Dr. Brian Harpell recently joined with the ACTION Pastor Leadership Development Program, though he has been partnering with ACTION for over a decade. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Dr. Harpell came to the United States in the early 70s to pursue his Master of Divinity degree and later his Doctor of Ministry degree, and now lives in the United States.

He has served as a lead pastor of three churches for over 42 years, his most recent church in Everett, Washington, for 30 years. He is much sought after as a teacher for workshops, seminars, conferences and at seminaries in Canada, the United States and Cuba on the topic of leadership.

There is a huge difference between an authoritative boss and a trust-building, influential leader. What’s the difference?  

What does a boss do? A boss drives with authority. “I’m the boss. This is the way it’s going to be.” A boss drives with authority. Pharaoh, in the Exodus story, is an example of a boss.  

LEVEL 1 LEADERSHIP = POSITIONAL LEADERSHIP. This is actually the lowest level of leadership. At level 1, you are a leader because of a certain job position or title. At this level, people follow you because they feel they have to. Pharaoh clearly had positional leadership. He had the title and position of “Pharaoh.”