This component is the bedrock of Christian leadership. Paul gives instructions to both Timothy and Titus about who they should put into positions of church leadership. In both passages, the list of requirements focus overwhelmingly on character.
Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
1 Timothy 3:2-7
An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Titus 1:6-9
As leaders we must Embody the vision. Our followers hear us calling them to make a better world. They see the vision and are inspired. When they look back to us, do they see us embodying the vision and the call we make on them? We ask them to believe that our vision is worth sacrificing for. When they look at us, do they see deep conviction that that is true? Do they see us sacrificing for the realisation of that vision? Do they see us giving ourselves for the greater good of the group we lead and the glory of God?
This comes down to character and conviction. Character is about being Christ-like, living out the fruit and the life of the Spirit. Conviction is belief held with passion. It is not enough just to assent to the truths of Scripture and how they apply to our everyday world. Those truths need to burn within us and express themselves through us with Spirit empowered flame.