CREATIVE LEADERS MANUAL
THE CREATIVE LEADERS MANUAL
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Content.
Introduction
Visionary leadership concepts.
The price for leadership
Qualities of effective leaders.
Becoming a leader
Effective leadership principles.
Introduction.
The key to success in any endeavor is the ability to lead others successfully. Everything in life and business rises and falls on leadership. The effectiveness of your work will never rise above your ability to lead and influence others. Your potential skill determines the level of your success – and the success of those who work around you.
Preparing for Change.
Some people are open to change as long as it doesn’t cost them anything. Change is inevitable, change is the principle of life and creation. The most permanent thing in life is change. You need to change in other to take charge. The initiation and management of change is the ultimate test of true leadership.
People who hate change love slavery. These people love slavery for the following reasons.
i. They need not pay for house rents.
ii. They need not pay for water
iii. No need for education
iv. No need to pay for food
v. There is no need for health
vi. No need for planning
vii. No need to be creative
All they know is that they must work all their lives under other people, just because they are afraid of the responsibilities that goes into leading other people.
The world is filled with followers, managers and supervisors and very few leaders. Nothing is more serious than to give managers or supervisors leadership functions. Those who do not have anything to reproduce in others can’t successfully function as leaders. Leadership is for those that have successfully led themselves and are now willing to reproduce their experience in other people. Leadership is not a joke but really hard work.
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Short sighted people never make good leaders. Great leaders always have great vision. They prepare for things their natural abilities cannot carry. This is what moves them closer to God and as a result they over come great challenges. Jesus was born in a little town with one street and eleven houses. Despite this little setting, he had a “global thinking” . Leaders consistently view the invisible in their quest to achieving the impossible.
The truth is that leaders are not born, leaders are raised. Even though it was announced before his time that he was a leader, Jesus still had to grow to become a leader. The growth process for any kind of leadership is a sure prerequisite. Here are some of those things you need to take note of to become a successful leader.
- Be addicted to scriptural information. Allow the Holy Spirit to load you with fresh revelation as it concerns your assignment.
- Crave for knowledge. Read books, attend seminars, interact with great minds, have proven mentors etc
- Develop an unquenchable love for people.
- Constantly infuse hope into people.
- Do more than you are paid. You will eventually be paid more for what you do.
- Make failure your teacher and not your undertaker.
- Do small things in great ways.
The ladder of leadership works like any other ladder. Very few climbed it with their hands in their pocket. The profile of a great leader is this: hard work, perseverance and most of all self –discipline.
The leadership Mandate.
The great commission is ultimately a leadership mandate. Jesus told his disciples, “Go” into all the “Nations” and make “Disciples” of every nation, teaching them the things I have taught you.’ (Scripture paraphrased)
Lets consider the elements of this mandate. “GO” – this signifies that there is a mission to accomplish. It reveals dynamism. It also suggest activity and vibrancy. Leadership is all about a movement.
A movement to where? You might be asking. Simple, into the NATIONS. Nations is noted in Greek as “ethnos”. Ethnos means an ethnic group or people with common groupings. A people with similar ideology, way of life or language.
In other words, Jesus gave a mandate to “Go” and make disciples – Students, learners, pupils, potential leaders of all the common groupings that might exist in all the earth. Examples of these common groupings are your little villages, politics, law, engineering, industry, medicine, sports and so on. Therefore, by reason of design, God has made us to leaders of all these nations. A successful leader must therefore be able to change worlds
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without changing his leadership values. He must be able to adapt to different national climates without adopting contrary values. To therefore reach the nations for Christ does not necessary mean that you’ve got to become a pastor, Reverend or Bishop. Discover who you are and what nation you are sent to make a positive difference. You would have fulfilled this mandate.
The Teacher.
How can you make the “ethnos” your students if you are not in charge of the class? You can’t teach if you are not in charge of the class. You cannot also lead from behind. Leaders are always front-liners. They take the lead. They are always ahead of the pack. To be a teacher, you have to know more than the student. The student must respect you even if they don’t like you. This goes to show that the very commission of the church is a leadership mandate. Simply put, Jesus was saying to his disciples, and now to you and me, “you are a teacher in any discipline you are called into.” Don’t desire to stand behind the pulpit, but desire to go into your area of discipline and be a leader there. Always go for your ministry. Your leadership is your gift (your purpose) not behind the pulpit. You are designed for something, find it.
The Pulpit
The pulpit is to train you to go into your world and make them your student. Have you ever considered this? You preach in some certain places, the people hate you for the teaching but still love Jesus. They avoid you because you speak foreign language. They despise you because you speak the wrong language. For example, “praise the Lord” is foreign to a lawyer, engineer or politician. “All protocols duly observed” is a language foreign to the church. In this generation, the last thing we need is a bunch of religious people who can’t communicate with the world. The Pulpit is designed to Pull people out of the pit. Don’t push them in via wrong communication.
Winning the World.
Go into the world and change them. You are saved to change your world. The church we have now is a product of the fall. Going through the two most complete scriptures in Genesis chapters 1 & 2, we would discover that in the beginning there was no sin, no preaching, no death, no poverty, no corruption, no deceit, no prayer, no fasting, etc. All was perfect. The creator puts it this way, “all was very good”. Redemption is a programme designed to return us back to this kingdom in Genesis 1 & 2. Revelation is expected to take us back to Genesis. To make this a reality, we need leaders in every discipline. A new breed of leaders in every sector, of our nation.
