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We speak of this world’s leadership
greats like; Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Mohamed Anwar el Sadat,
Abraham Lincoln, Billy Graham and many others as super heroes – out of this
world. We write with profound comfort of their illustrious careers and influence
as though they are of some kind of super humans, as if they were immune to
earthly pressures ostensibly pegging the rest of us down. While for them, men
and women of all creed and color are bound to their influence of kindness,
forgiveness, vision, intellect, oratory skills, passion and compassion, little
do we think and talk about their character as the key ingredient to their every
growing influence. Indeed, the one thing they all have in common is really
their character.
Mahatma Gandhi for instance spent
years being tested and built as a young lawyer through his personal choices of
non-violence. Nelson Mandela was in jail for years working on forgiveness at a
very personal level. Mother Teresa choose a path less travelled, she should
have never been brought to this level of prominence, except that she chose to
be poor for others. She was very well aware that it is not about her and her comfort.
Anwar Sadat seemingly chose to be called a traitor, by swallowing the pride of
a nation and a region changing the trajectory of Egypt and relations with other
nations for the sake of peace and progress. For these he had to pay with his
life. I could go on and on.
But, all these people had one
thing in common that is character. Character that outstood public opinion and pressure
of the time. Out stood personal comfort at the risk of being alienated. But
still you find that with no position, they had a cult like following because of
their character uncompromising so to say. They made their contribution because
of their character. SO now because of their character they are remembered.
Their names are written in books because of character. Therefore, “character matters. It is
your inner substance” (Lee, 2003 p 27) In fact is a critical part of what
matters.
Each of us have a contribution to
make in some form, shape or way, there is no question about that. “If only we
can shoulder the personal and spiritual work needed to discover and share our
own gifts” (Boldman and Deal, 2011 p 9), growth and influence is inevitable. Note
he mentions work, because I believe that without this we will just become day
dreamer. With work our “circles of influence” (Covey,2004 pp 87-99) will grow,
we will not just lament the direction the world is taking. We become co-creators
in the shape the world is taking
The ‘work’ primarily is to
develop character. To embrace this work is begin your journey, through
discipline and with the awareness that “no discipline seems pleasant at the
time, but painful…” (Heb. 12:11, NIV), and sometimes we may prematurely
celebrate like Howard Schultz the founder of Starbucks. He withdrawal as CEO, only
to return in 2008 to a confession that the company had failed, because it had
forgotten its “values, culture and guiding principles” (Boldman and Deal, 2011
pp 135-143). We are indeed our values and principles and not image. Our values
take as places that only these values keep us there. To forget them is to
forget ourselves or our purpose.
So, as I look at my learning for
this week and reflect on the personal journeys of sacrifices, pains and
selflessness made by our leadership greats, making them darling at the hearts
of men and women, I trust that "first and foremost, I have to develop discipline”
(Lee, 2003), the kind of discipline that keeps me through the thin and narrow,
body, mind, spirit and soul. I find this is central to leadership. Secondly, I
need to surround myself with like-minded brothers for primarily three things;
accountability, ministry and encouragement. And finally to develop a thick skin
to sin, lead a life of no compromise to the pleasurable sins of this world and
my number one support is my wife Sarah, not just for my sake but for the legacy
I leave behind for our children.
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