LEADING OF A DIFFERENT KIND (PART ONE)

We all need direction. To be sure of where we are heading and what we are doing. And the reality is that we often do look up to certain individuals for such direction, which should be expected. Every organization, for example, must have someone to lead it. Every family must have someone to lead it. Every clan, village, town, city, state or country must have someone to lead it. And the best ones that eventually get ahead are the ones given good leadership.

In very simple terms, to lead can be defined as, "To guide on a way, to direct on a course, or to serve as a channel." Whereas leadership is defined as, "The ability to lead;" or, "The activity of leading an organization or a group." 

Good or bad leadership is solely dependent upon people. Unfortunately, some people who have been privileged to occupy certain positions of leadership or authority don't understand that the purpose for one being the head is not for you to showcase yourself, but for you to lead that team or group aright and lead it in the way that it should really go. To accomplish good leadership, one must be able to easily carry along those whom you have been privileged to lead so that they follow you willingly and not necessarily because you hold them to ransom by threatening to withhold certain benefits like their salaries or allowances (though in truth, there are cases when such a tactic must be applied) or the use of some other force or arm twisting technique.

One way or another, we all fall into the leadership cycle. And we must realize that there's a difference between a leader and a ruler.

                             

While the true leader is concerned with ensuring that everyone plays their best part to the benefit of the group, the ruler is more concerned with lording himself over others and getting them to do his own bidding as he seems fit. In this article, I want to make a small attempt to distinguish between the two and hopefully help us choose the right kind to become as we go out there to lead any group of people.

AUTHORITY DEPENDENT VERSUS GOODWILL DEPENDENT

The ruler is authority dependent and seriously power drunk. His motivation is to have everyone cower at his presence or appearance and for them to always do his bidding whenever and wherever he says. He doesn't care a about people's feelings or whether or not they have the ability to carry out his directives. Just do what he wants otherwise you are grossly disobedient.

The leader is different. He depends purely on the goodwill of those he has been called to lead. Instead of lording over them, he tries to use his influence over them to get them to do what he wants. He understands that you can have power and yet have no influence but cannot have influence and not have power; and so he wisely utilizes that aspect of himself. People willingly want to work for him because they believe he feels for them and their welfare.

FEAR GENERATOR VERSUS ENTHUSIASM GENERATOR

As can already be deduced from above, the ruler prefers to instil fear into those he leads rather than confidence. The problem with him here is that he hardly recognizes that those under him will find it constantly challenging to carry out assignments as they are always looking over their backs and expect nothing else but harsh words and insults no matter what they do.

The leader, on the other hand, provokes enthusiasm in those who follow him, as he trusts them to use their initiative and creativity to help move the group forward. Because he is appreciative of their efforts, they are excited and always want to give their very best for the cause of the group as directed by him. He literally can get them to do things effortlessly and with hardly any grumblings because they are very much willing to jump whatever fence or swim whatever river he asks them to.

COMING SOON.....

BURN FOR REAL!

It was John Wesley who famously said, "When you set yourself on fire, people will come to watch you burn."

Of course, he did not actually mean that you should literally douse yourself with fuel and then light a match; though in our present world that indeed would still be a spectacle for many and quite a number would still love the view. No, he was actually talking about something else entirely. He was talking about you having passion.

Passion for what? you may ask. Passion for anything. Passion for that very thing that will make you stand out. Passion to make that positive change, to impact the lives of others as well as impact the life of our world. Passion that will herald you into being the very best you can ever be in this lifetime.

And why is that important? you may ask. It is very important because in this life, until you are able to accomplish or achieve the goal(s) for which you were born, you will never be fulfilled.

Every one of us was born with something unique, and that thing was not imbedded into us so that we can only climb the corporate, business, economic, religious or political ladders and be super heroes on planet earth. No. It is actually there so that after we've harnessed and mastered it, we can actually use it for the benefit of others.

The things we are truly passionate about can hardly bore us. Instead, we find ourselves being always eager to do them or to pursue them. Interestingly, and if you will be honest with yourself, you will discover that most times those things that excite you the most have no connection to money or fame or power. Football fans, for example, are more interested in seeing their teams win, and their vociferous chanting and shouting at every game are more emotional than monetary. In fact, they will always spend just to keep alive the dream of watching their teams.

In like manner, though the world of sports today has turned out to be a serious money spinner, most athletes and sportsmen and women tend to do their utmost best to win in whatever field they contest in so that the fans will go home emotionally satisfied.

 

Doctors who truly are passionate about the good health and lives of people tend to pay more attention to saving lives than to making loads of money.They will instead go beyond any boundary necessary to ensure that they help an ailing person in dire need.

The musician or singer naturally  loves to tell a story or pass across a message through music with the sole intention of  either helping or educating or enlightening people; so that positive change can come about in the society.

People who are passionate about finding solutions to problems in different aspects of life tend to be more engulfed and consumed with that assignment than with any other thing. They will constantly roam the depths of their God-given brains to seek out the best ways to better the lots of others. The list is endless.

Of course, we know that we also have those who would prefer to direct their passions in the wrong direction, but the best way to utilize passion is to pursue those things that will indeed help people and improve lives. That is what truly gives fulfillment.

The world constantly needs improvement and you definitely carry inside you part of what is necessary to help bring about such positive improvement. It goes beyond the money, position, power or fame you can ever have, to the positive impact you can assert upon the world if only you will find the right passion and direct it properly. Indeed, it's a massive and very important project to help improve our world; and until your passion weighs more than money, position, power or fame, that project you have before you may never be successful.

When you find out what you have been born to affect, it is pertinent that you let your passion roll on it. Most likely it is what you are naturally gifted at or something you just really love to do. When your passion rolls on it, everyone around you will see and know that you are consumed by a certain fire, and that in turn will attract people to you, especially those whose lives you most likely were designed to positively affect. Nobody will sell passion to you...you already have it, but you just need to find what  it is tied to first.

There is no time to waste as it will amaze you as to how many people are tied to the positive impact you have to give in this life. Don't always be waiting for something to happen, you make it happen. Yes, I am talking to the right person; I am talking to you.

It is time to burn for real!