The making of Leaders
Leaders are ordinary people who accept or are placed under extraordinary circumstances that bring forth their latent potential, producing a character that inspires confidence and trust in others. Leadership is not a gift, but a result. Leadership are results of circumstances. They are trained in secret waiting for circumstances that will show them forth to the world. There is
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a leader buried inside you, waiting for a Goliath, so that you can be enthroned. Goliaths are designed for your exposure. Enemies are good, because they expose who you really are. Goliaths come to reveal leaders. Leaders are born in conflicts and circumstances.
The Process.
To be a worthy leader, the following has to be consciously cultivated.
i. Desire to know more of God.
ii. Crave for uncommon wisdom.
iii. Always strive to understand the dispensation we are in per time.
iv. Uncover your talents and develop your capacity.
v. Be committed to the service of humanity.
vi. Go in search of Knowledge in the area of your calling.
vii. Renew your mind by interacting with the right kind of people.
Leadership via Training
Leadership is not an exclusive club for those who were “born with it”. The traits that are the raw materials of leadership can be acquired. Link them up with desire and nothing can keep you from becoming a leader.
It is good to note here that leadership is developed, and not discovered. According to J C Maxwell, leadership is influence. According to him, “He who thinks he leads and has no one following him is only taking a stroll.”
In the words of James C George, “Leadership is the ability to obtain followers.” Leadership is all about discovering yourself and reproducing the same in others to further spread your impact.
Your Future Investment Today.
The issue is not whether you influence someone. What needs to be settled here is what kind of influence you will be. What you invest in yourself today is what defines your leadership role tomorrow.
Develop you Skill.
It takes a “power triangle” for any leader to get ahead. The three components of this triangle are communication, recognition and recommendation. You start by developing your communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively is your first step to becoming an influential leader. Communication would bring about recognition, while recognition would naturally command recommendation. When you are recommended, you have an opportunity to influence.
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Visionary leadership concepts.
Everyman begins his journey as a child, no one is born an adult. You don’t pray to access leadership, you grow into becoming a leader. Every great leader today was a follower yesterday. You don’t fast and pray into leadership, you submit yourself to the necessary growth process to access leadership. In the school of leadership, there are test to pass to qualify for leadership.
Purpose
Becoming a leader requires that you have a vision. Vision is seeing ahead of time the things that would ultimately characterize your journey. It is the unfolding of divine plan. It is the discovery of purpose. It is the ability is see what you are designed to do. It is discovering where you belong in the system. Vision is having an understanding of your assignment. Vision is seeing the invisible statements of the creator.
What then is Purpose?
Africa’s troubles is rooted in misplaced personalities. The rounded people are placed in square holes. The right people for the wrong places and vice versa. Purpose is the essence for man’s existence. Purpose talks about the beginning and the end. Purpose asks the question why you were made, from what you were made and for what you were made. Purpose defines your contribution to your generation. Purpose has nothing to do with where you are born but what you where born to do. Purpose is all about giving meaning and significance to life. Purpose is becoming profitable unto others. Purpose is not your job, but your life time assignment. Purpose is not looking for what to get, but what you can give. When purpose is discovered, you are close to seeing the birth of a potential leader.
Every kingdom personality is molded, packaged, anointed, equipped, loaded, empowered, organized, and programmed for leadership. A man of purpose never dies – he outlives his generation.
Signs of a discovered purpose.
- Trial and error is eliminated.
- You stop living a life of guess work.
- You don’t live in fear.
- You eliminate jealousy. Jealousy is a prove that you don’t know who you are.
- You connect others to their own destinies.
- You connect others to their blessings and rewards.
- Your life gives light to others.
- When purpose speaks, it gives light to a dark world.
- Your self worth is realized.
- you carry yourself with dignity
- You walk with your head and shoulder high up.
- You beam with courage and confidence.
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- It positions you to become a contributor to your generation.
- until you find yourself, some others might not find themselves.
- When purpose is discovered, your life gains focus.
- Passion and drive to get things done develops in you.
- what you see is what sinks into you.
- It takes passion to successfully run with a vision.
- Your uniqueness begins to manifest.
- You are an original in the mind of God.
- There is something in you that can add colour and beauty to the world around you.
How do you discover Purpose?
When your purpose is not yet known, you deprive others of a better life. The truth is that, no matter how much your employer loves or trusts you, he cannot pay you what you are worth. This is because you are rewarded based on your contribution to the growth of the organization. Your true worth is hidden, it is an invisible seed within you.
You therefore determine what you are worth, by releasing your potential. You are not programmed for salary, but for contribution.
- Pray revelation expectant prayers.
- You cannot be connected to your source and lack resources.
- You rewards in life is tied to your contribution.
- Praying to receive revelation is what connects you with your purpose.
- Purpose is to be discovered through insight – seeking prayers.
- Your purpose is an invisible seed that requires the invisible God to discover it.
- Apply yourself to your gifts and potentials
- You never know what you can do, until you have applied yourself to it.
- Until you try something, you never know you are capable of doing it.
- Be committed to doing what others won’t do. Dare to go where others won’t go.
- Stop talking and start doing.
- Search the Scriptures.
- The word of God is the mind of God.
- You can’t run through scriptures and run out of ideas.
