Leading beyond today- By Ted Msipa

I submit it to you ladies and gentlemen that the world’s greatest challenge is the lack of leadership acumen. Leadership acumen is why nations are continuously at each other’s throat. Every time a new leader comes along many neutrals celebrate and rejoice echoing the inner hope of envisaged change.

All the challenges the world faces are a byproduct or an outcome of failed leadership. You may want to consider that the first leader ever known to humanity was the man Adam. He used to lead well until he was deceived by the devil, ever since that time humanity has been plunged into a leadership crisis. Adam as a failed leader became a pattern and an example of how not to lead. It may also interest you that the ultimate leadership book, the bible shows that only thirty three percent of the leaders in the bible finished well. So, by extension we can infer that sixty seven percent of leaders in every sector will fail.

I have spent the better part of the past ten years studying leaders and leadership with religious zealotry and as such believe that I have gleaned some wisdom which can help leaders to run their full course. Leaders will therefore do will to consider my submissions in a bid to build leaders who may successfully negotiate the ropes of leadership with distinction.

I have learnt that leadership is a sacred responsibility since God is the ultimate leader and therefore every person who leads does so on behalf of God. So it is very important that a leader understands that he or she operates on the basis of delegated authority. Leaders are therefore stewards helping to enforce Jehovah God’s mandate on the planet earth. All stewards by nature are expected to be faithful to their principal. Faithfulness to God will enable a leader to provide excellent service delivery to the people they serve.

All leaders will do well to know that anybody and I mean anybody can lead. Leadership is not a position of authority. Most leaders fail to understand this and lose their relevance by holding on to positions instead of perfecting their service delivery. Leadership according to the World’s foremost leadership authority John Maxwell is influence, nothing more and nothing less. Whenever God gives an assignment to a leader he already has a substitute. Consider this; David was the substitute for Saul as King. Paul was the substitute for Judas Iscariot as an Apostle. So for every leadership assignment you can ever have in life, please understand there is somebody on standby so that if you fail they will carry on the baton to the end. 

In order to become a leader who leads beyond now, a leader ought to be futuristic in nature. True leaders recognize that they are holding fort for the next generation and thus strive to lay a better foundation for the next generation so that it will find this planet much better than the leader found it. They look at patterns and trends of behavior with a view to build a base which cannot be shaken. Those who remember American Pastor turned politician, Jesse Jackson will remember how he invested a lot of time in young blacks telling them that they mattered and they were the future leaders. It is therefore not a surprise for that among the young people was Barak Obama.

Great leaders recognize that people matter because they are the reason why they are leaders. You cannot be a leader without anybody following you. The Chinese have a beautiful proverb which says, “He who thinks he is leading and yet has no follower should know that he is just taking a walk in the park”. So it is important for leaders to genuinely care for their followers. Once people perceive a leader to be caring, they will not hesitate to move mountains for the leader. When all is said and done, people do not care how decorated you are as a leader. The only thing that moves people about a leader is the knowledge that the leader cares about them. This also explains why certain staff members will rebuff certain better offers from other organizations because they perceive their leader as caring.

Finally leaders are leaders because we hope they can make a difference in our lives. That puts a burden on the leaders of becoming more every day. It is incumbent upon leaders that they recognize that the modern follower is highly conversant with many issues. Leaders therefore have the responsibility of staying ahead of their followers in knowledge supremacy; otherwise the followers will stop following them. It is common knowledge that people follow leaders who are better than them. 

May the leader in you rise to conquer? Next level is a reality.

Ted Msipa is a CEO,Pastor, Business Strategist and the # 1 Leadership Coach in Lesotho. He is mentored by John Maxwell. He may be contacted on [email protected]