Having a great passion for the subject of leadership for a number of years now I have come away with two, one-word definitions of leadership. First, leadership is influence. Leadership cannot take place unless you are influencing the lives of others towards a positive outcome. When you are focused on the shepherding needs of your congregation you are wanting to influence them in a way that they know that you care about their welfare. If you've influenced their lives in a positive way then your voice will remind them of your care for them, just as the voice of the First Century shepherd reminded his sheep of green pastures and cool waters.
Leadership is everything.
If you are focused on mentoring new Christians in the body of Christ, then your desire is to map out for them the territory they need to travel because you have been that way before. And if you are focused on equipping members for ministry, you are wanting to influence them in a positive way towards service in the Lord's Kingdom. A congregation will usually not grow spiritually and numerically if leadership does not first set a tone for growth. To be an evangelistic church, leadership must first set the example of evangelism in their own lives. If leaders are only interested in maintaining the status quo in their congregation, then the future of that local family of God may be uncertain.