- Your purpose are hidden within scriptures.
- You read it, study it and meditate consistently on it. Meditation is what converts the written word into a spoken word in your direction. The word spoken in your direction has the capacity to reveal to you, your purpose.
- When your purpose is not known, destiny suffers a set back.
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30 Fundamental truths about your assignment.
- As a leader, you are created to solve a problem.
- You are a reward to someone
- Your assignment is not a decision but your discovery.
- What you hate is a clue to something you are assigned to correct.
- What grieves you is a clue to something you are assigned to Heal.
- What you love is a clue to the Gifts, skills, and wisdom you carry.
- You assignment is always to a particular place.
- Your assignment will take you where you are celebrated instead of where you are tolerated.
- Your assignment would always require the investment of time.
- Your assignment would require seasons of preparation.
- Your assignment might contain seasons of insignificance.
- Your assignment might require seasons of waiting.
- Your assignment might require seasons of isolation.
- People might be assigned by hell to distract, delay, discourage and derail your assignment.
- Your assignment might cost you everything.
- Your assignment may sometimes seem to be in vain.
- Your assignment would require miracles.
- Your assignment would require your total focus.
- You will only succeed when your assignment becomes an obsession.
- Your assignment requires planning.
- Your assignment would be revealed progressively.
- Intercessors can determine the outcome of your assignment.
- Someone is always observing you, who is capable of greatly blessing you in your assignment.
- Your assignment may require unusual and unwavering trust in a man or woman of God.
- The problem that infuriates you the most is often the problem God has assigned you to solve.
- What you love most is a clue to your assignment.
- Your assignment may seem small, yet be the golden link in a great chain of Miracles.
- You are the only one God has Anointed for your specific assignment.
- Your assignment would require courage.
- Your assignment totally depends on your connection with God.
The Price for Leadership.
What is a price?
Simply put, this is what you pay to obtain a prize. What you give in exchange for a desired commodity or product.
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To obtain a Prize, you must run or pay the price. Whatever has no price has no value. The greater the price, the greater the value. Leadership has a great value. It therefore means that the price for leadership is high.
Leadership has a great price attached to it. Here are some of the price you have to pay to acquire leadership.
Responsibility.
Responsibility is living with a sense of mission. Living connotes a continuous payment of a price.
Responsibility can also be defined as making responsible moves for the benefit of yourself and the world around you. It could also mean, ability to exhibit self control.
Responsibility is a compound word. It is made up of two words:
Response and Ability.
This could mean responding positively to the ability or capacity given to you. Your potential is your ability while a discovery of purpose is what enables you to respond positively to the demands of leadership.
Responsibility is the ability to choose your response to the demands of leadership. Responsibility is the price for greatness. Leadership without responsibility makes a leader a joker. Successful leaders are responsibly people.
Leaders are made out of responsibility. An irresponsible man is bound to fail in his pursuit. Adam’s failure was largely a responsibility failure. God is a responsible God and demands responsibility from his creations.
God withdraws his hand from irresponsible people. Experience is not equal to responsibility. It is easier to succeed with responsibility than with experience.
How to build up Responsibility.
Responsibility is not a gift. Responsibility is something you consciously cultivate. Responsibility is a conscious step you take.
Responsibility |
irresponsibility |
irresponsibility |
Responsibility |
Developed Nations |
Undeveloped Nations |
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Irresponsibilty has contributed in no small measure to the backwardness experienced in nations considered to be undeveloped. National growth and development has a direct proportion with the personal commitment to responsiblty of the citizen and government of that nation. The more the responsibility, the more the productivity. Productivity is what guarantess growth and development.
Responsibilty begins at the cradle. You are either becoming responsible now that you are young or you have subscribed to an old age of irresponsibility. What you don’t cultivate while young, you cannot demonstrate while old.
You have to be responsible for your speech, appearance, actions, eating habit, savings, education, spiritual growth, manners, ethics and etiquette.
Steps to Responsibilty.
- This is a choice you have to make.
- Responsible people are people who choose to be responsible
- Be Determined.
- Whatsoever is determined shall be accomplished.
- Get determined to be responsible.
- Nothing is impossible to the determined.
- Learn it.
- Learn by observing people that are responsible.
- Be flexible with knowledge.
- Be correctible.
- Associate with responsible people.
- This is a contagious price to be paid.
- Move with responsible people.
- Who you associate with determines who you become ultimately.
Areas to Impose Responsibilty
- Be responsible for who you are.
- The day you accept complete responsibility for yourself and stop making excuses, that is the day you begin to make your way to the top.
- Leaders don’t blame conditions, atmosphere and others, they simply take responsibility.
- It takes irresponsibilty to become a critic.
- The leader takes his/her life in his/her hand.
- Leaders don’t seek the encouragement from others, they simply accept responsibilty – they encourage themselves.
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- You must be responsible for your actions.
- Responsible leaders own up their actions.
- Irresponsible leaders point fingers at others.
- You must be responsible for those you lead.
- Responsible leaders lay down their lives for those they lead.
- They are ever protective of their flock.
- They are people lovers.
Sacrifice
Another great price leaders pay is the price of sacrifice. To be responsible as an adult you have to be responsible as a youth.
What is sacrifice?
Sacrifice is something that is of great value, something necessary and useful to you that you let go for the benefit of others.
Sacrifice is what you need but have to give away to beautify your future.
