A VIEW ON LEADERSHIP

Leadership and the dearth of quality leaders in modern times is an area of great concern. The world needs quality leaders, the church is in need of great leaders. Leaders like Moses, David, and Abraham Lincoln. We often find ourselves settling for “the lesser of two evil” when seeking out leaders nowadays.

The truth is that, we have all assumed (or will one day assume) a leadership role in one capacity or the other at a certain point in time, some to lesser degree. Leadership is not the sole reserve of those placed in charge of a team or group. There are subtle leadership roles within a team or group just as there are distinct and more obvious ones. Having the capacity to spur others on a given path in order to fulfill the given mandate is leadership. A leader doesn’t imply an authoritarian or dictator!  A leader inspires and motivates. A leader doesn’t have to be always right. Moses in the bible grew into leadership. He kept evolving in leading the Israelite. For instance, Moses wasn’t a delegator initially, but he later learnt that acting in so many roles wasn’t effective leadership.

As a leader within your team or group, you need to be able to convince them of the suitability of your ideas, over theirs by presenting superior arguments without, exuding an air of superiority over them.

In the case where their arguments make better sense than yours, you buy into theirs after critical analysis and proper assessment as a collective unit.

As I said in a prior article:

“Life is seen in different ways by different people. The Perspective in which we see things defines our understanding of such; being able to rationalize things from others perspective creates mutual respect. You don’t necessarily need to accept an individual’s outlook. Merely seeing things from their standpoint is sufficient.”

In reference to the quote above, I am saying a modern leader should go a step ahead by logically and systematically going over the views  of others to the extent of wholly adopting or tinkering, adapting and incorporating  them with the skeletal  framework of the initial plan to actualize or execute the teams’ given mandate.

Sustained loyalty as against ephemeral loyalty (more-or-less sycophancy) can only be fostered through trust, which is a by-product of a bond that can only be created when all persons within the team view the mandate or set objectives/goals of the team as their personal duties (which they are obliged to fulfill), as against seeing it as the objectives of the leader or team lead. In essence everyone within the team is a leader. Different strengths and personalities only suggest that different (leadership) roles exist within the team.

A sure way to make anyone buy into another’s idea as his/hers, is to grant him/her the sense that he/she has played a role in the birth and formation of the strategy/idea.

As believers, we are called to be leaders. Leaders of Souls to Christ and ultimately heaven! I consider a believer to automatically be a leader. We are the light of the world, a city set upon the hill (Matthew Chapter 5 Verse 14). Just as a lighthouse serves as navigational aid to ships, so also are we called to do for the world.

There are certain skills we need to adopt, just are as there are certain tendencies we need to do away with as leaders/believers.

A believer’s ability to empathise and come to a good understanding of the peculiarities that are akin to an individual or group of individuals is an essential skill/gift required for soul-winning.

Our tendency to out rightly condemn others is a NEGATIVE habit that ought to be expunged from our consciousness as believers.

Christ, as our ultimate leadership model, didn’t come to condemn us, but to give us the way to total liberation and freedom from sin (John Chapter 3 Verse 17).

Our duties as believers should be to condemn sin and not men; for God loves even the sinner but he detests sin.

A key moment in Apostle Paul’s ministry will help us come to a better understanding of this concept (condemn the sin and not the sinner). Paul in Athens (Acts Chapter 17, especially from Verse 22 down) didn’t condemn the Athenians (the Areopagus) but rather their belief system, and he further went on to appeal to them even making use of their false belief to build His message.

Be the leader the world so greatly needs!

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TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR DIFFERENCE

In this present world, people are often derided for being different from popular expectations and norm. The scripture in Romans Chapter 12 Verse 2 admonishes us not to conform to the world and it’s standards.

Jesus in John Chapter 15 verse 18 already foreknew this and specifically forewarned us that we would be hated by the world just as they hated him for no just cause.

2 Corinthians Chapter 4 Verse 7 – 9 says;

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

⁸ we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed.”

Just as believers are different from the world, so also is every man different from every other man. In the world today it is quite difficult being your own person. Trying to do so often lands one with various tags, such as bookworm, weirdo, nerd, geek, and the likes. This has often led to bullying.

The scripture above says we have this treasure in earthen vessels. This clearly implies (in my opinion) that we have been imbued with something within us. We are individually uniquely gifted and ‘Graced’. The Grace on each individual’s life differs, implying that we are special in specific areas.

We should never allow people’s opposition to your person weigh you down and stop you from manifesting God’s unique Grace on your life.

FACT:  the earth is the only planet in our solar system that can sustain life. WHY? This is so because the earth is different! Scientists credit the tectonic plates on earth for this. As it so happens, only earth possesses these plates. This shows that the Earth made use of its difference (uniqueness) to STANDOUT!

So today, why don’t you as well, take PRIDE in your difference and use it to STANDOUT, and thus enabling you become a focal /reference point.

The bible says in Matthew Chapter 5 verse 16: Let your light so shine before men….

 But I will like to phrase it thus way: Let your Grace so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.

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REPENTANCE VERSUS REGRET

Repentance and regret are terms which are often misrepresented interchangeably – one for another. The words, though, are very much alike when looking at them superficially, but on taking a deeper look into the words and their applications, as well as taking scriptural consideration, you will realize that a difference does abound.

In the Christian Faith, Repentance is of utmost importance. It is so relevant that there are numerous mentions of the word in the scriptures.

It is a fact, that there is no Christianity without repentance! Infact, no man/woman is born a Christian. I state this as a fact because the scripture says as much. Turning to the book of Romans Chapter 5 verse 12 we can see this;

“wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, for that all men have sinned:”

Romans Chapter 3 verse 23 further highlights this fact;

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

It is due to this fact that Christ said to Nicodemus in John Chapter 3 verse 3;

“…… verily; verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”

The above scripture brings us to a definition of repentance. Repentance is all about casting away your old lifestyle, your old person and assuming a new you. This is aptly captured in 2 Corinthians Chapter 5 verses 17;

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Let’s now highlight some contrast between repentance and regret:

Ø  Repentance is borne out of genuine conviction about the “wrongness” (permit me to say) of ones actions (or lifestyle as a whole), irrespective of the results obtained from the deed (be it positive or negative). Zaccheus for instance seemingly reaped a positive result from his negative lifestyle, but repented when he got convicted that he needed to change. No one prompted him, neither was he charged to do so by a court of law. Regret on the other hand is borne out of ill consequences or boomerang effect of our negative actions (or lifestyle) and not because of the action itself. We regret taking a course of action because it landed us where we did not want to be. If it hadn’t backfired but yielded the desired results we probably would continue in that way of life. Take for instance, armed robbers and criminals who get caught by the law enforcement agencies. One thing most of them have in common is that they express regret for indulging in such acts, often times resorting to blaming the devil for their crimes. If they hadn’t been caught in the first place, they would still keep on engaging in the act.

Ø  Repentance gives you a way forward (to the future) while regret keeps you trapped and entangled in the past. Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus regretted his action and ended up hanging himself, while Peter on the other hand initially felt regret but eventually repented!

Summarily, we should realize that regret will only keep us in a cycle of self-condemnation, while repentance will lead us to salvation brought about by the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ said he didn’t come to condemn us, which implies that we shouldn’t also engage in beating up ourselves. What he expects of us is to genuinely cast aside every lifestyle that is against the precepts and ordinance of God.

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