Can All Leaders Sing?

I Corinthians 13:1b  ... but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If you have spent any time studying leadership it won't take you long to hear the expression, "Everyone is a leader".  Those who have spoken these words have noble intentions. They want to be an inspiration to people, especially if they are teaching a leadership class. By saying everyone is a leader, they hope to inspire people to be open to use a hidden talent, or underdeveloped gift. They want to help people position themselves for a discovery, and they hope that by telling them they are a leader, they can convince them to learn.

However noble, let us look at where these claims come from. I have heard this expression more in ministry circles than any other arena. Looking even closer, these are the churches who have had a growth curve that has put pressure on the current leaders, or are churches that have not grown. Those with growth curves see that there is so much to accomplish, know the growth curve cannot be sustained with the current leadership, and deep within their hearts are pleading for more people to step up to the plate and lead. Those without growth curves search for a reason for the lack of growth and sometimes come to the conclusion that more leaders are needed. In both situations, those with the responsibility of developing leaders know that they will get the excuse from people that "I am not a leader".  I would suggest to you that out of this fear, the false doctrine of "everyone is a leader" is embraced. It is easy to say, and creates an initial hope in people that is actually kind of fun for them to experience.

However, I believe it is quite damaging to the organization. Preaching that everyone is a leader is like another saying that "everyone is a singer".  Anyone who has hearing would agree that everyone is NOT a singer. We all have been near a person who thought they could sing, ... but were just making noise, annoying as a clanging cymbal. I feel sorry for some worship leaders who have to finally tell someone that wants to sing a solo they cannot.

That leads us to the nuances of the statement. In the same way everyone (with a voice) can sing, everyone does lead at some point. We all lead in the same way we "all teach". We all teach by living life, sometimes teaching people how to do things, and sometimes teaching people what NOT to do. We ALL teach, but we are NOT all teachers. Most can sing but we are not all singers, and we do lead but are NOT ALL LEADERS! As in our scripture verse above, we can begin with a basic legitimate instrument, and if improperly used, make only annoying noise. In the same way, people who are forced or convinced they can lead, but have no talent or giftedness can really make you cringe when you hear of some of the things they do.

In the introduction of my leadership seminars I try to inspire people by telling them that it is my hope they discover one of two things. I hope they discover how to be a better leader, ... if they are a true leader, OR I hope they discover that they are not a leader, to relieve them of the guilt of not leading. I then tell those who will discover they are not leaders that the seminar will not be a waste of their time. On the contrary, they will help their church or organization by not getting involved in leadership while learning how to pray and encourage those who should be. They will know better how to help a leader, or shepherd a leader, or teach a leader, ... and yes, even how to follow a leader ... depending on their own gifts.

In closing, please help the people you lead by setting many of them free from false expectations. Go back to the drawing board in your leadership development program, and focus on identifying and helping those who God is really calling to lead.

Because after all, ... all leaders can't sing.