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To be a leader – from a Christian perspective The focus of this article is not in the first place (as in the case with many popular books on leadership) on how to be an efficient leader, but on what leadership entails. As an introduction it asks attention for the fact that worldwide leadership, but especially in Africa, is not what it should be. In order to pinpoint the possible reasons for this failure, the dominant leadership traditions or styles of Africa and the West are described and compared. From this exposition the urgent need for an alternative for both the African and Western view and way of leading is evident. The next main section, therefore, reviews some general Biblical perspectives on leaders and leadership. This is followed by a detailed explanation of the meaning of a number of basic concepts (office, authority, power, community, organization, societal norms and responsibility) without which leadership can neither be correctly understood nor effectively practised. The article is concluded with a brief definition of what is implied by being a real leader.