The Book on Leadership Quotes

“According to Christ, then, the truest kind of leadership demands service, sacrifice, and selflessness. A proud and self-promoting person is not a good leader by Christ’s standard, regardless of how much clout he or she might wield. Leaders who look to Christ as their Leader and their supreme model of leadership will have servants’ hearts.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“the leadership role is a spiritual responsibility, and the people we lead are a stewardship from God, for which we will one day be called to give an account (cf. Matthew 25:14–30).”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“Los líderes se levantan en tiempos de crisis y toman la iniciativa.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Llamado a liderar: 26 lecciones de liderazgo de la vida del Apóstol Pablo

“No competent leader is going to be anxious to impress people with his credentials. Leaders who are truly able are qualified because of their character. They are easily identified, not by letters of commendation, but because of the influence they have on others. They are people who are confident of their calling, and yet at the same time, they know they are utterly dependent on God as the source of their true power.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., The Book on Leadership

“or foreign-relations policies, I usually offer no opinion. I don’t have enough valid information about those things to have an authoritative opinion. Ask me about some moral or ethical question, however, and that’s another matter. Why? Because I know what Scripture says about those things. I have authority for my opinions on such matters. And when given the opportunity, I always point to my source of authority. I don’t like giving mere opinion.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“Real leadership seeks to motivate people from the inside, by an appeal to the heart, not by external pressure and coercion”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“The more a leader invests his life in people, the more effective that person will be in the Lord’s service.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“A lowly slave of unimpeachable character is more suitable for spiritual leadership than a business magnate whose integrity is questionable.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“When we learn to embrace trials, anguish, and distress as friends (James 1:2–4; Romans 5:3–5) and as reminders of our own weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7–10), we become more dependent on the power of God and therefore more effective as leaders and witnesses for Him.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“I’ve always believed that if a leader takes care of the present task with all his power, the future will open up for greater opportunities. Living in the fantasy of those future opportunities, however, debilitates us in the present.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“be successful in any profession they choose if they do a few things consistently: Be on time, keep quiet and work hard, do what the boss tells you, have a positive attitude, and most important, be fiercely loyal to the people you work for and with.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“Authentic loyalty is not blind devotion to a mere man. It is, first of all, an allegiance to truth and duty. But it involves devotion to the obligations of love and friendship as well.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“The fastest way to lose credibility as a leader is to make a foolish decision that leads people down a blind alley or off the end of a pier.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“A leader is not someone who is consumed with his own success and his own best interests. A true leader is someone who demonstrates to everyone around him that their interests are what most occupy his heart.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“every Christian is called to be a leader of sorts, at some level, because all of us are given a mandate to teach and to influence others.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“much of the world’s “leadership” is nothing but manipulation of people by threats and rewards. That is not true leadership; it’s exploitation.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“According to Christ, then, the truest kind of leadership demands service, sacrifice, and selflessness.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“I often tell young pastors that the fastest way to lose people’s trust is not by preaching a bad sermon. People will forgive that. The fastest way to lose credibility as a leader is to make a foolish decision that leads people down a blind alley or off the end of a pier. Too many young men in ministry make impetuous and ill-considered decisions. They lead without looking where they are going. They don’t count the cost. They aren’t cautious enough. You might think that young leaders would make the mistake of being too timid, but in my experience, it is much more common for young men to fail because they are impetuous. They aren’t sensitive. They don’t seek wise counsel.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., The Book on Leadership

“I have always found Christian biography to be inherently practical. A book that expounds the history or career of a noble Christian doesn’t usually need to be enhanced with explicit how-to steps or imperatives and admonitions directed at the reader. The testimony of a godly life by itself is sufficient to motivate. That is why I treasure the life stories and memoirs of godly leaders.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., The Book on Leadership

“Leadership for the Christian always has a spiritual dimension. The duty of leading people carries with it certain spiritual obligations. That is as true for the Christian president of a secular company as it is for the stay-at-home mom whose sphere of leadership might extend no further than her own children. All Christians in every kind of leadership are called to be spiritual leaders.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., The Book on Leadership

“Knowing our weakness isn’t a disadvantage; it is essential to what we do as leaders.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

“How does a leader build trust? When people are convinced you will do everything in your power for their good and nothing for their harm, they’ll trust you.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul