Leadership is like Making Love

Good leadership is like good lovemaking. Sure we can take a class or
two on it and we can learn to do it better, but if we do, haven't we
missed the point. I don't make love in order to develop a skill or
proficiency at it. It is a spontaneous expression of my relationship.
It is not an end in itself, but a means to another end - the sharing
of myself with another.

Leadership is the same. I can improve my leadership skills in a class
or with practice but never to brag to others that I am a good leader.
I would no sooner brag that I am a good lovemaker because the very act
of declaring such destroys the purpose for which I engage in the
practice. It isn't about me but about her. I don't lead to be a good
leader so if I stand up and tell others what a good leader I am, then
I have destroyed the very thing that would make me a good leader. It
isn't about me. It is about bringing others to excel beyond their
wildest expectations.

Rick Presley, one of the faithmappers in a current discussion, comments on the nature of leadership and whether some evangelicals are showing an unwarranted triumphalism when it comes to the efficacy of "good leadership skills."