Leadership is sacrificial.
Potential leaders have the capacity to sacrifice their needs for the benefit of others. Sacrificial leadership is all about serving your subordinate. It is servanthood. They are people oriented. Creative leaders live by example, and to live by example means living a life of sacrifice. You do away with what you need for the benefit of those you lead.
Salient areas of Sacrifice.
- Sacrifice of criticism.
- if you are not ready to be criticised, you are not ready to be a leader.
- Leaders are signs to be spoken against.
- Leaders are public figures and therefore suffer public criticism.
- No matter how good you are as a leader, you cannever satisfy everyone.
- Frontline leaders are always spoken agains.
- If you are not been criticised, you are not a frontline leader.
- Criticism is a great burden of leadership.
- Sacrifice of misconception or misunderstanding.
- There is no leader that would not at one point or the other be misunderstood.
- Great leaders are often misunderstood.
- Sacrifice of rejection or isolation.
- To hate isolation or rejection is to sell out your leadership mandate.
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- At a point in time, leaders have everyone leave them alone. A journey to leadership is a journey to the top. The higher you go, the fewer your friends.
- Leadership is therefore dynamic.
- Lonely periods are a leaders renewal periods.
- Sacrifice of bearing the burden of others.
- They sacrifice everthing they have to carry others along.
- They are selfless.
- They carry the burdens and problems of others.
- Sacrifice of the extramile.
- Extra ordinary leaders are ordinary people that pay the price of the extra mile.
- Leaders must never be at the same level with their followers.
- Leaders know better than their followers.
- To lead better, you have to know better.
- Sacrifice of Giving.
- If nothing is leaving you to the ones you are leading, you are not an effective leader.
- Giving is leading while leading is living.
- Only giving leaders become leading leaders.
In the midst of all these sacrifices, the rewards of leadership is what keeps the leader going.
Here are three basic rewards of Sacrificial leadership.
- Fulfilment
- The greatest joy of leaders is the joy that comes via a sense of fulfilment.
- Leaders endure adjustment in other to actualize the joy of fulfilment.
- Affluence, Influence abd Honour
- Sacrificial leaders are powerful leaders.
- They are people with great capacity and energy.
- They have great authortiy and respect.
- They command great results with little efforts.
- A Celebrated life.
- Sacrificial leaders enjoy favours and celebration everywhere they go.
- They become people to be wondered at.
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Qualities of Effective Leaders.
Every potential leader demonstrate certain qualities that suggest the presence of the leadership seed in them.
- Diligence.
- This is a guide post to leadership.
- Diligence is the vehicle that takes a man to the top.
- Diligence takes you up and sustains you there.
- Diligence is what makes a leader command follower ship.
- Diligence is hard work
- Diligence changes your status or position.
- Diligence brings you before great people.
- Diligence produces when it is cultivated early.
What is diligence?
Diligence simply means hard work. It means commitment to duty or your assignment. It being sold out to a given course.
What is hard work?
Work is not a place of activity or place to earn a wage or salary.
Work is all about fulfillment. Until you are fulfilled in the thing you do, you are not working. You are only enslaving yourself.
Work is exerting yourself mentally to fulfill your God-given purpose.
Work is a process of accepting a task towards achieving a God-given assignment.
Word is a process of turning vision into reality.
Work is a channel for releasing the grace of God upon your life.
Work releases grace.
To become a leader, you must be a worker.
Your work is your good will in life. The joy of work is accomplishment.
The Purpose of work.
- Work maximizes potential.
- Work releases your capability.
- Without work, you can’t tell what a man can do.
- Work reveals the hidden potentials in man.
- Work will help you exercise your faith.
- Faith means expectation.
- Faith is connecting with the divine source in other to do things beyond your natural ability.
- Work enhances productivity and a sense of industry.
- It helps you to release your best
- It enhances your ability to be a blessing to those around you.
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- Work reveals the leader in you.
- Work helps you command follower ship.
- Work is an avenue with which you display your leadership potentials.
The worth of work in Leadership.
- Promotion
- Working leaders constantly enjoy promotion.
- God is committed to raising working hands.
- Guarantees Rest.
- Work makes the sleep of leaders sweet.
- A working mind brings a restful body.
- Material Blessing.
- Work brings with it financial and material increases.
- Working leaders have no business with poverty.
- It lifts you into leadership positions.
- Work makes people believe in a leader.
- Diligent hands are ruling hands.
- Until you stretch yourself now, you cannot spread.
- It is stretching that commands spreading.
- Until you work, nothing works.
- Discipline.
Another great quality of potential leaders is discipline. Leadership is impossible without discipline. The process or passage would always determine outcome.
What is discipline?
- Discipline is the willingness to do what others won’t do in other to get what others can’t get.
- Discipline is going the hard way to escape the hard life.
- What you endure determines what you enjoy.
- Discipline is the hardness imposed on yourself.
- Discipline is putting yourself under a rule in other to become a ruler.
- Discipline is doing those things not convenient but necessary.
- Discipline is turning your back against pleasure – saying “NO” for now.
- Discipline is making a choice against convenience or leisure.
- Discipline is having a sense of denial.
- The price you pay now determines the prize you collect tomorrow.
- Discipline means having a sense of control.
- Discipline is the braking system of destiny.
- Outside discipline, leadership is abused.
- Discipline means living according to purpose and not according to circumstances.
