Today’s youth seem content to take the easy route and enjoy the ride of life. When tough situations arise, they often pout and complain. As a youth in God’s Church, this must not be the case with you.

How you live your teen years will have a profound impact on the rest of your life. You must learn to utilize your time wisely.

You may not see it now, but developing leadership characteristics at a young age is very important. As we get older, it becomes harder to overcome bad habits and replace them with good ones.

Your overall goal as a teen in the Church is to prepare yourself for baptism—and the responsibilities of being a Christian. After that, your goal is to overcome the pulls of the flesh and to prepare to rule in the kingdom of God. Possessing leadership qualities is essential, both in this life and in the world to come.

Leadership Qualities

There are certain qualities that one needs to develop in order to become a leader: justice, judgment, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, tact, integrity, enthusiasm, poise, unselfishness, courage, knowledge and loyalty.

You may recognize these as good qualities to have, without realizing how they apply to leadership. The more that these qualities are part of your nature, the more productive and enjoyable your life will be. All of these are qualities that Christians must possess to one degree or another.

Justice is the ability to deal with people in a consistent manner and without partiality. For example, if you show favoritism toward a certain friend, treating him differently than others, you are not being just. Showing partiality can breed resentment. Notice that Christians are to treat each other the same: “I charge you before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that you observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality” (I Tim. 5:21).

Judgment is the ability to take into consideration all the facts and ponder different courses of action in order to come to a sound decision. Not weighing all the facts of a situation will cause you to make a poor decision, which can cause devastating effects for you and those around you. Christians are commanded to “judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). This requires knowledge and gathering of facts.

Dependability is the certainty that you will properly perform the task at hand. Being dependable allows those over you to not have to worry about tasks either not getting done, or not getting done correctly. Dependability in little tasks shows that you will be able to handle bigger tasks. Notice: “His Lord said unto him, Well done, you good and faithful [dependable] servant: you have been faithful [dependable] over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your Lord” (Matt. 25:21).

Initiative is the ability to do things without being told. Initiative sees something that needs to be done and does it. If someone has to constantly remind you to do something, you are lacking this trait. Without this quality, you will never accomplish anything in your own life and will not be able to lead anyone else. People who lack initiative often have big ideas but never turn them into reality.

Poise is the ability to create a favorable impression by your appearance, conduct and how you carry yourself. It is also the ability to stay focused and calm in situations—to show discipline. Leaders, both in the world and in the Church, conduct themselves in a distinct manner. You cannot lead others if you are sloppy, cannot speak properly (e.g., cursing, constantly using slang) or are out of control.

Unselfishness is caring for others at the expense of your own comfort. It is seeking to please others instead of yourself—living the give way of life. God is most plain about living this way. Notice: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3). True happiness is only achieved when one lets go of all selfishness. It should be no wonder then that this is a leadership trait.

Courage is being able to execute a task in the face of fear, danger or hardship. Courage allows you to make decisions that may not be popular with some people or possibly even most. Recognize that with any decision you make, there will likely be someone who is unhappy with it. It takes a great deal of courage to live God’s way of life, as the world around you lives a completely different way.

Knowledge is information regarding a given subject. Without a certain amount of knowledge, living your life would be most difficult. Imagine, for example, not knowing how to read and write. The more knowledge you have, the easier it is to make sound judgments. People do not usually follow those who are unknowledgeable, as poor decisions are always the result. Notice that Christians are required to obtain knowledge: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 3:18).

Loyalty is being faithful to a person, job, organization, etc. Loyalty is needed to ensure that a given task or command is accomplished. For example, if you are truly loyal to God’s government, you will accept instruction or correction even if you do not fully understand it at the time. However, a lack of loyalty among groups of people, within organizations or within the Church, will cause bitterness and division.

Decisiveness is the ability to make decisions in a timely fashion. Throughout your life, you will be required to make important decisions. A certain amount of knowledge, courage and unselfishness is needed to do so. In certain circumstances, it is necessary to be able to make a quick decision than to take the time to reach a potentially better one. Leaders must have the ability to think and act quickly and to be willing to accept the consequences of their decisions.

Tact is the ability to interact with others without creating hostility. For example, you may notice that someone in authority over you unknowingly says something that you know to be incorrect. If you have tact, you will bring it to his attention in private, and you will be respectful in how you speak. Tactful people speak with a level of respect for others, choosing words carefully.

Integrity is being truthful and honest. Notice what Jesus Christ says about this: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matt. 5:37, NKJV). Those who lack integrity make poor leaders, as they cannot be trusted. Who would choose to follow someone who is dishonest? God tells the truth and expects us to do the same. We certainly would not follow God if He lacked integrity, as we would not be able to be sure of His promises.

Enthusiasm is the display of sincere interest in whatever one does and whatever the circumstance. If you are not displaying enthusiasm, this makes it difficult for those around you to be enthusiastic. Griping and complaining only brings people down, and contributes nothing positive. On the other hand, excitement will radiate, causing others to feel the same way. Of course, false excitement is not good either—it must be sincere.

Notice that the apostle Paul looked forward to hardship with enthusiasm: “And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy [Spirit] witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy…” (Acts 20:22-24).

Endurance is the ability to withstand hardship. Not everything in life is “peaches and cream.” Hardships are a fact of life, and a leader must have the endurance to get through them—to learn from them, knowing that things will get better (Ecc. 7:14). Leaders endure, which helps those around them to do the same. Notice: “You therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (II Tim. 2:3). “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13).

Leadership Must be Learned

Contrary to popular opinion, leadership is something that is learned. No one is born a leader. We are all capable of exhibiting the leadership qualities mentioned above—some just choose not to. Of course, not everyone can be the “top dog,” let alone all the time. However, everyone does have the capacity to lead in some way—but action is required!

Understand that learning is a fact of life—learning to ride a bike, learning to drive, learning to type, learning mathematics, etc. All of these activities require action. While we are born with many different abilities, if we do not harness and develop them, those abilities will never come to fruition.

God created us to be doers: “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Rom. 2:13). The overall intent of learning—doing—is for us to build God’s holy, righteous character.

Your teen years are an excellent time to start developing leadership traits. Take the time to study each one in detail. Put them into practice as you interact with other people. Determine which areas you are weak in, striving to always improve. Observe leaders within the Church, and how they handle situations and carry themselves. Also, study the lives of great biblical leaders such as Moses, Abraham and Joseph. The results will serve you in this life—and beyond!