Easy access at the tip of your fingers, subscribe to our daily ePaper version of our New Era Newspaper.
Home / Infusing progressive leadership in national development
Infusing progressive leadership in national development
2018-08-03Staff Report 2 Leadership is a calling, the action of ensuring that a group of like-minded people achieve a set goal. It is a requirement for the development of communities of organisations. Whether entrenched in one person or spread as a shared means of control, it is always an essential component for the progression of people. There is a lot of argument about what constitutes leadership. Contemporary leadershipship writing reveals that most scholars believe leaders are both born and made (Henry and Richard Blackaby). I believe that this does not matter as leadership construed from either source will derive required objective as long as it is geared for good. Certain people were born into leadership by blood and as such were coached on the “dos and donts” of leadership. Others, such as Malcom X, who, despite being a gang member in his youth, became an icon for the Black freedom struggle in the USA. Leadership often is not flamboyant and usually doesn’t involve spellbinding speeches or dramatic actions. If you make the place where you live, work, study and worship better, then you are a leader. And if ever this world needs leaders it is now. A good leader is like the grease that lubricates a machine. A weak, declining organisation teeters on the brink of disbandment, then a leader brings a positive influence of improvement. The leader galvanises the people, directs action, inspires confidence and boosts morale. The leader doesn’t do all the work, but people’s performance and morale improve. A collective sense of relief and hope now pervades the work atmosphere. Developments that eluded previous administrators for years are accomplished in weeks with a new leader at the helm. How can the same collection of people languish under one leader and flourish under another? The very people who were previously disillusioned now generate the most results. The difference at times has little to do with the problems, limitations, or personnel. Good leadership eschews pride and lack of consideration for the thoughts of others. This allows the team or organisation to feel part of the decision-making process, allowing for more creative and realistic solutions to be developed. Sometimes, a dictatorial approach is necessitated so as to reduce downtime and expedite results. However, such, done in moderation and with the involvement and buy-in from team members who are expertised in required fields, brings out the best results. All it boils down to, at the end of the day, is good leadership result-oriented. A leader is always willing to learn. Even when the concept or idea threatens to go against his own initiative, the leader must be able to fully assess the said threat, break it down to its smallest atom and then see how to counter against such with facts or perhaps incorporate it to have a more encompassing result. Whether chairing a church committee, leading a corporation, or rearing their children, some men and women are successful no matter what challenge they undertake while others suffer chronic failure and wallow in mediocrity. I am convinced that most organisations have potential for growth and success. The key is leadership. Accoding to the Bible, God is not necessarily looking for leaders, at least not in the sense we might think. He is looking for servants (Isa. 59:16 & Ezek. 22:30) People everywhere are looking for someone to lead them into their purpose. People will follow leaders who know how to lead them according to their agenda. Business people, physicians, educators, politicians and parents should be leaders. No matter what their occupations, more and more men and women are taking the calling as leaders seriously, and they are dramatically impacting the world and extending their leadership. The facets mentioned above form part of what is required for leadership to bring about national development progressively. (To be continued) 2018-08-03Staff Report 2
