THE EVERYDAY LEADER II
Written by Eniola Ositelu âHere you have to run as fast as you can to stay where you are. If you want to get someplace else, you have to run much faster.â -Red Queen, Alice in Wonderland. LEARN TO EMBRACE CHANGE Anyone happy with where they were last year is probably not dreaming big enough. The âcomfort zoneâ is more dangerous than we think. One must keep an open mind and observe trends and patterns. Refrain from condemning or shutting down an idea simply because you cannot decipher it, or it does not make any sense to you. That is how organizations and brands in their prime got the rug pulled off from under their feet while they were still posing for pictures on the red carpet. I am personally aware of friends who visited bank MDs in the early â90s, proposing ATMs. The general reception was mockery met with resistance. Today, I cannot count how many ATMs each bank has. The top bankers back then did not see this coming; they could not visualize it. The same thing is happening today with Cryptocurrency. As a consultant, I usually tell clients during workshops that a company in decline may have good current sales but very poor prospects. Embracing change and making it a culture is being future-ready. KNOW HOW YOU INSPIRE Leadership is about influencing people, and you must start seeing yourself that way. It influences the way you think and act. For example, when Iâm being driven, I make it very clear that breaking traffic rules is a no-no for me. Being in a privileged position to serve as a leader both in church and at work, you do not want to run the risk of sending the wrong signals. People may be watching you. Mark 9:42 (AMPC) says âAnd whoever causes one of these little ones (these believers) who acknowledge and cleave to Me to stumble and sin, it would be better (more profitable and wholesome) for him if a [huge] millstone were hung about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.â You probably are already inspiring people but you may not know it yet. If you are not sure, my advice would be to find out how you inspire people, then double up on that behaviour. Find out what youâre good at and what youâre not so good at, then look for people with complementary abilities. Ask people around you too-your spouse, siblings, a colleague at work, church members. You may learn a thing or two from their responses. Your findings will help you mould your authentic self. LET THE ENERGY FLOW You want to be careful not to share your worries or anxieties with just about anyone. What do I mean by this? Iâm not suggesting you pretend like all is well. The stakes are high and you do not want people around you assuming they are on the wrong ship led by the wrong captain. It is okay to share a few issues that do not undermine your capacity to lead, but ensure that at the end of the day, their belief in your leadership is rock solid. Even in the bleakest of times, always focus on the positive. Keep your constituents engaged and pay attention to the energy levels. If you are a leader at work, for example, get the team focused on the task at hand, not your leadership credentials. That is a distraction you can ill-afford. If they can sense doubt and fear, they may listen to you but not for long. Display uncrushable hope and honesty. IDENTIFY & COMBAT YOUR FEARS, STRESS Being a leader does not exempt you from feeling what your followers feel. Suddenly, youâre expected to reach out to more people than usual, depending on your level. It is your responsibility to manage the process. Find out what it is that helps you release your inner tensions, fears, and anxiety. It could be anything from exercise, confiding in a spouse or close relative, delegating more or speaking with a mentor, building intimacy with God by staying in the place of prayer. Effective leaders find whatever it is that will help them release their fears and nurture it frequently to stay grounded. The tips shared are by no means exhaustive. For instance, staying in the place of prayers and intimacy with God through the word will help with discernment. Still, the points shared here will help a great deal in your daily walk to becoming a great leader.
Purpose-Driven Light
âIn the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.â â Matthew 5:16 (NIV) The purpose of light is to shine and illuminate dark places. And as the light of God, you are to proffer solutions to the worldâs challenges and make a difference in your field or anywhere you find yourself. Your purpose is to enhance the lives of the people around you and influence them positively. You are to give directions and vision to those groping in the dark. Donât wait for your light to be big before it shines. Let it live out its purpose now, so that the world will be a better place. Confession: My light has a purpose⊠to shine very bright!
A Life of Contentment
The world was bright, beautiful and less burdensome when we didnât have to prove anything to anyone, when we didnât have to impress some followers and friends whom we may never meet till we leave this world, and when we didnât have to participate in a race of reality with fake fighter jets. The social media space has become an arsenal filled with weapons of mass distraction and a stage for fashion of oppression. What was meant to be a platform for self-expression has become a source of suppression, a dungeon of depression and an open field of oppression. Every selfie, story and snap seem to be an invitation for imitation and indignation. Some years ago, I was a teacher in a girls-only senior secondary school and I made it a point of duty to spend the first five minutes of my lessons sharing inspirational messages with my students. On a wonderful Wednesday morning, I entered into a class to teach the topic âBudgetâ and typical of me, I said âMost of us use the money we donât have to buy the things we donât need in order to oppress those who do not even know we exist and also impress people who do not really like us while some of use the money we donât have to organise flagrant feasts just to feed people who are not hungryâ. One of my students whose family was planning a wedding ceremony went home to share the latter part of that statement with her mother and that made her to decide not to run into any debt in a bid to cater for the guests. Interestingly enough, I attended the wedding ceremony and it was more than cool. However, if she had decided to borrow more money to prepare more pots of soup, âhungryâ guests will not mind having as many take-away packs as possible while she would have had to deal with debt after the ceremony. One of my very good friends, Shirley Amos wrote, âYou donât owe anyone a success storyâ. I think we are better off being the best version of our true selves than to be the latest version of someone else. We donât have to oppress ourselves just to impress people who will never get satisfied no matter how much we stretch ourselves to satisfy them. Sometimes, you donât have to follow your mind, you need to lead your mind based on the principles of contentment and godly investment. Welcome to the age of social media where you donât need any leadership quality to have five million âfollowersâ, and you donât have to be friendly to have five thousand friends. What was meant to be a revolutionary innovation has become a delusionary innovation. Photoshop has ridiculed what is left of reality, it is now possible for someone who has never been to Dubai to post pictures of him/herself having fun at Burj Khalifa and shopping at the breath-taking malls in Dubai. There are a lots of untold stories behind those sights, sounds, glitz and glamour. Fake lifestyle and falsehood have become fast food, na we dey rush dem. However, we can turn the table, turn a new leaf and change the narrative for good, for God and for humanity. Here are some useful tips on how to stay sane and contented in an insane and perilous social media age⊠The fact that you donât blow your trumpet does not mean you donât have one. Yes, you deserve some accolades but does it have to be gotten by all means possible? God didnât create you to compete with other peopleâs progress; you were created to contribute your quota to make the world a better place. Focus on becoming a better person and you wonât have to IMMITATE anyone. Be the best version of yourself and not the latest version of someone else. You donât have to tear your purse or terrorize your pocket just do what is trending; slay with sense and be a baller with brain. Take a break if you donât want to break down. You donât have to show or share everything. Not everyone needs to know what is going on in your life at all times. The moment you feel pressured to participate in ungodly act just to stay trendy, itâs time to take a bow. Donât commit social suicide. Be attracted to purpose and you wonât be distracted by poor rose. If you are on social media for a genuine reason, you wonât be a victim of the purposeless prisons on social media. It is important to have principles guiding your use of social media; stay true to your principles; avoid undue pressure or immoral suasion from people who do not share your creed. Written by Adeleke Adeite