When I speak to students, I often ask a simple question:

“How many of you have a negative view of leadership?”

Almost every hand goes up.

That should get our attention.

We’re trying to teach leadership to a generation that doesn’t trust it.

Why Students Reject Leadership

When you ask students why they dislike leadership, their answers are surprisingly consistent.

They’ve seen:

• Student government driven by popularity, not purpose

• Team leaders chosen for talent, not character

• Peer leaders who care more about status than people

• Adults—teachers, parents, even leaders—who lack integrity

From their perspective, leadership looks like power, control, and self-promotion.

So when we invite them into leadership, they hesitate.

Why would they want to become something they don’t respect?

The Problem: A Broken View of Leadership

Most students define leadership as command and control.

One person at the top. Everyone else follows.

That model may be common—but it’s not biblical.

And deep down, students know it’s broken.

That’s why they resist it.

The Solution: Flip Leadership Upside Down

If we want students to embrace leadership, we must redefine it.

We must turn their understanding of leadership upside down.

Jesus did exactly this.

Instead of elevating leaders above others, He placed them beneath—serving, loving, and sacrificing for the people they lead.

True leadership is not about control.

It’s about serving others and helping them grow.

What Biblical Leadership Looks Like

When students begin to understand leadership through the lens of Jesus, everything changes.

Leadership becomes:

• Caring for others, not using them

• Helping peers discover their God-given gifts

• Encouraging others to grow and take steps of faith

• Challenging friends to live for something greater than themselves

This kind of leadership is rooted in love, not power.

It’s influence built on trust, not position.

Why This Changes Everything for Students

When students realize that leadership is not about being “in charge,” but about lifting others up, their resistance starts to fade.

In fact, many begin to see something surprising:

The reason they hate leadership…
is because they’ve only seen bad leadership.

When they encounter servant leadership—the kind Jesus modeled—they begin to see leadership as something good, something meaningful, something worth stepping into.

Final Challenge for Youth Workers

If students reject leadership, don’t push harder.

Reframe it.

Show them a better way.

Model leadership that serves. Teach leadership that empowers. Create opportunities where students can experience what it means to lead like Jesus.

Because when students see leadership done right, they won’t resist it.

They’ll rise to it.

Note: This post was updated in March 2026 to give you the most current information.