The example

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and teach…. (emphasis mine)

—Acts of Apostles 1:1

It had been a long trek in the sweltering heat of the dessert sun. The shepherd knew that he needed to get his sheep to a watering spot or chance on an oasis as soon as possible if the lives of his sheep would not be at risk from dehydration. However, he was not worried. He knew the route and the rote. Very soon, they would arrive at the well which was the rallying point for all the shepherds in the region after a long day of grazing. He had to make this daily journey with his flock through the dry patch to access the green field on the other side of it for pasture, at least until the rains would come to make the situation in his region better. By the time he arrived at the well with his flock, there were other shepherds with hundreds of sheep waiting. All the animals co-mingled and it was near-impossible to tell which belonged to who. The shepherds took turns to draw water into the watering trough while the animals drank. When they were done, the shepherds filled their own water bags and got up to start the final lap of the homeward journey. As if on cue, as each shepherd rose up and gave the signal, his sheep, from wherever they were in the midst of other sheep, got up and followed him. Not one was missing or followed another shepherd. Each instinctively knew its shepherd.

In our culture, Jesus’ statement in John 10:2 that His true sheep hear his voice and they follow him, would sound a little strange because usually, pastoralists in our environment come behind the flock or herd. In the Mediterranean culture in which Jesus lived, shepherds usually go ahead while the sheep follow. The relationship between the sheep and the shepherd is usually tested by what happens at the watering spot as described above.

Leadership is not just about knowing the way others should go or showing others the way. Great leadership is about going the way. Great leaders lead from the front. If you say you are a leader, who is following you? John Maxwell, the leadership guru, once said that a leader without a follower is simply a man on a lone stroll!

In today’s social media-driven world, the internet has produced many leadership pundits who have not lived through what they teach. I know a young man whose monthly salary was less than N20,000 and who could not afford to pay his rent but who was “teaching” people on the internet how to make millions online. You probably have run into one of them at a bus stop, train station or by the roadside in heavy traffic. I am talking about some shabbily dressed, unkempt and haggard-looking guy shoving a book at your face titled “50 Businesses That will Make you a Millionaire in 30 Days” or something like that which he had written or is selling. What went through your mind as he tried to pitch the sale of that book to you with a mouth running faster than the water in a flushed toilet? I know your answer.

The leader’s experience of what he is teaching others is what makes him authentic and believable. Before you lecture anyone on the efficacy of a particular medication, have you, in all good conscience or anyone you know, ever used it? The highest level of demonstrating leadership in any given direction is by example. Those who lead by example signpost possibilities and make dreams attainable. Exemplary leadership places an unwritten demand on the conscience of followers and reinforces their faith in the collective destination. People may be attracted to your charisma or oratorical prowess. But when the rubber meets the road and a demand is placed on your capacity to deliver leadership value, they hold you to the standards you have set with your utterances.

Role-modelling is the highest level of leadership. People are not inspired by what you say or teach as they are by what they see you do. There is no cleric who does not preach against sexual immorality and other forms of debauchery. Yet, we are daily inundated with reports of Imams and bishops who defile or impregnate under aged children or who routinely sleep with members of their congregation.  What shall we say about a philandering father who is a chain smoker and heavy drinker sermonising to his son about chastity?

A leadership role places the searchlight on you and all that you claim to represent. For any leader to be effective, two things are fundamentally crucial. They are VISION, which is a resolute conviction of a desired and desirable destination and why it is necessary to get there. Second is RESPONSIBILITY to pay the necessary price and do the work to get there. When you accept a leadership role, you instantly set yourself up for higher standards of evaluation. The world can sometimes be very unforgiving when you are seen to blatantly fall short of the very standards you unwittingly set by your utterances. Role-modelling remains the best way to pass across a message that is sustainably transforming.

Why do many leaders fall far short of what they try to teach others? Because they have not become what they teach! You cannot effectively exemplify what you have failed to internalise. Learning only makes sense when it alters behaviour. The transformed mind is the foundation for a transformed life. When a leader’s words hardly match his actions, he creates a cognitive dissonance in his followers. This disconnect leaves his followers confused and wondering if the collective vision is worth pursuing.

This is not to say however, that leaders are infallible. Like their followers, leaders are themselves “work in progress.” The issue is not whether or not they can make mistakes – either of judgement or character – but their willingness to eat the humble pie, admit the error, take responsibility for the outcomes and take proactive measures to reassure everyone around them that the gaffe is not a reflection of a lifestyle. The key words here are transparency and sincerity. Countless leaders continue to fall on account of an over-bloated ego that has become bigger than the body corporate and the collective destination.

Leadership is a heavy burden for the simple reason that it is a divine trust. It must become a disposition before it is manifested in a position. In the language of lawyers, “nemo dat quod non habet” which translates, “no one can give what he does not have.”

The greatest lessons anyone can learn from a leader is not in countless lectures or seminars. It is in the picture of a life lived as an open book. In the words of the Chinese, “I know you are talking to me but I cannot hear you because I don’t see what you are saying!”

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

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