- Discipline enhances focus.
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- Discipline is placing yourself under rules in other to become a ruler. Discipline is ability to say “NO” to what is contrary to your purpose. Discipline is placing yourself under necessity.
- Leadership is not safe in the hands of people not disciplined.
- Discipline is doing what you don’t like but need.
- Discipline is doing what you need when you seem not to like it.
- Discipline is to be able to say “NO” to the indulging demands of the flesh.
- Discipline means the method of training your mind and learning to control your own behaviour.
- Discipline is ability to picture a future and willing to pay the price to realize it.
Areas to watch to enforce discipline.
- EYES.
- Your eyes need to be disciplined. What you see determines what you do. What you do determines where you end up.
- Anything you see drives your entire life in that direction.
- Covetousness is at the root of indiscipline.
- At the root of covetousness is what you see.
- Close your eye lids to every appearance of evil or unprofitable venture.
- TASTE.
- Discipline your taste and quest to acquire material things.
- Live below your means.
- Have a controlled way of life.
- Eat and wear your size per time.
- EMOTION
- Leadership makes you attractive to the opposite sex.
- Control your sex drive in that direction.
- Emotion is ability to move in the direction of your strong passion.
- Direct your sexual drive into other useful passion.
- THOUGHT
- Your life would always head in the direction of your most dominant thought.
- Discipline your thought pattern.
- Think about positive, profitable, praise worthy and Pleasing things.
- Refuse to dwell on negatives.
- TIME
- Time can only be managed. Ability to manage time is ability to manage life.
- Time wasters are life wasters.
- Time is a currency that moves every leader towards the actualization of their dreams and aspirations.
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- Wisdom
- Another great quality of potential leader is Wisdom. Every true leader is a wise personality. God does not commit leadership to foolish men.
- Wisdom converts poverty to prosperity, test to testimony, trials to triumph, criticism to publicity and smallness to greatness.
- With wisdom, hard work is not equal to hard labour.
- With wisdom activity is not the same as productivity.
- Wisdom is what gives colour to leadership.
- Wise men have the heritage of ruling while foolish men have the heritage of slavery.
- Exalted wisdom is what brings about promotion.
- Life outside wisdom is empty.
What is wisdom?
- Wisdom is doing what is right.
- Wisdom is being tactical about life’s issues.
- Wisdom is application of acquired revelation.
- Wisdom is obedience to scriptural injunction.
- Wisdom is the process that guarantees shinning in life.
Wisdom is developing good habits.
- Bad habits disqualifies a man from assuming leadership.
- Bad habits places a stigma on a leader.
- You don’t decide your leadership position, you decide your habit, while your habit decides your character and your character decides your placement in leadership.
- It is your nature that determines your future.
- You make up is what determines how you end up.
- Your habit determines your ultimate placement in life.
Thoughts. |
Words. |
Actions. |
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Wisdom Habits.
- Meekness
- Meekness means untreatable, teachable and faithful.
- Great leaders are meek people.
- The meeker, the wiser.
- Joyful
- Wise leaders are joyful leaders.
- The happier, the wiser.
- Uprightness.
- Walk in the fear of the Lord.
- Wise leaders follow after Jesus.
- Wise leaders are upright and just.
Becoming a Leader.
Leadership is the right of every man or child of God. Man is designed for leadership in any vocation, ministry or profession he/she is found. Even though it is our birthright, we still have to grow. It takes this book to make the most of the leadership mandate on your life.
Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. Learning is living. Every successful leader is known to be a leader. Every potential leader is a committed reader. Schooling is not equal to education. Schooling is for a period while education is for a life time.
As a leader, you have to be ahead in other to be a successful head. Schooling only introduce you to learning.
There are four basic qualities of effective leadership.
Here are four areas in scriptures that express the character of a leader.
- Ability or human capacity.
- The fear of God
- Truthfulness
- Contentment.
All others are constant except for ability. The fear of God, truthfulness and contentment are basic standards for a creative leader. The varying factor here is capacity or ability. Capacity depends on resource material available to the leader. Reading is what builds up a leaders ability or capacity.
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What is capacity?
Capacity is the ability of a leader to transport potential to reality. Capacity is a fundamental requirement in determining your leadership rating. Capacity depends on the quality and quantity of resources at your disposal concerning your field.
Leadership is a life time journey and not a brief trip. Only die-hard learners become efficient leaders. What you do is what is what qualifies you for leadership. Leaders are addicted learners. Leaders are addicted note – takers. All potential learners are potential leaders.
Capacity improves with wisdom. Wisdom is not common sense, but applied knowledge. Proven knowledge is what commands proofs. Eloquence or charisma are no substitute for a good reading culture in the school of leadership. You cannot apply what you do not know. Knowledge is the resource base for wisdom.
Wisdom and knowledge are fundamental requirement for stabilizing destiny. Every leading professional is an ever learning professional. When you stop learning, you start dying. The battery of destiny has to be kept charging through constant reading.
It is not hard work that wears people out, it is wrong work. The deeper your insight in your field the more majestic your journey in the race of life. You have to see ahead to successfully lead the way.
Every man without a functional library organizes his way to the mortuary. In the school of royalty, wisdom and understanding are fundamental requirement. Skill requires currency!
A leader needs current skill to make current moves that makes current waves. It is your capacity that determines your ultimate rating in the journey of life.
