Every leader must make a significant transition. It does not matter what position you hold or what title appears beside your name. At some point, leadership requires a move from follower to leader.
Sometimes that transition happens formally as someone moves up within an organization. Sometimes a person is hired or appointed into a leadership role. And sometimes it happens informally, long before anyone receives the title of “leader.”
The title may come later. Leadership often begins before anyone recognizes you as a leader.
When we last encountered David, he was back in the field tending his father’s flock. As a very young man, he had been anointed as the future king of Israel. Yet Saul still occupied the throne, and David still occupied the field.
Imagine that tension.
Anointed to be king, but still tending sheep.
David knew something about where he was going, but he still had responsibilities where he was.
That raises an important question for every emerging leader:
How do we successfully make the transition from follower to leader?
In David’s story, three traits stand out.
1. Emerging Leaders Are Marked by Consistent Faithfulness
There was a season in which David served as a musician in King Saul’s court. (See 1 Samuel 16) But when that was over, David again resumed his role as shepherd.
As chapter seventeen unfolds, a strong, historical enemy has taken a stand against God’s people. The hostility between the Philistines and Israel was longstanding. In this case, the Philistine army had attached its confidence to its champion, Goliath. The people of God were cowering in fear before this giant.
Meanwhile, David continued taking care of his father’s sheep.
12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
David went back and forth, faithfully tending the sheep.
Then Jesse, his father, gave him another assignment. His task was simple: take provisions to his brothers and find out how they were doing.
17 Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah[d] of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance[e] from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
David was given a mission from his father.
Go check on your brothers.
Take them provisions.
Find out how they are doing.
And David did exactly what his father asked him to do.
There is nothing glamorous about this assignment. David was not being sent to fight Goliath. He was not being sent to command an army. He was essentially delivering supplies.
Yet this ordinary act of faithfulness placed David in position for an extraordinary opportunity.
That is an important leadership principle:
God often uses faithfulness in the ordinary to prepare us for opportunities in the extraordinary.
The lesson builds on the previous blog: faithfulness and consistency are essential for every leader.
Every leader has a leader, or has had one. Faithfulness and dependability in our current role help prepare us for the next role.
Practice integrity in every role you fill.
A life of integrity is a life that is true, consistent, and genuine. Integrity brings many intrinsic rewards, but tragically, some leaders forsake integrity in their quest for success.
David did not.
He remained faithful in the field even after he had been anointed for the throne.
Do not become so anxious about where you are going that you stop being faithful where you are.
2. Emerging Leaders Recognize a Time for Action and Step Forward Boldly
Faithfulness does not mean passivity.
There eventually comes a moment when a leader must step forward.
For David, that moment came through the taunts of Goliath.
4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.[a] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels[b]; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
Goliath mocked and taunted God’s people day after day.
Everyone heard him.
Everyone saw the problem.
Everyone recognized the danger.
But no one stepped forward.
Until David.
That is one of the differences between observing a problem and leading through a problem.
Leaders eventually move from noticing what needs to be done to doing something about it.
The scene unfolds like a Hollywood script:
20 Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.
25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”
26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
Someone had to step up.
David did.
Your leadership moment probably will not be that dramatic. There probably will not be a nine-foot warrior standing across the conference table challenging you to single combat!
But the moment will come.
A difficult conversation needs to happen.
A problem needs to be solved.
A customer needs someone to advocate for them.
A team needs direction.
A decision needs to be made.
Someone needs to accept responsibility.
Suddenly, you are called from the sidelines into the action, from the rank and file to the head of the line.
That moment requires boldness.
Douglas MacArthur said, "A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others."
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers."
There comes a time when emerging leaders must stop merely talking about the challenge.
It is time to take the situation by the beard and stand up.
3. Finally, an Emerging Leader Finds His or Her “Pig”
We have an amazing furry member of our family.
He is affectionate, loyal, and convinced that every human in the house exists primarily to pet him.
