The Leadership Cycle
Jesus — A Follower First
Why real leadership begins with listening, learning, and following—before leading.
One of the most important truths I’ve discovered about leadership is this: you cannot separate the follower from the leader. A leader is, first and always, a follower.
Yet, in today’s society, we often imagine leaders as if they’ve never followed anyone, or as if following is beneath them. But no one becomes a great leader—what I call a Next Level Leader—without first learning how to follow. Leadership begins with discipleship. It begins with surrounding yourself with people you can learn from.
The Example of Jesus
The best example of this is Jesus. Before He ever stepped into leadership, He was a follower.
When He was twelve years old, He traveled with His family to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. On the way home, His parents realized He was missing. After three days, they found Him—not wandering the streets, but sitting in the temple.
He was among the teachers, listening and asking questions. [1] Even at that age, people were amazed at His understanding. But notice how it started: not with teaching, not with commanding, not with leading—but with listening and learning.
Before Leadership Comes Learning
Before He was ever a leader, Jesus was a student.
And the same is true for us. Before you can lead, you must first learn. When you’re preparing to step into leadership, you have to put yourself around people who can teach you. That doesn’t mean every teacher will be perfect. Some of your greatest lessons will come from what not to do. The key is to be intentional—listen, learn, and decide how to apply what you’ve learned to your own leadership.
I’ve told people starting out in their careers: if you imitate the average leaders around you, you’ll only become average yourself. Instead, learn from them, but don’t settle at their level. Apply what you observe and use it to take your position, your gift, your skills, your leadership, to the next level.
That’s exactly what happened with Jesus. At twelve, He was listening to the leaders of His day. By thirty, when He began His life’s work, those same leaders were listening to Him. Today you may be a follower, but tomorrow you can be the leader others can’t ignore.
Preparing for Purpose
When His parents found Him in the temple, Jesus said, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” [2]
He was preparing. He was training. He was getting ready for His purpose.
That’s what leadership preparation looks like. You’re not just preparing to lead today—you’re sowing seeds for the leader you will become tomorrow. Jesus placed Himself among the leaders of His day because He knew one day He would step into that role.
Teaching the Prerequisite of Leadership
Years later, when Jesus began calling His own students, He asked them to take the same first step He had taken. His invitation was simple: “Come, follow me.” [3]
Those words are at the heart of leadership. They are an invitation to learn, to grow, and to transform.
When Jesus told fishermen, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” [3] He was showing them how to take the skills they already had and use them for greater impact. That’s what leaders do—they help people see their potential, use their gifts differently, and contribute at a higher level.
And notice their response: immediately, they left their nets and followed Him. That’s the mark of real leadership—it inspires people to move, to go to the next level.
The Cycle of Leadership
Jesus modeled the cycle of leadership perfectly. He began as a follower, then became a leader. As a leader, He created followers who themselves grew into leaders.
That’s the same cycle we’re a part of today. We are followers now so that we can be leaders tomorrow. And as leaders tomorrow, our responsibility is to raise up the next generation of followers—who will one day lead after us.
That is what makes a Next Level Leader.
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[1] Luke 2:45-47 NLT, bible.com accessed May 13, 2025, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/LUK.2.45-47.NLT
[2] Luke 2:49 NLT, bible.com accessed May 13, 2025, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/LUK.2.49.NLT
[3] Matthew 4:19-20 NLT, bible.com accessed September 29, 2025, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/MAT.4.19-20.NLT
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights
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