Key verse:Psalm 78:72: “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them,” (NIV).

Leadership is the passion to make a difference. Leadership is taking responsibility while others are making excuses. Leadership is your heart igniting the heart of others. Everything rises and falls on leadership. The better the leader, the better the organisation he leads. The better the leader, the better the decisions he takes. Every organisation is a replication of the leader and every nation is a replication of the leadership. You can only lead better if you become better. You lead from your life and not from your position.

Leadership starts with a purpose. Vision is the true source of leadership. Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” People will always need a leader whether in error. The children of Israel grumbled and said to each other; “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt,” (Numbers 14:4). There are leaders that lead the people forward and there are leaders that lead the people backwards.

Leadership starts with a passion. Passionate leaders driven by passionate beliefs draw passionate followers. Passion drives a leader to lead. Passion comes out of a conviction to lead. Passionate leaders with passionate followers will build a passionate movement. Passion is contagious and passion has a language. Leadership is about impact. A transformational leader leads for impact. “Influence” and “Effect” are the two words for impact. “Impact” is a product of a strong influence. If your leadership is not influencing anyone at any level, then you are not making an impact. If you want to make an impact, work on your “influence.” “Impact” is a product of influence on people. We must intentionally develop our influence capacity. Leadership they say is all about “influence.”
A leader must be competent. It is competence that gives a leader influence. A good leader delivers results. If you want to become a leader in your workplace, or if you want to improve your current leadership skills, consider evaluating your leadership competencies. If you cannot deliver as a leader, you cannot command followership.

Leaders emerge from the people, so, if you want to change leadership, change the people to be better. Effective leaders change the way the followers think and make sure the followers think the way they think. You are not leading well if the people cannot see what you are seeing.

A leader inspires team members to grow and create positive changes in the organisation.

A leader must be consistent with his visions because it helps the followers to have a clear sense of direction and be able to pull their strengths to achieve the vision, rather than guessing which way the leader is going. Character is the root of leadership. If the root of the tree is not strong, that tree will not survive.

Leaders are often judged by their character. Character is the leader’s integrity. Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Leaders with integrity prioritise the consistency of their character in both their personal and professional relationships. A leader upholds the values and beliefs of the company or organisation, even when it is a challenge. A leader prioritises honesty in all his personal and professional dealings.A leader should have self-discipline. Self-discipline helps a leader not to act out of their own interest, but out of a concern for others. Leaders carefully consider the possible consequences of their actions instead of making rash decisions. Self-discipline involves controlling any natural tendencies to act out of anger, greed or selfishness.

• Today’s nugget: The better the leader, the better the organization. Phone Contact: 07032361509. E-mail: [email protected]. Joel Ejiofor, business coach and strategist.