How to Identify Those Who Have Strong Leadership Potential

Healthy Leaders | Issue 64

Feb 27, 2026

Welcome back to Healthy Leaders! In this issue, we look at the characteristics of high-potential leaders.

Hello friends,

In our last issue, we waded into the LeaderID model, which starts with two primary factors for identification of high-potential in a leader: the ability to think, and the ability to act.

It’s no coincidence that these qualities are contained in the Great Commandment that Jesus Himself identifies:

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

Jesus is talking here about not only thinking capacities, but motivation and will — the things necessary for acting on our faith. Thinking and acting aren’t just relegated to Christian leaders, but they are definitely necessary for those leaders to be healthy and effective!

The Apostle Paul also talks about these qualities in this passage from his letter to the Philippians:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me — practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8)

The sort of thinking that God desires leads to practice — it leads to action.

So, besides seeking to think and act in our own lives, what about our emerging leaders? What are the specific characteristics of thinking and acting that we should be looking for in them?

Here’s Malcolm with more:

The LeaderID Model is based on the principle that high-potential emerging leaders are already thinking and acting.

Here are some key indicators of both thinking and acting.

We’ve seen these characteristics in leaders we train.

When we first met Brother E, he was serving as a volunteer during a youth leadership conference our team led. His passion for leading the youth in his church quickly became evident, despite his young age. He was already putting together his own personal designs long before he led 34 members of his youth group through a design workshop with us, while our team only occasionally contributed ideas.

He later reported:

“I can’t be lazy anymore with my own growth and with the group’s growth because most of the youth are looking up to me. I am so grateful to God for the excitement and passion shown by so many youth leaders just a few weeks after the training. I praise God that for the first time after many years, more than 100 of the youth from our church and her daughter church attended our first retreat to fast, pray, learn, and talk about their spiritual growth. Their commitment is quite encouraging.”

Brother E was thinking and acting as a leader in his own context before we connected with him, and his church leadership saw that fire in him. Because of this, his impact has expanded far beyond its initial scope!

What about you?

Let’s take another look at those thinking and acting characteristics:

Now think about the potential emerging leaders you are currently working with in your church or ministry.

Which of these indicators are already present in their lives and leadership?

We shouldn’t think that all of them must be present for the young leader to have high potential. And of course this isn’t meant to be a checklist for creating a “score” for your young leaders. These are simply the kinds of things to look for.

As you consider the emerging leaders in your organization, which of them can you now see as having truly high potential?

What will your next steps be to give them the learning opportunities they need to grow and excel?

Until next time, we’re with you!

— Chris

Healthy Leaders

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