LEADERSHIP LESSON

What a joy it is for me to welcome you all back to class in this edition of our newsletter. I believe you have been enjoying our teachings so far on the subject of leadership. Or have you not?

In this edition of the newsletter, I bring another very incisive teaching on the subject that I believe will help you see leadership from a whole new perspective, especially if you are someone who occupies a position that might be described as “leadership position” and you have responsibility for others, or you desire such position. It doesn’t matter whether it is political, religious of family.

I see a generation of folks who have little or no idea as to what leadership is and yet they all claim to be leaders or desire to be. The one that borders me the most is political leadership. For example, our dear country, Nigeria has been suffering for over fifty years because we have not had purposeful leadership to chat the cause for our national life. Rather we have had charlatans in suits, kaakis and agbadas who have paraded themselves only for selfish ends.

We have had people who think that to be or as a leader you must live in ivory tower and sit on thrones and then everyone else must come to worship you. People who think Nigeria and the different states are their personal property. They believe they have monopoly of knowledge and power.

But looking at the life of the greatest leader of all, Jesus Christ, we see a contrast – a totally different approach to leadership and influence.

“And He (Jesus) came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases.” – Luke 6:17

We can pick some lessons from this passage:

- Jesus did not discriminate against anyone. He came down to their level

- He was not sectarian in His approach, they were all equal, no rich separate and poor separate

- He was not tribalistic – people came from everywhere

- He met their needs

- And so on...

The Scriptures record of Him “We do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities.” – ... Do you feel what the people are feeling? Do you even know what they are passing through, not to talk of felling it?

“He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquity and the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.” How far are you willing to go for the people as a leader?

In bringing this class to a close, let me ask you my dear desirous leader; are you ready to dispatch your leadership duties like Jesus?

Till we meet again in our next class (next edition), I have been your leadership coach, Abiodun Mabadeje