LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Personal Leadership Profile
Submitted to Dr. Kimberly Martin, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the completion of the course
WRSP 530
Principles of Leadership for the Worship Leader
by
Rachel Morway
1
Introduction
I believe one of the most difficult things to do as a leader is to lead yourself. It requires a
great deal of willingness to be self-aware and the ability to be humble enough to be teachable.
Many times, being an exceptional leader means being completely honest with yourself and the
ones that you lead, seemingly shattering the glass of perfection some employees seem to fashion
around their leaders. All in all, leadership is an incredibly important and sometimes difficult
thing to accomplish, especially in the ministry world. In this paper, I will attempt to synthesize
the information gleaned from my personal assessments and describe my personal leadership
style. I will conclude with initial points of application to my present leadership opportunity as the
Worship Pastor of my church.
Maxwell’s Assessment
Based on the Maxwell’s Leadership Assessment, my results are as follows: Position 5.5,
Permission 5.5, Production 5.5, People Development 5.6, and Personhood with Self being 4.9
and Others being 5.3. When I first got my results, I asked myself the question, “What do they
really mean? What does this say about what kind of leader I am?” After reading more in the first
portion of Maxwell’s book The 360-Degree Leader, I realized how strange it was that almost all
the categories seemed even in score, except for one. I then began to understand the different
levels of leadership as he describes.
First, the Position level is considered the first level of leadership where “people follow
solely because they have to.”1 Yes, people should respect a leader because of their title, but as
Maxwell states, people stuck in this level will not have the influence that can “extend beyond the
1 John C. Maxwell, The 360-Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the
Organization (Harper Collins Leadership, 2005), 5.
2
lines of your description.”2 It is my belief that even though positions in ministry are given to
various individuals, I believe they must also be earned. When I got my first position in ministry
out of college, it was given to me based on my experience level and what I could handle, but
throughout the years, I have earned promotions and raises based on how hard I’ve worked and
my ability to handle more responsibilities. However, I am glad to know that people have
followed me because of my position but also because of the other levels that are more personal.
The next level of leadership is called Permission, which Maxwell explains as the idea of
people following you “because they want to,” not just because it is mandatory.3 My average
result in this level of leadership was also a 5.5, which shows that people follow me because they
want to and also because they have to. I honestly do not agree with this portion of the assessment
because I highly value people and just what they can offer the church. I agree wholeheartedly
with Maxwell and his thoughts on this type of leader: “You treat them with dignity and respect.
You value them as human beings.”4 I have seen the type of leadership in the past the rules with
an iron fist, and I know what it feels like to not be cared for as an actual person and seen as a
resource. People will want to show up and be dedicated to your ministry if you care for them
deeply as people and see them beyond what they can offer you.
The next level of leadership is called Production. At this particular level, “people follow
because of what you have done for the organization.”5 A leader at this level puts a high priority
into the results and success of their work, which is very important but is not the most important
thing. I again received a 5.5 on this level, which shows that I am a leader that likes to get things
2 Ibid.
3 Maxwell, The 360-Degree Leader, 5.
4 Ibid., 6.
5 Ibid., 5.
3
done and make things work. I believe this can be a great strength but should not take the place of
personal ministry with the people you work alongside.
The next level of leadership is called People Development. This would probably be my
favorite level thus far because it is not just about getting people to like you but getting people to
follow you “because of what you have done for them.”6 There is no greater joy in my ministry
than pouring my blood, sweat and tears into the people I lead and watch them grow. I believe
God called me a long time ago to not set the world on fire with my own music or talent but to
develop the next great generation of worship leaders. Even though I only scored one tenth of a
point more on this level, I highly value this level of leadership because it is so important to not
be siloed in ministry but advance people in their God-given talents.
