10 Characteristics of Leaders Who’ve Run Their Race Well

This week, we finish our series of articles on taking care of ourselves physically and spiritually. How I approach that topic in this article, though, is different from the previous articles. In this article, I consider this topic metaphorically by looking at leaders who have run their race well—that is, I want us to learn from other Christian leaders who have been faithful to the end. I trust you will see the connection with the other articles in this series.

I’m 65 years old, but I still watch older leaders as role models for me as I run my own race. Admittedly, these findings are anecdotal, but here are ten common characteristics of those long-term leaders from whom I have learned the most over the years.

1. They begin with a determination to finish well. They run the race with the end goal in mind. From the beginning, they know they want to complete their race in a way that is honoring to the Lord. They do not want to be in the list of leaders who have fallen. Consequently, they establish appropriate boundaries to maintain their integrity, and they continually push themselves to improve.

2. They always have a vision bigger than they are. Their vision is so big – so “God-sized”–that relaxing makes little sense as long as more remains to be accomplished. Something much bigger than they compels them to press forward toward the prize (Phil 3:14). Their task matters so much to them as God’s calling on their lives that they do not want to get distracted as they push toward the finish line.

3. They take care of themselves spiritually, including fighting sin with all their being. They read the Scriptures so much that the Word seemingly just drips off their lips. Prayer is so natural to them that others almost automatically turn to them for prayer support. They worship personally and corporately. They willingly fast when the Lord calls them in that direction. They prayerfully, faithfully, humbly strive to be godly. Everything they do comes out of the overflow of their walk with God.

4. They take care of themselves physically. Here’s the primary connection with this current article series: the long-lasting leaders I have met eat properly, exercise regularly, and sleep well. They go to the doctor for annual physicals, and they listen to their physicians. They know they cannot avoid the effects of aging, but they don’t contribute to poor health by making bad decisions. 

5. They deeply love and invest in their family. My experiences reveal a common pattern: leaders who last are good spouses and parents. They love their spouses so much that they seemingly never lose the “sweetheart love” that marked their early relationships. They adore their children, raise them in the teaching of the Lord, and challenge them to follow Him fully. These leaders who finish well work hard at their profession, but not at the expense of their family. 

6. They treat people well. To put it simply, these leaders are nice people who treat others with godly respect. Others just want to hang out with them, and nobody cringes when they walk in the room. They honor others, including those who disagree with them. Nobody is just a “means to an end” to help them do their work. Long track records of strong, healthy relationships give them credibility as they lead over many years. 

7. They share the workload. These leaders delegate well without shirking their responsibility to lead through influence and vision casting. They have learned that failing to share the work is not only exhausting, but it is also arrogant. They also recognize their responsibility to raise up the next generation of gospel workers who will carry on the work when these persistent, faithful older leaders have finished their race.

8. They do not let discouragement set in. It’s not that they don’t get discouraged; it’s just that they don’t wallow in that emotion. They deal with fires of conflict before they become consuming. They do not like failure, but they know failure is seldom the end of the story. Essentially, they run the race this way to avoid discouragement: they find encouragement from others who have faithfully run the race before them, fight against their own tendencies to sin, and continually keep their own eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:1-2).

9. They have genuine friends. Because these leaders are indeed nice, godly people, others want to be around them. They consequently have many acquaintances, but they also have deep, ongoing, long-term friendships that have weathered the storms of life with them. They know they have others who walk with them, support them, pray for them, challenge them, and guard their backs when needed. These leaders know they are never alone when God lives in them and God-given friends walk with them.

10. They have learned to laugh. Some of the best long-term leaders I know are also the ones who most readily laugh. In fact, I can hear their laughter in my ears and see their smiles in my eyes as I write these words. Some are more outgoing with their humor, and others are slyly and surprisingly funny—but all these leaders who come to mind today just have fun as they serve the Lord. Somehow, they are deadly serious without taking themselves too seriously. 

May I ask a favor of you, dear reader, as we complete this article series—that is, would you say a prayer for me as I seek to live out what I write? I would be honored to know that you have done so.

Then, how about you? What are you doing to make sure you run your race well all the way to the end? What steps do you need to take in that direction?