Spirit of Leadership

INITIATIVE • Initiators make specific decisions to begin things. The Creator is our primary example of the leadership attitude of initiative. The account of creation in the first book by Moses starts with, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Before God spoke, the earth was formless, empty, and dark. It would have remained that way if he hadn’t initiated the process of creation. He saw the potential of the earth and transformed it into something that had form, was teem ing with created beings, and was filled with light. The most important lesson here is hidden in the words, “In the begin ning God created.” Here we see that the spirit of leadership initiates activity and activates change. This is the spirit of a leader. Leaders don’t just dream; they awaken and act on their dreams. V ISION IS A DESIRE ; INITIATIVE GETS IT ACCOMPLISHED .

THE PRINCIPLES OF INITIATIVE

1. Initiative is the key to accomplishment. There are numerous examples of inventors, composers, and others who initiated works out of their imaginations that otherwise would have remained mere potential. As you develop the attitudes of leadership, consider what ideas and

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