What is the spirit of leadership?, Part 1

Dr. Miles Munroe is a noted author and international motivational speaker who focuses on numerous issues pertinent to government, business and discipleship contexts. In this series of posts I will look at his popular book, Spirit of Leadership (Witaker House, 2005).

According to this book’s biographical information, Munroe’s ministry purpose is “the transformation of followers into leaders and the maximization of individual potential” (p. 299). Munroe’s motivation for writing Spirit of Leadership is to address a problem he perceives as “the missing ingredient” that prevents many people from breaking through to the leadership capacity he believes exists in every follower (pp. 13-14, 26). With this book, Munroe examines how any person can experience his or her personal revelation of leadership. According to the author, “every human has the instinct and capacity for leadership, but most do not have the courage or will to cultivate it” (p. 15). Therefore, Munroe’s goal is to help his reader rediscover and recover that leadership spirit.

The author argues that leadership has become a role that one plays rather than a life that a person leads (p. 19). This, he says, causes people to lead double lives. As a result, leadership must be seen not as a technique, a style, or the acquisition of skills, but rather the manifestation of a spirit (p. 20) and an attitude of the heart (p. 22). For Munroe, a converted attitude is the key to a transformed life (p. 29).

Munroe justifies his message theologically by rooting it in creation theology – equating leadership with God’s command to rule and subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28). He insists that “each of us was created to rule, govern, control, master, manage, and lead our environments. You are in essence a leader, no matter who you are” (p. 33). For Munroe, leadership is the essence intrinsic to all human beings (p. 37). It should be noted that the author does not appear to negate the appropriate place of followership (see pp. 34, 82), but repeatedly posits his thesis that leadership is God’s intention and purpose for every person.

So what is the “spirit of leadership” as Munroe defines it? He believes it is “the inherent capacity of the human spirit to lead, manage, and dominate, which was placed there at the point of creation and made necessary by the purpose and assignment for which man (humanity) was created” (p. 83). In Munroe’s theology, this “assignment” is the Creator’s purpose for mankind – “to rule (i.e., have dominion) over all the earth” (p. 91; cf. p. 196).

For Munroe, training in the spirit of leadership is essentially training in attitude. He writes:

Attitude determines everything. It is not enough to know the principles, precepts, and skills of leadership. We must acquire the spirit of leadership by discovering and applying the attitudes of true leaders. Training in leadership really means training in attitude because attitude has to do with how we respond to life. (p. 212)

Munroe challenges his reader to discard their intimidation and develop the spirit of leadership they were created to manifest (p. 30). He spends the first half of the book building this case. In the second half of the book, he discusses key attitudes that will transform followers into leaders.