LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Tuesday, 16th May, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 2

#1 SELF MOTIVATION

"Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

Andrew Carnegie said "People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."

Ants are amazing creatures.  It’s estimated that if you were to weigh all of the ants on earth, they would weigh more than the total human population. Whilst we don’t want them running around in our kitchens, there is a lot that we can learn from them. The ants appear to be a small and insignificant part of nature but the reality is that although they are small they are in no way insignificant as they possess some very fine leadership qualities. Every leader or aspiring leader in any field of endeavour has something to learn from these creatures. The Bible mentions them in the book of Proverbs which happens to be the book of wisdom. This is not surprising, as they are, without any doubt, creatures of wisdom. To teach us the danger of laziness or foolishness in our lives, God points us to an unlikely teaching source. “Go to the ant”, He tells us, to learn valuable lessons. What can we learn from the ants? Ants teach us how to be self-motivated. “Which, having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest” (Prov 6:7-8).

If you want to excel in life, self motivation is essential. Self motivation is the first leadership lesson I highlighted in the beginning of this ant series. We're currently studying the ants. Ants are self motivated. Leaders are naturally self motivated. You must know how to motivate yourself. You must be able to keep your spirit high no matter how discouraging a situation is. That’s the only way to get the power you need to overcome difficulties. Those who are discouraged in difficult times are certain to lose even before the battle is over. Self-motivation is a power that drives us to keep moving ahead.

WHAT IS SELF MOTIVATION?

Motivation is what pushes us to achieve our goals, feel more fulfilled and improve overall quality of life. Self-motivation is, in its simplest form, the force that drives you to do things. It is the ability to do what needs to be done, without influence from other people or situations.
People with self motivation can find a reason and strength to complete a task, even when challenging, without giving up or needing another to encourage them.

Self-motivation is a key life skill and something that everybody interested in personal development should think carefully about. It is also a key part of emotional intelligence, one of the three areas of personal skills that are integral to the concept.

Are you motivated to achieve what you really want in life?
So, what's the difference between those who never reach their goals, year after year, and those who achieve one goal after another? Often, it's their self-motivation. Wanting to do something and motivating yourself to actually do it are two different things.

Self-motivation is the force that keeps pushing us to go on – it's our internal drive to achieve, produce, develop, and keep moving forward. When you think you're ready to quit something, or you just don't know how to start, your self-motivation is what pushes you to go on.
With self-motivation, you'll learn and grow – regardless of the specific situation. That's why it's such a fundamental tool for reaching your goals, achieving your dreams, and succeeding, in this journey we call life.

The best motivation is self-motivation. In fact, not many people succeed in life without self-generated drive. If you rely on others to energize you, or hesitate until the right mood hits, or delay until circumstances are ideal, then you’ll spend most of your life waiting. Leaders motivate themselves internally rather than depending on external incentives. There’s a world of difference between unmotivated and self-motived people.
Unmotivated people give required effort. Motivated people give inspired effort.

If self-motivation is such a valuable leadership trait, then the question is: where does self-motivation come from?

We will continue this discussion in the next episode as we study more leadership lessons and attributes of wisdom that we can learn from the ant.

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Tuesday, 16th May, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 2

#1 SELF MOTIVATION

"Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

Andrew Carnegie said "People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."

Ants are amazing creatures.  It’s estimated that if you were to weigh all of the ants on earth, they would weigh more than the total human population. Whilst we don’t want them running around in our kitchens, there is a lot that we can learn from them. The ants appear to be a small and insignificant part of nature but the reality is that although they are small they are in no way insignificant as they possess some very fine leadership qualities. Every leader or aspiring leader in any field of endeavour has something to learn from these creatures. The Bible mentions them in the book of Proverbs which happens to be the book of wisdom. This is not surprising, as they are, without any doubt, creatures of wisdom. To teach us the danger of laziness or foolishness in our lives, God points us to an unlikely teaching source. “Go to the ant”, He tells us, to learn valuable lessons. What can we learn from the ants? Ants teach us how to be self-motivated. “Which, having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest” (Prov 6:7-8).

If you want to excel in life, self motivation is essential. Self motivation is the first leadership lesson I highlighted in the beginning of this ant series. We're currently studying the ants. Ants are self motivated. Leaders are naturally self motivated. You must know how to motivate yourself. You must be able to keep your spirit high no matter how discouraging a situation is. That’s the only way to get the power you need to overcome difficulties. Those who are discouraged in difficult times are certain to lose even before the battle is over. Self-motivation is a power that drives us to keep moving ahead.

WHAT IS SELF MOTIVATION?

Motivation is what pushes us to achieve our goals, feel more fulfilled and improve overall quality of life. Self-motivation is, in its simplest form, the force that drives you to do things. It is the ability to do what needs to be done, without influence from other people or situations.
People with self motivation can find a reason and strength to complete a task, even when challenging, without giving up or needing another to encourage them.