It takes the book for you to fulfill the leadership mandate on your life. Two things is believed to greatly influence the future of a potential leader, the books he reads and the company he keeps.
- You capture facts when your read.
- You capture thoughts when you meditate.
It is the birth of learners that births leaders. Reading and learning makes great leaders. To graduate so soon from the school of knowledge is to degenerate so fast. Leaders are men with a “dangerous” reading culture. It is the quality of your resource that determine your ultimate results. It is risky to drive to a destination you do not know. Without the knowledge of an existing record, you have no business breaking it.
Haven found your place in leadership, it is your responsibility to learn your way up. Christianity is a conferment of kingdom responsibility. When you are excellent in what you
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do, all men would come to respect you. Excellence is the greatest antidote to racism and sexism. Books are materials for dressing destiny. Knowledge is not free, it is acquired at a price. You need facts to have a successful plan. Nobody’s future can be greater than his exposure. Knowledge is a universal commodity, wise men reach out to where it can be found.
Invest Time, Energy, and Resources. If you don’t get exposed on time, you would soon decompose. When you introduce racism to learning, you soon loose ground to a life of mediocrity. Until you do your part, God can’t set you up. Not everybody breathing is living, many are merely existing. The quality of information you engage determines the quality and clarity of your destination. Learning is a life long task. So begin now.
Adequate, relevant and current information is what brings about success in the adventures of life. It was said to Paul, “mush learning makes you mad”. Like Paul, we all need to learn up to this point. A point where people term us M.A.D. until you are M.A.D, you are not living but mere existing. Life is not designed for fun but for business. It is for you to
Make A Difference.
Life not attended to with a business mind soon becomes bankrupt. Books provide a covering for your destiny. Books boost you native intelligence. Learners are open hearted people.
The place of Planning.
Becoming a leader also requires planning. Purpose must be subjected to strategic planning for it to be realized. Successful leaders are strategic planners. Every purpose is set into motion via planning. Destiny is a picture of the end. Whatever God can say to you is what he can do for you. If God can’t do it, he won’t allow you to see it, think it or dream it. Great visions await strategic planning for it to be realized.
Planning is as important as discovering purpose. Subject your dreams to strategic planning. Planning is a spiritual tool for accomplishment.
What is Planning?
Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do it, when to do it and who to do it. Planning is tactically setting or ordering priorities. Planning is focusing actions on purposes. Planning enables you to select the best alternatives in your line of actions.
Planning bridges the gap between where you are and where your are going. Planning requires the identification of the objectives of your vision. Planning involves being creative and innovative in other to give voice to your vision.
All plans must be subjected to divine scrutiny in other for it to be error free. In planning, you must begin from the known to the unknown.
Your plan must be S-M-A-R-T
Creative leaders Manual._________________________________________________________
Specific – not ambiguous.
Measurable – Quantifiable input and output, helps to determine success or failure rate.
Attainable – Able to meet targets. Goals must be reachable.
Realistic – Recognize the facilities at your disposal now. What skills do you possess?
Tact – Timeliness, living to time. Programme your plans. Have long term and short term plans.
Rewards of Planning
- Ensure that you are focused on your calling.
- Give due attention to what is necessary per time.
- Adopts the best approach necessary to realize a given task.
- Promotes efficiency and consistency in a given plan.
- Facilitates control.
- Prevents unnecessary deviations in your calling.
- To cub waste of time and valuable resources.
- Enhances speed of accomplishment.
Planning aids – Facilities.
- Facts.
- Gather facts relevant to your calling through intensive search and identify with it.
- There is no wise planning without current facts.
- Follow after divine blue prints.
- Your uniqueness in leadership is in following divine patterns.
- When you follow your own device, you may be advised to withdraw.
- Identify with standards – mentors.
- Advice can be through observation or personal contact.
Effective leadership principles.
Before venturing into leadership, it is good to know if you have the tendency for leadership.
There are three types of leadership.
- Generic leaders – Born to be leaders.
- These ones are either born into a royal family or have a royal blood flowing through them.
- They need little or no leadership training.
Creative leaders Manual._________________________________________________________
- Functional Leaders.
- These are people who become leaders by reason of the job assigned to them.
- Their office or duty defines their leadership.
- Situational leaders
- Situations and circumstances is what confers on this group of people leadership.
Via the blood connection with Jesus, every redeemed fall into the category or class of generic leadership.
Generic leaders are master of ideas. The owner of ideas is the ruler of the world. Ideas are the building blocks of creative leadership.
12 principles of a success – driven leader.
- A leader must believe in excellence.
- A leader must believe in integrity.
- A leader must be energetic.
- A leader must be humble.
- A leader must be determined.
- A leader must have a sense of duty.
- A leader must have a sense of Justice.
- A leader must be physically fit.
- A leader must have resolute courage.
- A leader must be very enthusiastic.
Leadership is a must if you must fulfill destiny. I believe that this manual would feed your soul and grant you speedy insight to the things God has for you. God bless you.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The year 2006 would surely culminate in a NEW BEGINNING for you in Jesus Name.
LEADERS THAT LAST
LEADERS THAT LASTS ________________________________________
DEVELOPING CREATIVE LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Introduction
If ever there was a time in history when we should be studying the principles of leadership, it is now. Worldwide we are facing a leadership crisis. The great need of the hour is for positive, constructive, dynamic, creative and effective leadership. Business, industry, governments, labour, education, and the church are all craving for effective leadership. We may have many people filling administrative positions but the need is for true leaders who are able to do the job more effectively.
