A future and a hope

And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.” - Mark 1:17 AMP

I find it amazing each time I read and meditate on the truth of the word of God how much inspiration for, and insights about doing leadership right I receive. The opening Scriptural quote is popular with many people firing up their faith time and again by confessing it. It is, however, a deep statement from which true leaders can learn and receive vital help to improve their impact and effectiveness. In this piece, I explore an important aspect of leadership that exposes the leader’s responsibility and explains why many leaders find it difficult to earn the commitment of their followers.

Leadership: A journey into the future

It is always beneficial to conceptualize the leader’s role from the basic premise that she is taking the follower somewhere. Leadership is a journey involving a leader and a follower. It is intended as and delivers maximally when the leader recognizes that even when leading a team of people, leadership should be undertaken as an individual relationship between the leader and each team member.

Implied in this relationship is that the leadership journey is one into the future! It is an adventure and as I pointed out in an earlier article, the journey is rough and tough, but the destination is great for the parties involved when the leader leads right.

In this journey into the future, both parties are bound to acquire experiences that are bound to shape their lives. Walking and working together on that journey, none of the parties should remain the same at any point in the reasonable future. A beneficial transformation must have been experienced by the follower while the leader must have acquired greater experience and deeper insights on how to do the job better whenever the journey comes under review in the future.

The effluxion of ‘time,’ a resource that cannot be recovered, heightens the concern of both parties on the leadership journey. The leader should not waste her time and, of course, should not waste the time of the follower. She must make the journey worthwhile for both. The same applies to the follower, who should also not waste her time and that of the leader.

The leadership journey must be worthwhile for both parties, and that would be determined by what becomes of each one in the future, especially the follower. By 'future' here, we refer to when the follower has spent enough time to go ahead and hold her own as a bona fide leader.

More on the details of the leadership journey is accessible in our SMART LEADER PROGRAM. Click here to check it out.

What future does your leadership promise?

The future is too important for everyone, especially the follower, to be handled with levity or carelessly. That is one crucial thing we understand from the opening Scripture.

A true leader must mind the future and plan toward it for the one following. The future of the follower must occupy her thoughts. The leader must hold out a promise of ‘a future’ for the follower. It is so crucial because it helps to give meaning to the relationship.

Many leaders simply expect their people to submit to and follow them. They believe that it is the right thing to do and often do not think they have to work hard to earn their following. Some depend more on their authority and power to ensure that the people follow. Some others rely on their charisma and/or other personal attributes.

The problem is that they fail to appreciate that the follower is a key stakeholder in the relationship and the leadership journey. Among others, following a leader involves a critical investment of time, which as we indicated earlier cannot be regained if lost. It is, therefore, in the interest of the follower that the time invested produces a worthwhile return.

It certainly makes good sense for every leader not only to think about what to make of the future of the follower but to make elaborate plans to actualize it. It is important that a leader makes the future she is taking the follower to, known at the onset of their journey. That future must be painted in as clear and as vivid a picture as possible. It must be unambiguous as well. And it must be well communicated.

The future that a leader paints and promises a follower demonstrate her commitment to the leadership journey. It makes clear to the follower what is in the journey for her. It puts the follower in a position to appraise the promise and to decide whether to commit to following or not.

It is to be expected that the more attractive a leader’s promise and plan for the future, the stronger will be the commitment of the follower, all things equal.

It is no wonder that Jesus, the Master leader, did not just ask His disciples to follow Him. If we examine His invitation very well, we find that He painted a picture of the ‘future’ to them. He said, “I will make you fishers of men.’ The disciples had a promise placed before them to enable them to appraise and decide if the journey would be worthwhile.?

And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.” - Mark 1:17 AMP

So, what “plans and thoughts” do you have for the future of the people who are following you? What should they look forward to in the journey they are embarking on with you? Have you provided some certainty about the future to put their minds relatively at rest and assure them that it is worthwhile going on the journey with you? Is the future sufficiently clear and compelling enough to energize them into making a commitment to go with you? Have you provided them a reason to set their hands on the ‘plow’ and never look back, but rather keep looking to experience the future your leadership has promised?

It is only when this is in place that you can reasonably expect people to follow and commit to your leadership. It is time leaders stop taking this crucial requirement for granted. A leader only makes the job of leading more burdensome when they hold no clear and compelling promise of the future for their people. The future promised conveys “what’s in it” for the follower as a key stakeholder in the leadership journey.

The future promised represents a crucial source of motivation that enables the leader to secure maximum cooperation from the follower on the journey.

To be sure, a leader must ensure that this future is defined in terms of the follower only. In Jesus’ offer, the men were to become “fishers of men.” They could appreciate that this was a benefit being made available to them. The future is not about the leader but exclusively about the follower. And it must focus on what the follower will “become” at the end of the journey. This implies that the journey is one that would transform the follower into a different, more attractive personality.?

