Leadership

This will not be what I would call my magnum opus by any means, but I have had thoughts ruminating in my head for quite some time regarding the principle of leadership. I would like to share (hopefully in a coherent manner) some of these thoughts with you in a serious of posts which will present different aspects of the topic, and hopefully in the end these will mesh together into a nice whole. I believe that every principle I am going to share is true; and as I also believe that truth's original source is beyond this mortal sphere, any who deny the existence of absolute moral laws may as well navigate their way to a different page. And now, without further ado, here is...

Leadership Part I: The Spiritual Foundation of Leadership

I will approach this subject from the side, beginning with what I believe is the essence of true leadership. Historically (and, I believe, fundamentally), a leader was one who possessed the ability to see and convey to others a visualization of potential. I will discuss this as it relates to our personal lives at a later time (it's one of my favorite topics), but for now let me just say that all great leaders are people who are able to see potential in themselves and others (the "vision"), and convey a sense of that potential to their followers. Sometimes this is done by word and sometimes by example, but always the followers initially get a sense of what they can either accomplish or become if they will follow the leader. The classic example of this is the biblical prophet: he pronounces predictions of the future (for example, the damnation of the wicked) and then motivates his followers to seek after a goal which he himself can envision for them (for example, the joy and peace of the repentant sinner who accepts Christ). If he is successful in transmitting this vision to others, and if they are receptive, they will follow.

I will now discuss the leader as an individual. I will restrict my discussion at this point to only good leaders, that is, ones who lead toward righteous ends, such as eternal life, and not those who lead by the power of the devil to damnation. (These evil leaders exist; they are called false prophets. I believe that all men who lead toward goals which are unrighteous are rightly called false prophets, for what else would you call one who gives others a vision of the future which is not based on truth? Is this not a prophecy which is false?) The vision (or visions) by which this leader navigates are provided most clearly as the leader engages in moments of reflection, instances of clarity and reorientation. Here are a few examples of these moments:

-The period following a general conference of the Church, when the honest in heart (who have paid attention) gain what my father called "the feeling of 'all is well'"
-The precious time in the temple celestial room when we have a sense of the overall purpose and plan of our existence
-During and after priesthood blessings performed in righteousness, when the receiver has been given instruction and counsel from the Lord.

We can easily see that, given the above examples, these "clarity moments" would rightly be called Revelation. They are times when the Lord's will is made known to us, when his plan is brought to the forefront of our minds and laid in stark relief against the backdrop of the world's confusion and misdirection. These moments can also happen in our everyday lives, any time we are prepared to receive them. Our means of preparedness, although very important, will not be discussed at this time, but the important thing is that the Lord's means of communication to us is through the Holy Ghost:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26)
It is through the medium of the Holy Ghost that we receive our education of truth in this life.

An important but little-known (as I think) scripture which describes the communication of the Holy Ghost with great relevance to this discussion is found in the book of Jacob, chapter 4, verse 13:
"Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls...."

In the context of the moments of clarity and perspective spoken of earlier, the Spirit gives us a sense of things as they really are (perspective on present trials and experiences as they relate to the big picture of the gospel) and things as they really will be (visions of the potential future of ourselves and others), for the salvation of our souls. A good leader (that is, a leader for good) will use the power of the Spirit to instill in others the motivation to strive toward this future potential, provide a clear picture of things as they really are in the present, and provide the keys by which these others can progress toward these goals. Any of these three could easily be the topic of a post in themselves, but I will abstain for the present.

As a last note in this section, the pursuit of true perspective/visions of things "as they really are" and things "as they really will be" will, when successful, change and mold three things: how we view others; how we view ourselves; and how we view God. The first will lead to the development of charity; the second, the establishment of hope; and the third, the foundation of faith. As Moroni says,
"...I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto Christ]--the fountain of all righteousness." (Ether 12:28)
Thus does God give us the tools to return to Him, through the atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, and through the enlightening power of the Holy Ghost; and thus does he give righteous men and women the tools to lead those under their stewardship toward eternal life and exaltation.

Stay tuned for part II.