Every nation needs to continuously develop leadership skills in order to accomplish success. The world is divided into leaders and followers. Modernization and civilization must experience progress, and progress depends on leadership.
When viewed from a distance, leadership looks so easy. True leaders know only too well that their skills and abilities were developed over an extended period of time.
Leaders that Last.
To last is to remain, endure or continue. Becoming a leader that last is not an easy task. It is a task that requires God, time and patience.
Why God?
God is eternal. God is never ending. God is the “leader” of the heavens and earth. God is the only one that has all it takes to make a leader outlive his generation. It takes God to live a life that makes a difference.
Want to make a difference in the world? Allow the one that created the world show you how.
“So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.” Deut 32:12
Why Time?
Time is a temporary interruption in eternity. God gave time to man, so that he could measure success. Time is the greatest asset of a true leader. Time wasters end up life wasters. God values time. Leaders that last always value time.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecc 3:1
Why Patience?
Patience is the law governing perfection. Patience is the seal of excellence. God is a God of perfection. He is a perfect God. True leaders believe in excellence. Excellence would always require patience. Patience is doing nothing outside what has been commanded.
Patience is coming to terms with the will of God. Patience is been led totally by the word of God.
“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”
Genesis 17:1
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:4
Becoming a leader that last require great patience.
What makes a leader that last?
They are long – term thinkers who see beyond the day’s crisis and the television or news paper reports. Their interest in the nation does not stop with what is happening to them personally.
They want to know how all of the other people affect one another and they are constantly reaching beyond their area of influence. They put heavy emphasis on vision, values and motivation. They have strong people skills. They don’t accept the status quo.
What then is leadership?
A leader is one who guides and develops the activities of others and seeks to provide continual training and direction. Ted Engstrom.
Leadership is Influence. – J C Maxwell
Leadership is the discipline of deliberately exerting special influence within a group to move it toward goals of beneficial performance that fulfill the group’s real needs. – John Haggai
Leadership is meeting people’s needs. – David Oyedepo.
Leadership is knowing what to do next; knowing what’ s important; and knowing how to bring appropriate resources to beer on the need at hand. – Bobb Biehl
Leading is causing people to take effective actions. – Howard Hendricks.
Leadership is simply your ability to know the way, go the way and show others the way.
A more potent definition of leadership.
There are many definitions to leadership, but many of them lack the fundamental ingredient that would make it produce any day and anytime.
Here are some definitions for creative leadership – the best and most effective form of leadership – leadership that lasts.
- Leadership is seeing ahead and taking people ahead.
- Leadership is walking on the path of the invisible in other to actualize both in people and for people the impossible.
- Leadership is thinking the thoughts of the invisible in other to motivate people to doing the impossible.
- Leadership is walking in the purpose ordained by the invisible in other to provoke the release of the potentials of people at doing the impossible.
- Leadership is connecting with the resources of the invisible in other to meet the needs of the people at doing the impossible.
- Leadership is knowing the way of the invisible, going the way of the invisible and showing people the ways of the invisible in other to get them to do impossible.
A closer look at leadership reveals that it involves three major personalities; God (invisible), the people and you.
“And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a three fold cord is not quickly broken.” Eccl 4:12
Facts about Leadership.
- Leadership is an awesome responsibility.
- When you stand strong with God, you discover that the world is full of opportunities waiting to be seized.
- You are not created a back bencher, be the leader you were meant to be.
- Be yourself, but be your best self.
- Dream your dreams, get your pen and paper to develop a plan of action to achieve your goals.
- Have the courage to act on your ideas despite the possibility of pains, tears and failure.
- Since creation, billions of people have walked on the face of the earth, but there has never and will never be another one just like you. You are so unique.
- And because your are so unique, you can develop those special talents and abilities you have to fulfill your purpose and destiny.
- No matter what happens in this world there would always be room at the top .
- All Nigeria and Africa needs is for you to become the leader you were meant to be.
Practical steps to developing leadership skills.
Leadership requires that an intending leader develop at least some basic skills relevant to his or her area of influence.
- Visioneering
- Planning
- Organizing
- Controlling
- Development.
Visioneering
Dynamic leadership is always fired by vision. Vision is the key to understanding leadership. Leaders have empires in their brains. They see what others can’t see, so they willing to take people where they have never been before.
Your imagination is one of the most powerful things you possess. A leaders’ visionary capability is his start up capital. There is nothing that excites and motivates people like a vision to accomplish something special.
- Visioneering is the ability of the leader to see ahead.
- Visioneering is the leaders ability to understand what lies ahead.
- Vision is that initial moving force that sets forward towards accomplishing great feats.
- Visioneering as to do with improving your thinking process.
The ladder of knowledge.
Your ability to envision and tackle problems associated with leading people successfully depends on where you are standing on the ladder of knowledge. It is a ladder with its rungs at five levels:
Level 1: IGNORANCE.
At this level, you don’t know the knowledge exists. You are totally unaware of the fact that there is a problem. This unfortunate situation persist for leaders that are myopic – not readily open to fresh ideas.
Level 2: AWARENESS.