Self-motivation is a key life skill and something that everybody interested in personal development should think carefully about. It is also a key part of emotional intelligence, one of the three areas of personal skills that are integral to the concept.

Are you motivated to achieve what you really want in life?
So, what's the difference between those who never reach their goals, year after year, and those who achieve one goal after another? Often, it's their self-motivation. Wanting to do something and motivating yourself to actually do it are two different things.

Self-motivation is the force that keeps pushing us to go on – it's our internal drive to achieve, produce, develop, and keep moving forward. When you think you're ready to quit something, or you just don't know how to start, your self-motivation is what pushes you to go on.
With self-motivation, you'll learn and grow – regardless of the specific situation. That's why it's such a fundamental tool for reaching your goals, achieving your dreams, and succeeding, in this journey we call life.

The best motivation is self-motivation. In fact, not many people succeed in life without self-generated drive. If you rely on others to energize you, or hesitate until the right mood hits, or delay until circumstances are ideal, then you’ll spend most of your life waiting. Leaders motivate themselves internally rather than depending on external incentives. There’s a world of difference between unmotivated and self-motived people.
Unmotivated people give required effort. Motivated people give inspired effort.

If self-motivation is such a valuable leadership trait, then the question is: where does self-motivation come from?

We will continue this discussion in the next episode as we study more leadership lessons and attributes of wisdom that we can learn from the ant.

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
equipping leaders with skills, weapons and tools to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission.

Thursday, 11th May, 2017

TITLE : The Leadership Lessons & Wisdom Principles From The Ants 1

#1 SELF MOTIVATION

"Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

Ants appear only twice in the Bible, both times in the Book of Proverbs being lauded for their wisdom (Proverbs 6:6-8, 30:24-25).
To teach us the danger of foolishness in our lives, God points us to an unlikely teaching source. “Go to the ant”, He tells us, to learn valuable lessons.  It's amazing that one of the smallest of God's creatures can become one of His greatest teachers.This tells us that the scope of your wisdom is not a function of your size. If an ant could be deemed as wise because of certain practices, then no one has an excuse for not being wise. What can we learn from the ants? Are you ready to learn from the ants?

The first leadership lesson we are told about the ant in our anchor scripture is that they have no guide. This speaks of self leadership or self motivation. The Ants teach us how to be self-motivated. “Which, having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer.."
Unlike sheep that need someone to lead them, direct them, encourage them. The ant does not have anyone to tell it what to do. In other words, the ant uses its initative without supervision. The ability to preempt situations and act accordingly is a key attribute of wisdom and leadership.

World renowned Business consultant, Brian Tracy said "only 2% of the world population can work effectively without supervision. We call these people leaders. This is what you are meant to be". You're not a leader if you cannot work or do what you're supposed to do without supervision. As a matter fact this quality of working without supervision is a litmus test of maturity. No one carries a whip behind the ant to ensure the work gets done. There are no time cards in the anthill. No ant mothers nag their babies to get out of bed. These creatures are self-motivated, and need no captain to ensure they get their work done. Why? Their work is for their own good! As Christians, maturity means we no longer need someone standing behind us, Bible in hand, to ensure our work gets done.

Leaders are initiators. John C. Maxwell has said, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way."  This is true of the ants; they have no leader because they require no leader. They know the way, they go the way and definitely they show the way to all who care to learn from them. These creatures are leaders, they are self-starters, and they are initiators. No one needs to point them in the right direction or monitor them to ensure they go there. They are able to do this all by themselves. This is without doubt the characteristic of a leader.

Leaders are motivated irrespective of feelings or circumstances. Leaders do not require motivation to do what they know is important and required. They are self-motivated. These creatures do not need a leader to motivate them to get the job done; they motivate themselves.

The ants are initiators, self motivated and can work effectively without a leader or supervision. Do you possess this quality as a person.

We will continue this discussion tommorow as we study more leadership lessons and attributes of wisdom that we can learn from the ant.

Thanks for reading this article.

Leadership Capsule.

..Equipping leaders with tools, skills and weapons to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately the Great Commission..

Monday, April 03, 2017

TITLE : Leadership Is Empowerment

Preparing the next Generation to Lead

The call to leadership is a call to empowering people. Christian leaders are given the great responsibility to not only lead well, but to invest in the next generation so that they can carry on the gospel task. This is essential for leaders and future leaders to remember. In fact, one of the goals of leadership is to make yourself replaceable. Ideally, a leader should put people and systems in place so that if they have to leave their leadership role for some reason, things will keep running smoothly.  The best measure of a leader is the leaders that he or she leaves behind.
Max DePree put it well when he said that: “Succession is one of the key responsibilities of leadership.” Moses, David, Jesus, and Paul all did this well: they identified followers who would lead God’s people well after they left.

