Leaders need leadership. This is certainly true for young, novice, or struggling leaders. And it is equally true for mature, experienced, and successful ones. Every leader needs someone to follow.

For me, one such person has been Bob E. Cooley, president emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Over the years, he has been pivotal in helping me process several significant changes at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, where I serve as president.

Cooley’s wisdom and wealth of experience guided me through the unknowns of where these transitions were taking us. His steady voice helped me understand the necessity of change, which increased my confidence when change became difficult.

Learning to follow helps us grow as leaders. It also makes us better followers of Jesus Christ. Here are three things leaders can gain by following:

Wisdom

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

God created us for community. He never meant for us to live life isolated from others, and God doesn’t want us to lead that way either. Just as Timothy needed Paul, we need mentors who will invest in our growth as leaders.

We need people who are willing to push us beyond our comfort zones, encourage us when we feel like giving up, and speak into our lives with biblical wisdom and bold honesty. Regardless of our level of leadership, we all need someone like that to follow.

The book The King’s Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi tells the true story of how Logue’s grandfather became an unlikely mentor to a member of the British royal family.

As Prince Albert prepared to ascend to the throne as King George VI, he struggled with a chronic stutter. The prince’s wife sought speech therapist Lionel Logue to help Albert overcome his stuttering.

Despite Albert’s belief that this common man was beneath him, the two developed a close bond. Over time, the therapist indeed helped Albert gain the speaking skills to address his country as monarch.

No matter how seasoned we become as leaders, our call to follow never changes.

It turns out even a king needs someone to follow.

Compassion

Having someone to follow makes us more mindful of those looking to us for leadership. We become aware of needs, and we see potential, we might have overlooked before. We want to invest in someone, just as someone invested in us.

In short, being a follower increases our empathy as leaders. Empathy is not something that comes naturally for most of us, but it is vital in leadership. It stretches our capacity for healthy relationships by helping us hear and see others more clearly and enabling us to function out of compassion.

Leadership coach and author Lolly Daskal wrote, “At the core leadership is ultimately about others. It means inspiring them to take actions beyond their capabilities, leading them in a compelling and inspiring direction. And empathy is the foundation of those actions.”

Obedience

Above all, every ministry leader needs to be an obedient follower of Jesus.

Jesus called His disciples to become leaders in His Church and preachers of His gospel. But first, Jesus called them to follow Him: “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20).

If we want to make disciples of Jesus, we must live as disciples of Jesus. No matter how seasoned we become as leaders, our call to follow never changes. Our first and most important calling in life and ministry is not to lead, but to follow.

That’s why Paul told the church in Corinth, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Even Jesus modeled following, saying of the Father, “I always do what pleases him” (John 8:29).

Jesus followed the Father’s guidance all the way to a cross, despite knowing the pain He would endure. At Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” Yet He concluded by saying, “Not as I will, but as you will” (Mathew 26:39).

That’s the ultimate picture of what it looks like to lead by following.

It’s easy in leadership to get caught up in following our vision, our priorities, and our goals. Instead, we need to ask God to lead us — through the wisdom of people He places in our lives, through empathetic compassion, and most importantly through the revelation of His Word and the guidance of His Spirit.

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2020 edition of Influence magazine.