Recently I walked into a bookstore to buy a book titled — The Power of Character in Leadership by Dr Myles Munroe. Inside this bookstore I met an old man and one of a sudden this man ask me this question — What do you need a Leadership book for? Are you a Leader? Without giving it second thought I said yes sir, I am a Leader. Then immediately this man asked me — then who are you leading? Again without giving it a second thought I replied that I am leading myself. Then this old man full of surprises said this is the greatest response he has ever received on Leadership.
Most people think they need followers to become a Leader. Some people even think that people needs to love them for them to become a Leader. Some people think that it is only when they have many friends they can be called a Leader. Some students think they need to be involved in school politics for them to be called or become a Leader. But the truth is that if you think you need people for you to become a Leader then you will never become one.
Leadership is not really about people; it’s about purpose. Leadership starts from a conviction that you have about life that is greater than life itself. Leadership is about discovering a purpose that you are committed to pursue. Leadership is about service. Leadership is you discovering your gift and using the rest of your life to serve it to the world. Leadership is powerful; it is more of being than doing.
Well, you might say so you mean people are not necessary in Leadership. But the truth is that I never said that. What I am trying to say in essence is that Leadership starts with you. People following you is just a bye product of your commitment towards the purpose and convictions you have in your heart. For example, Nelson Mandela had this conviction of putting apartheid to an end in South Africa. He started this cause alone but with time people started believing this cause and started following him. He didn’t look for people it was the people that look for him. I will like to compare Leadership with a mango seed that strives so hard to become a mango tree with mangoes. This seed never seek people but when people saw that it had mangoes they are attracted to it.
Leadership has more to do with you than other people. It is when people see you are worth following that they start to follow. Now I ask you the same question that old man ask me — Are you a Leader?
