptying process of self. The idea is one of destitution, poverty, or an emptiness that forces one to look up to the one who can fill them with purpose, direction, and fulfillment.

When the quality of humility is seen by others, there is a genuineness that exists in the character of the individual that draws others to follow and emulate.

Developing this poverty in spirit is easier said than done. Recognizing who we are (and perhaps who we are not) and the need for complete dependency on God is a beginning point.

Once we stop working to make things happen on our own and trust God’s sovereign control, then we are taking the first step up the leadership mountain.