Develop Yourself as a Leader
Weekly Greetings
Allow me to welcome you to this great week. There has never been one like this one and surely there will never be any like it in the future. I trust you are doing well and expect a wonderful week ahead. I recognize the leader in you. You are amazing in your own way. We pray that you press on to the next level. Stagnation is the obstacle you do not want to entertain. Forward forever, let us keep moving.
Leadership is key
There is nothing as important as leadership. Most things are defined through the lenses of leadership. Leadership is not a child’s play. All things rise and fall with leadership. Companies succeed because of leadership. Families excel because of leadership. Countries prosper because of leadership. All things respond to leadership. Leadership is the most powerful aspect you deal with because even heaven is run on leadership principles.
Get the right approach
I have observed over the years that some leaders get frustrated because they are hyped up and they do not have any results. The reason is because of wrong approaches to leadership. What is important is that leaders build themselves strongly inward (leadership genotype) and then manifest themselves strongly outward (leadership phenotype). The basics when done right will yield the right result.
Throw the ego aside
Ego usually makes people want to have a bigger phenotype yet have a smaller leadership genotype. The whole idea is to feed yourself inward first before manifesting outward as a stronger leader. More like the concept of you reap what you sow. Maybe we need to take a look at the genotype of leadership. The leadership genotype consists of all the investments you make in your life as a leader. Call it personal development and empowerment. Books, CDs, Audio, Mentoring, and coaching among a plethora of others. When the leadership genotype is strong it will spill over to the leadership phenotype. Leadership success will come when there is equilibrium inside and outside. The most important thing therefore is the leadership genotype, once you develop it, it becomes contagious as it flows out to build the phenotype.
The blueprint of leadership success
Let’s look at the ideal traits of successful leaders. These are not exhaustive, purely indicative but practically useful.
1. They value relationships more than they value their position. They recognize that life is about people and in order to be effective we need to relate well with others. Positions are not important but functions are highly useful.
2. They look at issues with a leadership bias and they are motivated by modesty and humility. Leaders only look at things with a view to getting results. Humility is what defines leadership greatness.
3. They are strong enough to apologize for what they have done and even what they have not done. Strong leaders know that allies are important and thus do not want to annoy them. All smart leaders are good at managing relationships.
4. They are willing to inspire others to get to the top, and they are willing to be inspired by others to get to the top. The truth is that you cannot give what you do not have. In order to inspire others, you must first inspire yourself.
5. They do not claim to have all the solutions, so they engage others with an open mind. They understand that they are not automatic encyclopedias with all answers. They know that it is okay not to know everything.
6. They know that leaders should be willing to pay the price. They love to sacrifice so that the team or organization goes forward. Leadership sacrifice is what singles out leaders who have gone far. Mandela sacrificed, Mugabe sacrificed, and Moshoeshoe sacrificed as did Nkrumah and Kaunda. Leaders are supposed to pay the price. That is why you ought to pay the price too.
May the leader in you rise to conquer? Remember Jesus Christ is the Ultimate leader. Follow him and others will follow you. He keeps you getting better and better. With him, even the sky is not the limit.
The next Level is a Reality. Keep on pressing towards the mark, and before you know it, you are there.