Hope to power the future

It is not enough to promise a great future to the follower in the leadership journey. One thing that the opening Scripture gives us insight into is that ‘hope’ is required to power the future. Put differently, the leader must hold out ‘hope’ to keep the follower motivated all through the journey.

?[There is no exemption,] but whoever is joined with all the living, has hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. - Ecclesiastes 9:4 AMP

A leader who understands how leadership works, one who makes the effort to paint the picture of the future, must also provide a basis for hoping that it would materialize. Hope can be likened to the ‘fuel’ required to keep the follower going until the future promise is realized.

A few factors can help the leader to supply the hope required by the follower. Some of them are examined here:

The leader’s track record

The first factor is the track record and reputation of the leader. A leader with a good track record is more believable than one who cannot point to people who have benefitted from following her. With no prior record of success, it will be difficult to hold out the hope required for those following you. So, while you may have painted a great future, the following may still drag their feet because nothing exists to show that you can make it happen for them.

The path to the future

The second factor is how convincing is the insight provided to the follower about how achievable the promised future is and how potent is the plan to realize it. When you look at the opening quote you will notice a list of things that the disciples were expected to do to become fishers of men. They were expected to accept Him as Master and follow His instructions, doing whatever they saw Him do. The easier it is for the follower to appreciate what is required to be done on the journey, the greater the hope that the promise is realizable.?

Encouraging patience

In any follower’s walk with a leader, an important attribute that the follower will need to develop is patience. It takes patience to successfully complete any journey, especially one that promises transformation. It is, even more, the case when the transformation involved is behavioural in nature. Habits are difficult to change. They take time. The leader must make this requirement very clear to the follower. It is important that the follower’s expectations are properly conditioned so that she does not lose hope when the journey hits rough patches.

Assurance of help and support

An important area that must be addressed also is the access to help and support on the journey by the follower. It is the leader’s responsibility to assure the follower that support, and help will be provided and easily accessible throughout the course of their journey. This way, the follower knows that she will not be left in the cold to figure things out on her own at any point. This help and support role is an important commitment that every leader should make to followers. It keeps hope alive. The leader is one who is familiar with the route being embarked upon. The follower is not and can become apprehensive as the journey unfolds. Assurance of help and support will address this mindset and encourage the follower to fully commit by doing the needful.

When hope is in place for the follower, securing the requisite cooperation to birth the future promised becomes easier.?

A whole lot depends on you!

The leader is called to a huge responsibility. No one must ever take for granted the responsibility to lead. It is both a privilege and a responsibility.

The privilege is expressed in the opportunity to shape and reshape the lives of other people into better and stronger personalities. The responsibility is seen in ensuring that all that the follower invests in her journey with the leader is worthwhile.

A whole lot depends on the leader to make the journey worthwhile.

The leader must ensure that her leadership promises a worthy and attractive future to the follower. That future must be expressed as a direct benefit to be fully appropriated by the follower only.?

In addition, the leader must also supply the ‘fuel’ to power the follower’s journey. While it may be true that the follower also must take up some responsibility, it remains the leader’s responsibility to keep hope alive in the heart of the follower. That hope will ensure that the follower remains willing and makes honest efforts to cooperate with the leader as they both work towards making the promised future real in due course.

Surely there is a future [and a reward], and your hope and expectation will not be cut off. - Proverbs 23:18 AMP

Leadership recognizes that followers deserve a better future, and a true leader must shoulder that responsibility to provide her people with one. That future must be promised, clearly and graphically painted for the followers to appreciate. It must be achievable and sufficiently attractive to make them desire it and commit to its pursuit.

The leader follows up this important responsibility with another, which is supplying the hope that keeps the future within reach all through the journey.

If you aren’t doing this as a leader, it’s time to change. By not going this route, you increase the burden of leadership on yourself, subject your followers to injustice, and undermine the quality of following you will enjoy.

The quality of influence, impact, and results that will be associated with your efforts will speak volumes.

It’s never too late to do the needful.

Review your leadership approach today and address these gaps if they exist.

These are some of the fundamental truths that make for leadership success. More of them are discussed in our program titled, Leading truths for leadership success (also called the CLASS OF 12).??

Olatunji Sobodu

+234 809 891 1826 | [email protected]

PS: If you are interested in our 12-week program – CLASS OF 12 (Leading truths for leadership success) – please feel free to contact me via email or phone using the details above. Or click here. ?

PSS: Please feel free to share this Newsletter with others who can benefit from the subject matter. Thanks for being a blessing to others. You can reach out to Dr. Olatunji Sobodu (Founder & CEO, EMET LEADERSHIP ACADEMY) using the phone and email details provided in the signature. Dr. Sobodu is available for speaking engagements about leadership and also the provision of executive leadership coaching and mentoring, including helping to develop leadership competence that you may require personally or for your organization.