A leader is great, not because of his or her power, gifts or position but because of his or her ability to empower others. Empowerment or Mentoring is a nonnegotiable function of successful leadership. True leaders know that their success is measured, to a large degree, by their successors.  Success without a successor is a failure. I don't know what you want to accomplish in life, but I can tell you this : legacy lives on in people, not in things. Too often leaders put their energy into organizations, buildings, projects, or lifeless objects. But only people live on after we are gone. Everything else is temporary. Make sure you pass the baton. Just anybody can make an organization look good for a moment, but the best leaders lead today with tomorrow in mind. They make sure they invest, empower, mentor, train and build people who will carry their legacy forward. Why? Because a leader's lasting value is measured by succession. Like Paul, a leader should seek to identify future leaders, build them up, empower them and give them resources and opportunities, and turn them loose.

True leaders invest in people and not in cathedrals. Leadership is not building monument. Jesus the greatest leader that ever lived never invested in buildings, programs or projects. He was focused on the assignment to raise leaders that reproduce other leaders. Jesus did not invest in multitude because He understood it's impossible to mass produce leaders. Jesus devoted his life empowering the 12 leaders that will live his legacy. The life and ministry of Jesus taught me an important leadership lesson that a leader's success or influence is not determined by the number of his followers. Jesus never focused on following because he understood that the function of leadership is to create more leaders not followers.

TITLE : Relationships 101 : Growth & Development Of Relationships 19

Trust: The Foundation of Leadership

DON’T LET BROKEN TRUST RUST OUT YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” ~George MacDonald

We're currently in the third section, nineteenth episode of "Relationships 101", which covers the growth and development of relationships.
Today I would like to talk to you about the topic of trust and how you can repair broken trust.

A relationship that is not built on solid trust will soon rust. When you’ve broken a teammate’s trust, don’t let the relationship rust; take action immediately to repair and restore it.
I consider it a great privilege when people share their dreams, weaknesses, secret or life story with me. It shows a great deal of courage and trust. And at that moment, I'm conscious that I have great power in their lives. That's no small matter. A wrong word can crush the relationship. If someone thinks enough of you to trust you about his or her life, take care.

As a leader, you’re out in front casting vision and giving direction. You’re vocal and highly visible; your words and deeds affect a lot of people. You must be tact in communication. Relationship is 85% communication. Ever since I knew the impact of words on people I'm careful to speak what will hurt the person. A leader must be tact in communication. Eventually, you’re going to say or do something that violates another person’s trust in you. You’ll deliver criticism at the wrong time, speak more harshly than a situation merits, forget to fulfill a promise, etc. However, it’s not an initial misstep, but the poor response to it, that does the most damage in a relationship.

Steps to Repair Trust in Your Relationships:

#1 Acknowledge That Trust Has Been Broken

Rust on the body of an automobile may barely be noticed at first, and it poses no immediate threat. However, if not dealt with sooner or later, it will cause a problem. Rust slowly corrodes metal and thus eats away at the frame of the vehicle, damaging its structural integrity. Like a car owner who would rather overlook the rust on his vehicle than spend time and money to fix it, we often ignore having violated trust in our relationships.

#2 Choose to Forgive the Other Person’s Misbehavior

Once we acknowledge that we’ve broken someone’s trust, we also have to seek forgiveness. We must choose to forgive before we will be able to sincerely work to repair trust in the relationship. People who have difficulty forgiving others do not have a realistic view of their own fallibilities and weaknesses. By withholding forgiveness, we’re operating under the assumption that we do everything right. The moment we realize how much we mess up and stand in need of forgiveness, we become more understanding and forgiving of others.

#3 Admit Your Responsibility and Apologize

Admit that what you did was wrong and say you are sorry. It may be painful for the moment, but it strengthens the relationship in the long run.
Apologizing isn’t costly; making amends is. Whenever possible, make restitution to those you have harmed. Say you’re sorry with your actions and not just your words.

Life is more scenic on the high road! Be quick to accept responsibility for the part you have played in damaging trust in a relationship. The only way you can make a man trustworthy is by trusting him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him and show your distrust.” Haven’t you found that to be true of yourself? We all want to be trusted. And by taking the leap of faith to trust in someone, you give them a gift that they usually want to repay. Remember, the greatest gift anyone can ever give you is not their time, energy, or effort, affection but their trust. So do everything in your power to deserve it and to preserve it.

TITLE : Relationships 101 : Growth & Development Of Relationships 18

Trust: The Foundation of Leadership

How Can I Build Trust with Others?

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” ~George MacDonald

Welcome to the 18th episode of the Relationship 101 series. I hope this spur and challenge you to becoming a better leader. Today we begin the third and final section of "Relationships 101 series". This section covers the growth and development of relationships. I would like to talk to you about the topic of trust and how it is the foundation of leadership.

