6. Generosity of spirit. A leader must be a good and kind person. The old dictatorial leadership style went out with the Edsel. But a leader can’t be loosey-goosey or the organization becomes like the insane asylum run by the inmates! In this new era, what is the balance—especially for those leaders who are led by the Spirit? The balance is best embodied by pastor Jack Hayford, who is known as one of the kindest leaders with the greatest integrity in the church world. In June, he will turn 80 and celebrate his 60th wedding anniversary. We are devoting most of the July issue of Charisma to his life’s work. Many, including me, see him almost as bigger than life.
Because of my close working relationship with Jack for more than 20 years and serving on the board of The Kings University, I’ve seen him up close and behind the scenes. I can tell you he is the real deal when it comes to integrity. But anyone who might mistake his gentle demeanor as his being a soft leader is wrong. He knows what he wants, and he knows how to lead in order to achieve the vision. But he does it with a generosity of spirit that I’ve rarely seen. We need more leaders like him.
