LEADERSHIP IS GIVING (Part 1)

LEADERSHIP IS GIVING(Part 1)

By Adesina A. Abegunde

Leadership is giving. Nothing more, nothing less.

The study of servant leadership with Jesus as our model has shown that it is a radical paradigm shift from what leadership is believed to be in the world system. Many aspires leadership roles just for the benefits that appertain, for status, for the fulfillment of having reached the peak of their career and not really for what they have to offer.

J. Oswald Sanders said “Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less.” In the same vein from my experience, I want to assert that leadership is giving, nothing more, and nothing less. I say this not as a leader who has given so much but as a follower who has enjoyed so much giving from his leaders. The position of leadership is given by God and the people being led are of God, everything in leadership is gift. Every leadership position is ordained by God and the right to lead is given by the people. So leadership is a privilege given to a leader in order to give back to the people being led.

                      Leadership is all about giving up and giving out 

Effective leadership is not accruing power, it is empowering others, giving them chance to succeed and wings to fly as my mentor, TaiwoOpajobi, will say. It is not amassing of wealth, it is making others wealthy; like Apostle Paul said “…as poor, yet making many rich” (2Cor. 6:10). Leadership is not meant to meet the need of the leader but to meet the need of the followers. Whoever needs some sense of power, ego or self-esteem is not needed in leadership, lest he saps the followers of their values and benefits for his selfish desires. The power, title, entitlements, money and connections that the office gives the leader is secondary and in fact are all meant to be used to give back to people things that will develop their leadership capacity. A leader that will make other leader must be a giver.

Come to the reality that no matter your leadership level, you can’t give everyone everything they need

Leadership is all about giving up and giving out. An effective leader must GIVE UP many things like pleasure, rights, opportunities and some other things that are not really bad but that may deter him from adequately giving out to his followers. Just like a father sacrifices to give his children quality education. He must also GIVE OUT things that will empower his followers to fulfill their God-given leadership roles too. Leaders give and take, but great leaders give their all, even when there is nothing to take.

Bishop Aremu of the Living Faith Church once said and I quote, “People are not calling us daddy because we are just pastors, it is because we have something to give them. We are always thinking of what to give them not what they will give us.” The Bible says “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

The man from whom people receives things they receive as a leader. Little wonder the worldly leaders, politicians and others engage this principle so well in order to steal peoples’ hearts for blind followership.

Think about this and be ready to be the leader people desire as you provide leadership for yourself, family, business, church, nation and everywhere you are given the privilege.

I will continue the discussion in LEADERSHIP IS GIVING Part 2

Stay blessed and fulfilled!!!