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ESSENTIALS OF LEADERSHIP 2

18/04/2017 08:50:00 BY Charles Samunenge

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LEADERSHIP is usually about responsibility and accountability.

We are actually all leaders at different levels in society. In that sphere of our operation, we are leaders. In his book, The Leader of The Future, Peter Druker wrote; “Leadership must be learned and can be learned.” The art of leadership can be learned. We must invest in learning leadership principles at whatever level we find ourselves in life. Learning leadership principles can help prevent wrong directions, unnecessary breakdowns along the way to destiny, and even aborted destiny. Embracing leadership principles will always help us move from vision to plan to action, and thus bringing about the required change in our lives, families, communities and nation. As leaders we must have the right perspective of real life in order to make a positive impact in our sphere of influence.

We must be courageous enough to do the right thing in a right way. We must endeavour to do things not only ethically right, but also elegantly right. Excellence should be our trade mark. As leaders we must rise above mediocrity in order to attain excellence. We must be passionate about leading with excellence. Every sphere of life is designed to need leadership, therefore the leader in all of us must arise and be unleashed. There is a high demand for leaders in families, communities and the nations of the world, yet the quality and quantity of able individuals is limited. The demand for quality leadership necessitates the need for all of us to unleash our leadership potential in whatever sphere of life we find ourselves in. In today’s culture and climate of uncertainty, change, financial upheavals and shifting, morality, we need strong leaders. Yes, leaders who are capable of providing hope, inspiration, steadiness, moral guidance, stability and direction. This is why we must all begin to think and act like leaders.

As leaders, we all have the potential to change our world by introducing creative ideas to affect the political, social and economical climate of our families, communities and nation. This will actually bring about entirely new living conditions for people around us. Renaissance painter, architect, inventor and engineer Leonardo da Vinci changed the world of his time by designing innovative bridges, highways, weapons, costume and scientific instruments. That is unleashing the potential within. By tapping into the leadership potential within us, and activating our God given gifts and talents, we can irreversibly change our world or sphere of influence. Leaders usually see things which others don’t see. They impart vision for a better future and cause others to see situations differently. Leaders see cities rising out of swampy areas. As a leader David saw the opposing giant utterly defeated and lying dead on the ground. We must train ourselves to see things through the eyes of, or in the context of vision, purpose and destiny.

Leaders embrace creativity. As leaders we must create the culture of producing a conducive environment for everyone around us to flourish in their calling, gifts and talents. Great leaders create and positively use their positions, power and influence to shape the future and shift atmospheres. As a matter of fact, creative leaders are also cultural engineers who possess the art of designing values and setting priorities to help people around them maximise their potential. As leaders we must stretch the abilities of those in the sphere of our influence.

True leaders possess the ability to draw out the latent potential in others, helping them grow into their God-given purposes and destinies.
In order to unleash our leadership potential we must conquer our inner struggles and believe that we can. Due to the rabble that gets in our lives through life’s negative experiences, most of us tend to doubt our leadership potential. When you are born in poverty, come from a broken family, or had a lot of bad experiences in life, your view of who you really are may get distorted. We must learn how to dig through the rubbles of life in order to discover the diamond within. The rubbles of life must be used as the fuel that propel us into our purpose and destiny.

Past mistakes or fear should not be allowed to imprison the leadership potential in us. We must also not allow people to define us, because they will confine us to our past experiences. Leadership is about accountability and responsibility. We must account and be responsible for our time, gifts, talents, words and actions. Sir Winston Churchill said; “The price of greatness is responsibility.” Accountability and responsibility are the mother of great leadership. Let us all be responsible, and let the leader within all of us be unleashed for the betterment of our families, communities, businesses and nation. As leaders we must learn to walk in love towards all human beings irrespective of their status in life. Real love has the capacity to carry the wrongs of others, and it is so rare in today’s world. Great leaders possess the ability to walk in genuine love. The essence of true leadership is the love for humanity.