About two years ago, I was invited to train one of the leading companies in the field of communications in Nigeria. I was to spend a few days, schooling them on how they could thrive amidst all the turbulence in the business world today. It was a watershed training—each one of them was trained to assume personal responsibility by becoming the CEO of their own roles and leaders—within their current positions in the company. They were taught how they could lead where they are planted and shine where they find themselves in the company.
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A gateman is meant to lead where he is planted and shine where he finds himself in the company. You know why? It is because every job is an important job. Also, the more he leads as a gateman, the more his area of influence expands. Regardless of whether either a man or woman has a formal title or not, he or she has total control of how he or she shows up in his current role—where he works. It is wrong to wait till one becomes a managing director before leading and shining in the company. This kind of mindset cannot fit into the mould of what I am sharing here. There is leadership potential locked inside a gateman, waiting to be released, so it can begin to find expression.
There is a leadership gift locked inside a sweeper, waiting to break free. We all have a natural power to lead without having a big title. Many people are not leading in this part of the world because we are both position and title conscious. We prefer positions and titles to leadership. There are too many people with big titles—who are not leading at all.
Once again, there is a leadership gift locked inside you, waiting to be set free. You can lead right where you are in your family. You can shine right there. A last-born does not need to become a first-born to lead. You can shine as a last-born. You do not need to overthrow the first-born to shine. You do not need to plan a bloodless coup for him or her. And you do not need to envy him or her. The family becomes strong and productive where everyone in the family shines!
Also, you do not need to change where you live for you to shine. You can lead where you are living right now. Many people are not rising to lead and shine because they are waiting for a perfect time—when they are going to leave where they are living right now. Every-day, the leadership bird in you is waiting for you to release it, so it can begin to fly high. Buddy, let your inner leadership break free!
Furthermore, the major reason a lot of people are not leading is because they believe that they are not old enough. They think they are too young to lead. They are waiting till the time they become 60 years old before they can start leading. The truth is; you do not need to wait to become as old as Methuselah before you start leading as wisely as Solomon. Buddy, let you inner leadership break free today!
Am I saying that we do not need titles to lead? No. We need titles to maintain order and keep everything running smoothly, but what I am saying is that there is a leadership potential on the inside of you that is longing to break free either you do have a big title or not. You can lead as a sweeper. You can lead as a company driver. You can lead as a chef. You can lead and shine as an accountant. You can lead and shine as a tailor. You can lead and shine as a plumber. Are you getting my drift?
Anyone anywhere in the world—Nigeria, Kenya, South Korea, Panama, Iceland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Ghana—can step up to the plate and take responsibility to drive change, push excellence, and show leadership. A soldier in Nigeria can decide to make a positive difference as can a teacher in Croatia, a policeman in Nigeria and anyone from any walk of life. Each of us has this internal reservoir of leadership potential. We just need to become aware of it and then really own it. If people in every organization—from companies to government agencies to schools embrace this revolutionary leadership concept—the whole nation of Nigeria is going to get transformed in a few years!
Leadership has nothing to do with what you get or where you sit. Many people are gunning to become the next President of Nigeria because to them leadership is where they sit and what they get. This is one of the major problems destroying us as a people. Please, understand me that leadership has nothing to do with where you sit and where you stand. You do not have to be in front to lead. You can lead where you are right now.
Leadership has a lot more about how brilliantly you work and how masterfully you behave. If a road sweeper understands this, he or she would do a great job. If a welder understands this, the way he or she works would change. If a gateman understands this model of leadership, everything would change about how he or discharges his duties. If a chef understands this strange model of leadership, he begins to shine.
Lastly, leadership is about lifting up every single one of the people you work with and get to excellently serve them. Even if you are a CEO, if those working with you are not being lifted, then you are really not leading them. Leadership is quality service. If it is void of quality service, pack it up and throw it away. It is not leadership. For it to be leadership, it must be quality service-centered!
See you where successful leaders are found!
and then