Finally, the last level of leadership is known as the Personhood or Pinnacle level. This is
the highest level of leadership where “people follow you because of who you are and what you
represent.”7 I was surprised at this being my lowest level of scores because according to
Maxwell, “It is not a level one can strive to reach, because reaching it is outside of your
control.”8 I have been on staff at my church for almost eleven year now and feel that I should be
scoring much higher on this portion of the test. I desire people to follow me because of who I am
as a person, and I want to earn that right in their eyes. This was one of my biggest breakthroughs
based on the assessment scores and caused me to look deep inside myself and ask the difficult
questions no one wants to answer: “Am I teachable enough? Do people want to follow me
because of who I am or because they have to? What do I need to change, even if it costs me?” As
King David states in Psalm 139:23-24, I need the Lord to “search me and know my heart” and
6 Maxwell, The 360-Degree Leader, 5.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid., 7.
4
“see if there is any offensive way in me,” for I do not want to be the type of leader that does not
reflect Jesus.9
The Four Tendencies Quiz
According to the results from The Four Tendencies Quiz, my tendency is to be an
Obliger, meaning that I meet outer expectations but resist inner expectations. Apparently, these
types of leaders are “motivated by external accountability” and have difficulty “meeting their
aims for themselves.”10 This basically means that they value people over themselves, which can
be a great quality but also detrimental to their personal life. I had no problem believing the
results from this test because this completely describes me as a person. Rubin explains that an
Obliger can often feel “burned out and exploited,” and this happened to me a few year ago in
ministry.11 I dreaded saying “no” to anything I was asked to do, and it ended me up in the
hospital having voice surgery. Luckily, between surgery and therapy, I gained back my full voice
and was able to lead worship again, but I had to deal with saying “no” to the tendencies that got
me into trouble in the first place. It is important to see the pros and cons of whatever tendency
you lean towards and learn how to strengthen the weak areas before it is too late.
Conclusion
Based on these two assessments, I see how much work I need to do to become the leader
I have always envisioned myself to be. My leadership style seems to lead toward wanting to
please others and forgetting myself, which is disadvantageous to my overall ministry. If I cannot
first lead myself well and take care of my personal relationship with God, I cannot attempt to
lead others in a successful manner. After studying these assessments and the readings, I have
9 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the New International Version (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995).
10 Gretchen Rubin, The Four Tendencies (New York: Harmony Books, 2017), 102.
11 Ibid., 129.
5
come to a conclusion that I need more accountability with people I trust in higher levels of
leadership. I need to ask them difficult questions and be willing to listen to their constructive
criticism, even if it hurts. I need to continue to love on people in my ministry, even when I am
tired or not feeling extroverted. I need to take the time during the week to make sure my team
feels seen and heard, allowing them to have a sense of ownership in the team that they dedicate
their time and talents to. But first and foremost, I need to invite God into the way that I do
ministry even more than I do now.
Oswald Sanders puts the idea of leading like Jesus so perfectly in his book Spiritual
Leadership: “The task was magnificent and difficult: men and women leading in that task must
have eyes wide open, and hearts willing to follow the Master all the way.”12 If we do not have
our eyes on Jesus above all else, we will always miss the mark. The main goal of leading in any
capacity is learning how to first be a servant and learn how to serve the people above you,
alongside you and beneath you. This is the 360-degree principle Maxwell urges to teach his
readers, and this is also the example we must follow if we choose to lead like Jesus. Jesus could
have done what He needed to do on this earth by Himself, but He chose to bring other people
along and develop them into disciples. He delegated ministry responsibilities because “there is
no virtue in doing more than our fair share of the work.”13 He met people where they were. He
treated people with kindness. He went above and beyond to make sure people felt valued. This is
what I want to do in my personal life and in my ministry as well. I want to reflect the life Jesus
lived and allow it to permeate every decision and how I treat others in how I lead.
12 Oswald J. Sanders, Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer. (Chicago, IL:
Moody Publishers, 1967), 23.
13 Ibid., 171.
6
Bibliography
Maxwell, John C. The 360-Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the
Organization. Harper Collins Leadership, 2005.
New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.
Rubin, Gretchen. The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How
to Make Your Life Better. New York: Harmony Books, 2017.
Sanders, Oswald J. Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer. Chicago,
IL: Moody Publishers, 1967.
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