Strong character - values or integrity is the basis of trust. Character is the most essential component of leadership. Trust just like respect is the one quality that cannot be acquired, but must be earned. It is given by co-workers and followers, and without it, the leader can’t function. Trust is the foundation upon which relationships in every setting are built. It is the emotional glue that holds leaders and followers together. The moment trust is gone in leadership, everything begins to fall apart. trust is necessary in ALL good relationships. Good marriages, business relationships, and friendships all require trust. Without it, there can be no open and honest interaction, and the relationship will be only temporary.

The highest gift anyone can give you is not their time, energy, respect, admiration, resources or their effort. The highest gift they can give you is their trust. Do everything you can to protect it.

Trust is an attitude that allows people to rely on, and place confidence in, other people. By establishing trust, leaders introduce a degree of stability and certainty into the chaos of life. “Do my people trust me?” is the central question of leadership, and leaders must continually monitor the level of trust that exists on their team.

Building Trust

#1 Show Respect : People are drawn to those who make them feel valuable. Leaders win trust when they expect the best from their people and treat them as worthy of respect. In a sense, followers are like mirrors: they reflect back the level of trust that’s shown to them.

#2 Be Dependable : People trust what has proved to be reliable over time. They take note of a leader’s readiness to sacrifice for their benefit and of his or her willingness to work hard on their behalf. Once they’re convinced that the leader is on their side, fighting for them, people naturally extend trust.

#3 Speak truthfully : Being truthful involves the twin components of consistency and honesty. Honest leaders speak in a sincere, forthright manner. They mean what they say, and they refuse to shy away from the truth—even when it’s uncomfortable. Leaders help people get past the discomfort of painful truths and help them move toward decisions that improve their situation and bring growth. In the long run, people trust and appreciate straight-talkers more than sweet-talkers.

#4 Develop Character

Character is integrating your words, deeds and actions. (I'll share deeper on character in the new series). Perhaps nothing evaporates trust faster than when leaders are weak in values or character.  A leader demonstrates consistency by making words and action compatible. "When your words and actions match, people know they can trust you." Character makes trust possible.
Trust makes leadership possible.

LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
... equipping leaders with tools, skills, and weapons to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

TITLE : Relationships 101 : Growth & Development Of Relationships

Trust: The Foundation of Leadership

How Can I Build Trust with Others?

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” ~George MacDonald

Welcome to the 17th episode of the relationship 101 series. I hope this spur you to becoming a better leader. Today we begin the third and final section of "Relationships 101 series". This section covers the growth and development of relationships. I would like to talk to you about the topic of trust and how it is the foundation of leadership.

Strong character - values or integrity is the basis of trust. Character is the most essential component of leadership. Trust just like respect is the one quality that cannot be acquired, but must be earned. It is given by co-workers and followers, and without it, the leader can’t function. Trust is the foundation upon which relationships in every setting are built. It is the emotional glue that holds leaders and followers together. The moment trust is gone in leadership, everything begins to fall apart. trust is necessary in ALL good relationships. Good marriages, business relationships, and friendships all require trust. Without it, there can be no open and honest interaction, and the relationship will be only temporary.

The highest gift anyone can give you is not their time, energy, respect, admiration, resources or their effort. The highest gift they can give you is their trust. Do everything you can to protect it.

Trust is an attitude that allows people to rely on, and place confidence in, other people. By establishing trust, leaders introduce a degree of stability and certainty into the chaos of life. “Do my people trust me?” is the central question of leadership, and leaders must continually monitor the level of trust that exists on their team.

Building Trust

#1 Show Respect : People are drawn to those who make them feel valuable. Leaders win trust when they expect the best from their people and treat them as worthy of respect. In a sense, followers are like mirrors: they reflect back the level of trust that’s shown to them.

#2 Be Dependable : People trust what has proved to be reliable over time. They take note of a leader’s readiness to sacrifice for their benefit and of his or her willingness to work hard on their behalf. Once they’re convinced that the leader is on their side, fighting for them, people naturally extend trust.

#3 Speak truthfully : Being truthful involves the twin components of consistency and honesty. Honest leaders speak in a sincere, forthright manner. They mean what they say, and they refuse to shy away from the truth—even when it’s uncomfortable. Leaders help people get past the discomfort of painful truths and help them move toward decisions that improve their situation and bring growth. In the long run, people trust and appreciate straight-talkers more than sweet-talkers.

#4 Develop Character

Character is integrating your words, deeds and actions. (I'll share deeper on character in the new series). Perhaps nothing evaporates trust faster than when leaders are weak in values or character.  A leader demonstrates consistency by making words and action compatible. "When your words and actions match, people know they can trust you." Character makes trust possible.
Trust makes leadership possible.