The Mystique of Leadership

Leadership is a moral compass that measures the depth of your vision for humanity. It is a measurement of how far you are willing to go for your purpose in life, for what is right, just, fair and honourable. It is a series of initiatives on your part that indicate your unquenchable passion for life and love, the amount of sacrifice you are willing to make for others to maximize their potential. In the words of Winston Churchill, “What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?” Leadership is to sacrificially and strategically champion a worthy cause that will benefit humanity for generations to come.

Leadership is not a policy that can be revoked, a principle that can be disregarded or a plan that may fail. It is simply what is ignited within a person when he eventually discovers his purpose in life and makes an unwavering commitment to fulfill it, while enabling others to discover and fulfill their purpose as well. Those in positions of authority who are neither doing this effectively nor willing to learn how to, should be relieved of their duties, as a measure to mitigate negative impact to their organizations.

Leadership is born out of a burning desire to do what is just. Even though it may go against popular opinion, leadership must be righteous and in perfect harmony with natural laws. Opinions may differ because of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation and socio-economic status, but natural laws are universal. If your vision is destructive rather than constructive, it is not leadership. Anyone who is committed to serve and protect, to foster harmony and tranquillity, while also making every effort to be creative, is a leader.

For leadership to be pure and effective, it must be void of selfish and malicious intent. If your actions are not consistently focused on a sacred purpose, the fulfillment of a noble vision and not inspiring others to discover and fulfill their purpose in life, you have yet to ignite your leadership spirit. Your role as a leader is to excite people about a vision and then inspire and influence them to discover their purpose in it. But first and foremost, you must embody the virtues that would make the vision attractive to others.

You owe it to those attracted by your vision to inform them enough to become wiser, inspire them enough to dream bigger, challenge them enough to learn more, encourage them enough to do more, influence them enough to ignite their own leadership spirit. Only then are you qualified enough to be called a leader. Your main objectives as a leader is to enable the transformation of others into leadership, for only then are you able to advance your vision.

To become the leader that you desire others to be requires you to foster the principles that you desire others to foster. Being an example is the most effective way to ignite the leadership spirit in others. As John C. Maxwell puts it, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

People flourish when their organizations give them the opportunity to demonstrate their natural talents and develop related skills. In cultures such as these, loyalty, honesty, trust, teamwork and other attributes that enable success are rampant. This is because nothing brings out the best in people more than the sense of purpose more than a passion to outlive life. Everyone has the capacity to inspire others to greater heights, but the few that choose to do so consistently are those who have ignited their individual leadership spirit and earned the right to be called leaders.

Until you make the ultimate decision to embark on the pursuit of purpose, your leadership spirit will be dormant. Your leadership spirit will have no aim, plan, and desire. It will remain inactive in the face of opportunity and withdraw in the face of challenge. You may hold a position of authority and even be popular, prosperous and powerful, but unable to demonstrate leadership capabilities. You will be distracted by everything and procrastinate about the things that matter. Even when you work harder than everyone else, you will achieve nothing significant until your leadership spirit is ignited by purpose.

Everyone can lead in some way, shape or form. In fact, everyone was born to lead a purpose, a dream and a vision. You were born to unleash your talents to advance a vision that will benefit future generations. If you are humble enough to subject yourself to learning, your confidence and capability will increase tremendously. This is the prerequisite for exceptional leadership–a humble desire to learn, grow and serve. The question should not be whether leaders are born or made, but rather how can each person’s innate leadership spirit be ignited.