But all of that changes the moment we pull out his green pig.
This poor toy has long since lost its squeaker. It has rips, missing stuffing, and looks like it has survived a small war.
But none of that matters.
That pig has power over our dog.
In the evenings, we sit around the living room and play keep-away. He runs, pants, spins, and wags his tail. He is living his best life. He would play until he collapsed if we let him.
The power of the pig is unmistakable.
If you walk anywhere near the box where the pig is kept, he springs to life. If he hasn't played pig in a day or two, he becomes restless.
First, he sits and stares at the box.
If that doesn't work, he puts a paw on it.
If that still doesn't get our attention, he starts to whine, his not-so-subtle reminder that it is time.
One mention of the word “pig.”
One step toward the box.
One hint that the game might begin.
And he is off like a rocket.
What Is Your Pig?
Every one of us has something that energizes us in much the same way.
Something lights us up.
Something motivates us to move, act, engage, and give our best.
So, what is your pig?
The banking world has many different types of “pig.”
Many people are motivated by caring for customers, meeting needs, solving problems, and making someone’s day easier. That should be part of all our motivation. If it isn't, we may need to rethink our career path.
But let's be honest: our motivation is rarely purely altruistic.
- Some are driven by the scorecard. You want to be number one.
- Some are motivated by bonus. You know your numbers and what it takes to hit them.
- Some are fueled by encouragement, by hearing your leader say, “Great job.”
- Some are motivated by mastery, challenge, or competition.
- Some are motivated by stability, predictability, or being the person others rely on.
Most of us are moved by some combination of these factors.
But whatever your combination is, you need to understand it.
If you go too long without connecting to the thing that energizes you, you can become restless, just like my dog staring at the pig box.
And that brings us back to David.
David Knew His “Pig”
What moved David?
What caused this shepherd boy to respond when experienced soldiers would not?
David reveals his motivation in his own words:
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
David was concerned for the glory of God.
Goliath's mockery offended him because Goliath was defying the living God. David could not simply hear it, shrug his shoulders, and walk away.
Something inside him demanded action.
That was David's “pig.”
He wasn't simply looking for an opportunity to advance his career. He wasn't searching for a shortcut from the pasture to the palace.
He saw something that mattered deeply to him, and it moved him to act.
That is enormously important for emerging leaders.
Why Your Pig Matters
Your “pig” is the activity, purpose, or outcome that helps keep you engaged. It is the thing that, when missing for too long, can leave you frustrated or unfulfilled. And when you reconnect with it, your energy returns.
This isn't about whining when the scorecard dips or becoming upset when your leader doesn't offer praise. It is about developing enough self-awareness to understand what drives you.
Because leadership takes energy.
Leadership requires perseverance.
Leadership demands that you keep moving even when the work becomes difficult.
Knowing what motivates you can help sustain you through those seasons.
Focus on the activities that feed your motivation. Protect the priorities that energize you. Stay close to the work that brings out your best.
But David's story adds one final challenge.
Make sure your “pig” is worthy of your pursuit.
David was not ultimately driven by recognition, reward, position, or promotion. He was driven by something bigger than himself. He wanted to honor God.
That is the challenge for every emerging leader.
Be faithful where you are.
Step forward when the moment demands it.
Know what drives you, and make sure what drives you is worth following.
David did not become a leader when he defeated Goliath.
The evidence of leadership was already there.
It was visible in the field when he faithfully tended sheep.
It was visible on the journey when he obeyed his father's instructions.
It was visible on the battlefield when everyone else stepped back and David stepped forward.
And it was visible in his heart when the glory of God mattered more to him than his own comfort.
The transition from follower to leader rarely happens in a single dramatic moment.
It happens through faithfulness.
It becomes visible through courage.
And it is sustained by purpose.
The question isn't simply, “When will I get the opportunity to lead?”
Perhaps the better question is:
“Am I becoming the kind of person who will be ready to lead when the opportunity comes?”
