A Good Leader

A GOOD LEADER
Good leaders are made and not born. For someone to become a good leader the person has to pass through many processes. Good leaders are not made over night. Just like a good wine, it has to go through some stuff. It has to be pressed, put in a place to ferment then pressed again, sifted then has to be blended with some other stuff being to become a good wine.

Remember that in my introduction I wrote “leadership is not a place but a journey without destination.” So good leaders are made through continuous process of learning, studying, education, training, self-development and experience. Good leaders are always looking for ways to improve themselves. They are on a never ending journey of self development. They always seek a better way to lead because once you think you have arrived in leadership, you will start to sink into the deep waters of bad leadership.

Therefore anyone that has will power to learn from everything God has made can become a good and effective leader. We are not born with good leadership ability. There are people who are naturally good and wonderful but once they take up a leadership position you see them falter. Some become very aggressive and defensive. While others become unapproachable. These things happen because the person probably was not ready educationally (education here has nothing to do with four walls of classroom) to lead. They were not well educated on the journey of leadership. Even parents fail too because before they went into family life they didn’t know that it is not just about the wedding day activity.
Let me say this at this point. We will do ourselves and families then our nation some good if we start early to expose our children and younger ones to leadership roles; guiding them on how to be better leaders as they grow in life. Because if most of us have known on time that we are leaders, there are mistakes we have made which we would never have made.

Good leadership is a product of first all “who you are” before “what you do.” But most people are more interested in what they do than who they are. If one is able to develop himself to become it will so easy to do. It is important we pay attention to what we do but it is much more expedient for us to pay attention to whom we become.

Most times what people see us manifest is coming out of what have right inside of us. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 12:35-36 “ good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS:
Someone wrote, “to inspire your followers into higher levels of performance, there are certain things you must KNOW, BE, and, DO. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continuous work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.”

What do they study? They study life style of other leaders both living and dead. They study trees, ants, animals and every other creature you can think off. The Bible says in Proverbs 6:6-8, “go to the ants though they have no visible leader, still have the ability to provide for it selves what to eat in the rainy season during the dry season.” (Paraphrased)

There is this popular saying that says “readers are leaders.” People that have time to read have more current information on issues of any discuss more than those who do not read. But it is unfortunate that these days we have more people that “watch, play, Chat, gossip” than those that actually read.
In reading it is not just about reading book but also about “reading” people. To me I learn from everybody and anything. I discovered early in life that I can learn from everybody and anything. If I go to poorly organized event, what I will learn is “how not to organize event.” If I found myself in a very well organized event I will learn how to organize event very well. No matter what you think of me I will still try to learn from you.
I am from a relatively large family. I look at my father and uncles and how they handle their families. I look at how each of them brings up their children. I told myself when I was younger that I have enough school of marriage in Onuigwe’s family. I don’t need any other school or adviser to tell me how to live with my own family when I get married and start having children. I took my time to understudy each branch of Onuigwe’s family.
I also look at their relationship with their wives and that is what formed my inside as a person. I am not a naturally patience person. I know there was a time in Onuigwe’s family when many people (especially the older ones) were so worried about me. They were worried and wondering how I would live with a woman and live peacefully. The worry was written all over their faces and how they react toward me anytime I have one of those my anger bursts.

Let me briefly confess this here; what I found very unpleasant as a teenager in the life of my Father and uncles’ relationship with their wives is their closeness to their wives. Because these men are (yes they still are) so much attached to their wives, sometimes I feel they care more about their wives than they care about we their children. I was wrong anyway; well it was age that taught me they love their children as much as they love their wives.

What we know is what makes us. Not what we do. Therefore as leader try to know as much as possible so that you can become. What I learnt and still learning from those I call leaders in my family became what I now know and that is what formed and still forming my inside.

As a leader both in spiritual and physical thing I am so open to learning. I am open to understudy anybody you wouldn’t even know that you are a “case” study for me. Because I want to get better on this never ending journey of leadership, I even study people who I don’t like or appreciate their beliefs or way of life.
Remember this “to inspire your followers into higher levels of performance, there are certain things you must KNOW, and then BECOME, before you DO.” It is what we know that determines who we become and who we have become motivates what we do. This is the simplest way to interpret this.

If we spend time in whom we become the out come of that will be noticed even before we take up any leadership position. Because it is not the bottle that makes a good wine. The justification to which ever price that is attached to a product is not in the packaging but in the quality. The quality of every product is in the inside. Shiv Khera wrote in his book YOU CAN WIN, “it is not the size of the dog in a fight but the size of the fight in a dog.” (Revised Edition). What is important is not the picture you portray outside but what lies within the veil. Get all the training and keep getting them to become the very best of a leader as you can.

It is not about what we see outside but about what is inside. I love watching documentaries and reading interviews of those we consider great men in any field at all. I like to read biographies so much because I believe that is where at least I can get a little glimpse of who someone was when he was here on earth. As a leader what people see outside or what you do should be a product of what you have become.

Leaders inspire, guide and mentor others to achieve great things. If a man does not have a certain quality there is no way he can pass it on to another person. Nobody can give out a car or a house that does not belong to him to another person. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 12:34-35 “…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” It is what we have inside that we give out when we occupy any leadership position.
As a leader keep learning..
Lots of Love…

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