You know the knowledge exist, but do not know what it is. A leader cannot go beyond the information at his or her disposal. The brighter you see, the faster you go. Awareness is accepting that you are ignorant but really desire to lay hold on appropriate information.
Level 3: SIMPLE KNOWLEDGE (Common Sense)
You have the information but can’t use it. Being informed is not just knowing something, it is possessing a working knowledge of that thing. Simple knowledge is general knowledge about things. You know it but lack the know how.
Level 4. KNOW HOW
You know the knowledge and can apply it. This is the level of knowledge you need before you can use common sense. You need a good practical knowledge of a subject before you can bring common sense to bear. Bishop Oyedepo would always say that “you cannot fail with facts.”
Information holds no tangible value until you know how it is applied.
Level 5: FULL UNDERSTANDING
At this level, you can both apply the knowledge and develop it further. You understand the principles of a subject so well that you can think constructively about the present method. You can see why it is designed in the way it is, and can question that purpose intelligently to find a better principle of design.
At this level of knowledge you can discuss the question with professionals on equal terms to find an answer that is both sound and effective for your operation as a leader.
If a leader sees his “call” as impart values to children, create a long – term success in business, make his community a better place and connect people to their divine destiny, he needs this level of knowledge about the things he is directly responsible for.
At the know how level he knows what is has worked in the past. To reach a fuller understanding of what is possible in the future, he has to look afresh at familiar situations and question existing methods: “why do we do this?” Why deal with it this way?” “What is the real purpose?” “How could we do it differently?” “What would be the consequences?”
Such thinking demands a grasp of principles, an understanding of how theory relates to practice.
“And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.” Luke 2:46 – 47
“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age (Full Understanding), even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:12 – 14
How do I Improve my Understanding?
- Don’t Stop learning
The day you stop learning, you start dying. A man’s bank of knowledge can never be too full. The day you become too full to learn, you end up a fool. Everything you are or do today is a result of the information of yesterday. We live in a changing world, so you have to keep pace with current knowledge.
Henry ford said “Anyone who stops learning is old, either at twenty or eighty. Any one who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing is to keep your mind young.”
“Remember ye not the former things, nether consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18 19
if the information at your disposal is obsolete, the it cannot produce any current results. In any generation, tradition is always the greatest enemy of civilization, because it has no regards for current knowledge.
The biggest challenge facing the African continent and the rest of the developing world today is that of undeveloped human resources. There is an extinction of human capital.
Yes we have lots of educationally certified people, but how many are purposefully educated?
Continuous learning demands discipline. It is only available to explorers. It is a product of an intelligent search.
The truth is, nobody is responsible for where you are right now, not the government, not the society, not your family and not even the devil.
You major limiter is you, you and only you! ………and you shall make your ways prosperous and have good success. Joshua 1:8
The lack of appropriate knowledge is what has kept you in bondage. Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32
Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea and searched it out. Job 28:27
- Don’t Stop Reading
No matter your calling, profession, or career, without relevant information you don’t have a future. You don’t become a leader that last by wishing; you only become one by learning what it takes to do exploits.
You cannot lead anyone if you don’t see ahead. Dedicated readers and information hunters are the ones that become leaders that outlive their generation.
If as a leader, you are not rubbing your mind with others, it would soon become dull. Everyone aiming for outstanding future must be committed to rubbing his little mind with greater minds, thereby becoming sharper by the day.
To be a leader that last, you must be committed to an insatiable hunger for ever – increasing insight in your field.
A wise man said, “you will be the same that you are this year in five years time, except for two things – the books you read and the people with whom you walk.”
You need to keep studying because a time will come when the things you are saying will no longer be relevant to the needs of the people around you.
If you do not want to be ashamed, study to show yourself capable of leadership. 2 Tim 2:15
Nothing transforms like information; and it takes meekness (practical humility) to be committed to the art of reading.
“------------- I Daniel Understood by books------- Daniel 9:2”
- Don’t neglect God’s word
All a leader would ever need to lead in this world is hidden in the word of God. God’s word is the first and final authority for every leader that must outlive his/her generation. The Bible provides dignified, covenantly sealed guides for a leaders journey on the earth.
You can’t be led by the invisibilities” in the word and not unfold the “impossibilities” in the world. Professional materials enhance your skills and help in your pursuit of excellence. The scriptures grant you access to insights and revelations that help perfect your quest for a search. God’s word links a leader up to great provisions, preservations, protections and peace.
To avoid the word is to leave your life to chance. Leave your life to viable choices, and make your choices based on sound biblical information. Without God, your best life is like that of a dog!
Other leadership skills.
In addition to Visioneering, the following are also relevant in our quest to build leaders that last.
- Planning
- Thinking ahead
- Aim- setting
- Scheduling the task
- Judging time (Time management and Goal setting)
- Understanding the scope of what you want to get done.
- Organizing
- Arranging Resources
- Defining jobs – allocating work (Delegation)
- Structuring their relationships
- Designing systems of work
- Leadership
- Maintaining moral
- Understanding how to influence their motivation.
- Team building
- Communication – reading signals.
- Developments
- Making improvements
- Creating opportunities for learning
- Setting standards of performance
- Recognizing what can be learned.
- Appraising people’s capacities to improve.
- Controlling.
- Knowing what’s going on.
- Creating controls (ethics)
- Supervising
- Recognizing problems.
It is my sincere prayer that your leadership seeds would start germinating after this encounter in Jesus name.
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