MANY years have passed since the demise of Dr. Alex Uruemu Ibru on November 20, 2011. One of the greatest legacies he left in the Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, is impeccable leadership. As we celebrate his legacies and remember his contributions, it leaves us with the word of John Maxwell: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
Leadership is an art (skill) and an act (action). It is defined by dictionary.com to mean: “the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group,” which is synonymous to administration, management, directorship, control, governorship, stewardship, hegemony” (power, authority, among others). This x-rays leadership to be far from kingship, dictatorship and alienated from selfish ambition.
Leadership is more of service than being served. Leadership is influence, not titles. Someone said, “A person who thinks he is leading, but no one is following, is only taking a walk.” Every good leadership is learned through followership. No bad follower can make a good leader.
Simple Qualities Of Outstanding Leaders
• Have integrity.
• Love to work.
• Make A Higher Level Of Commitment.
• Serve others (see Mt 20:26). This is the leadership attitude that breeds result.
What is Position?
Position simply means chair. Dictionary.com defines it to mean: “a place where someone or something is located or has been put. Leadership in essence means the ability, skill and what you do or is doing with the chair you are given in a place.
Painfully people can die just to get the ‘chair,’ but lack the technical knowhow on the sitting mechanics of the place and position of the same chair.
We are in leadership because of the chair given to us by God and men. How we sit and handle same counts before God and man.
What Happens When You Sit On A Chair Wrongly?
• The chair might break.
• The chair might lose its beauty.
• The chair might lose its relevance.
• It might become a chair anybody can sit anyhow and anytime.
• It may even be carried away carelessly, among others.
Keys To Being A Better Leader
• It is an opportunity to serve.
• It is time-bound.
• You may never have a second chance.
• Posterity will judge and score your input, therefore, be mindful of your score card.
• Your offspring may be affected positively or otherwise by your leadership style.
• You are accountable to the supreme leader who is God Almighty.
• Those you imparted today may be those that will uphold you tomorrow.
• Life consists not in the abundance of our acquisition.
• The people you met on your way up, you may meet them on your way down, therefore, sow a good seed.
• Never take advantage of the vulnerable.
Why Leaders Fail
• Not thinking of the future.
• The feeling that it may last forever.
• The feeling of ‘this is my time and turn.’
• The feeling of ‘enjoy it while it lasts.’
• The quest for gain.
• Taking advantage of the position to get back to your opponents and oppress the vulnerable.
• The egocentric mindset of ‘I’m in charge.’
• Self-trust rather than God.
• Failure to lead by God’s standard.
• Making yourself a demi-god.
• Notrealising that ‘Life is short, nothing is permanent.’
The Man God Will Use
• God uses the man who yields to his will.
• God uses the man who never gives up.
• God uses the man who is ready to bend.
•God uses the man who is kingdom oriented- growth driven.
• God uses the man who is not reward-driven, but kingdom-driven.
• God uses the man who is ready to risk all for God including failure.
• God uses the man who is ready to obey and is careful to instructions.
God’s will is that the church will grow. No kind of growth is accidental; certain factors are responsible for any kind of growth to occur.
If the church is not growing, it is either the wrong method is applied or the right method is applied wrongly. It is not enough to have a good message it is also important to have a good messenger who will deliver the message accurately, using the right method.
The world is constantly changing; leadership in all ramifications must adapt positively in the area of growth and relevance without drifting from what is scripturally, ethically, and morally right.
God’s vessel for growth are not just men with collar or title, every child of God, irrespective of colour, height, educational qualification or affiliation is meant to be an instrument of human growth. If the society must grow, both the low and mighty must be involved. The children, the youth, the women and men all have a part to play in growing the society. Titles are modern, awards are baits; God’s will remain to have vessels that will enhance growth and they must be selfless, honest, sold-out with a dying hunger for development and community goodness.
• Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector,
Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)
Are you part of the growth in your immediate society? God gives men opportunity in life not for selfish reasons, but for the overall good of humanity and in particular to His praise and glory.
You are here today; is not a guarantee you will be here tomorrow. Look around, you will see how many celebrated mighty men that have gone to the great beyond, and they are soon forgotten. Woe is the man who has no one to keep him company when old or lonely because he sowed not into any life. George Eliot did say: “Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.”
Men like Dr. Alex UruemuIbru lived and left legacies that history will keep remembering them for.
No man is truly blessed whose blessing revolves round his immediate constituency. Men whose blessing is limited to their immediate family and self, end up as persons, but those whose legacies remain loud even after years of passing on become principality – their names are capable of opening doors and opportunities. You have a part to play in God’s kingdom and toward the growth of the society within your reach.
• Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector,Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)
