One of my favorite sources of wisdom is the resident philosopher at the Maysville Ledger Independent, Ponto the Office Dog. In one of his most recent musings, Ponto had this to say about leadership—“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.”

It stands to reason that you can’t lead people in the right direction if you don’t know which way to go yourself. Many have been led astray by people who simply didn’t know where they were going.

Secondly, you have to go that way yourself if you really want to lead people. It’s often not good enough to simply point people in the right direction. They probably won’t take your advice if they don’t see you going that way yourself.

Finally, a leader has to show the way. People want to understand why you are going in that certain direction rather than any of the other directions you might have taken. A necessary part of leadership is to explain the journey to your followers as they go with you along the way.

Of course, Jesus is the ultimate leader. He says, “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).