Back in July I was lucky enough to travel to Switzerland for a 3-week YWAM-run leadership course called Slingshot. The avid note-taker that I am, I took a new notebook and unexpectedly, I nearly filled it.
A blog post won't do justice the amount that I learned. I'm not sure I've fully ingested it all yet. Not that it was a time for head-knowledge. Rather, it was a time of respite, for the healing of past hurts received from previous leadership that I had been under and of equipping me for the leadership I have been placed in.
The first thing that stood out to me was in the opening day.
When asked what the most important characteristic of a leader was, founder of Youth With a Mission, Loren Cuningham said this: Self-control.
Huh.
Not what I was expecting.
Over the following 3 weeks however God revealed for me how important self-control really is. It affects every area of our lives as leaders: the self-control to resist monopolising a project; the ability to say 'No' to prideful ambition; our willingness to give up our ego and agenda.
Ultimately our integrity is at stake when we lack self-control because we are so vulnerable to temptations associated with leadership: power, hedonism and money. 
Solomon was the wisest of kings and yet his heart was corrupted by all of these things and his value system was put into question.We don't need to look far for modern examples of this either.
Titus 1:5-9
Leaders must be blameless.
Not:
Overbearing, quick tempered, given to drunkenness, violent, persuing dishonest gain.
But must be:
Hospitable, love good, be self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.
Gulp.
These are sobering realities that are honestly difficult to stick to at all times. But I'm praying that God may equip me in these areas and also for the humility to be able to lay aside my pride and ask others to keep me accountable too. No, more than that: to actually be accountable.
