Who's leading you?
In every sphere of life we are either leading or being led. Some people may passionately object to the idea that they they are being led by someone, but to claim that no one is leading you is to deny the fact that someone or some people make decisions that impact your present state and your future prospects. So, who's leading you?
While we are required to respect those in authority, nothing dictates that we gullibly accept every decision that leaders make and blindly follow in the direction they are heading. We cannot, unless we want to expose ourselves to being victims of irrationality or constitutional ineptitude, fail to think for ourselves, evaluate our leaders and choose the path that we, as individuals, know from our knowledge and experience that we ought to be taking.
I am not, by any means, encouraging insubordination and I hope no one thinks this is seditious because my only aim is to inspire thought and promote greater self awareness and self determination.
Never forget that your leader is an individual with all the complex attributes of every human being. These attributes influence the way he/she thinks, the decisions he/she makes, the actions he/she is willing to take and all of these impact your life. So, who's leading you?
Some attributes are easily discerned but others only become evident when the individual is confronted by situations that touch their core values. It may be obvious to all that your leader has the physical bearing of one in charge; is qualified, or, more precisely, academically certified for the position; speaks well; dons a pallium; drives a Jaguar; is charming, witty, or has a great sense of humour; but, what about those attributes that only become evident in challenging situations?
Recently, I re-read the biblical account of the twelve men whom Moses sent, upon instruction from God, "to search the land of Canaan" (Num. 13:2 KJV). Every time I read a passage of scripture, I get insights that I did not get on earlier readings. This time, my reading of Numbers 13 led me to ponder on the critical role of leadership in the lives of followers.
The whole passage, to my mind, is about leading and being led. This exegesis, I admit, may very well be the consequence of my current context. My colleagues in the field of Literacy know that personal context is an inevitable aspect of interpretation and, currently, from my garden to the globe, preoccupation with leadership is central. Perhaps, it's just me and my family life that sparked my concentration on leadership; or, perhaps, it is an ongoing situation that my department at work is facing; or, maybe, the fact that it is the time of the year when people are given leadership roles at church; perhaps, it's the national election in a Caribbean territory that was just conducted; it may even be the television broadcasts of international affairs that continue to compete for my time with the creation of rubrics and the marking of scripts and portfolios. Perhaps, it is all of these and more. Whatever the cause, my recent reading of Numbers 13 inspired the question, "who's leading you?".
This passage of scripture is an illustration of the importance of self efficacy, motivation, as well as the crucial role of leadership in determining the course of history. In fact, the more I study the details of Moses' account of the events, the more I see core principles of leadership being highlighted.
All the men who were sent to Canaan were leaders. The bible declares that God specifically instructed Moses to send a ruler from each tribe of Israel and Moses "sent them ... all those men were heads of the children of Israel" Numbers 13:3 (KJV). They all held the same position but they fell strikingly into two categories and two critical concepts in leadership divided them - mission and vision.
The story reminded me that necessary pre-requisites to creating a vision and outlining a mission are examining your task, identifying your goals and getting acquainted with your final destination. Canaan was the goal and the Israelites were tasked with capturing it from its inhabitants. Though God had already promised it to the children of Israel, he still required them to "search the land". (Num. 13:1) What are the goals in your home, your church, your place of work or elsewhere? What tasks do you have to complete to achieve those goals? What's your final destination? Where are you heading? When you arrive at your final destination, what would your life be like? The rulers of the tribes of Israel spent the same amount of time, and I daresay, expended the same amount of energy assessing the task and examining their goal but they came to vastly contrasting conclusions.
Ten decided the task was impossible - the challenges were too great, the obstacles insurmountable; they did not have even a fig of a chance at success.
Caleb and Joshua, on the other hand, examined the task, created a brilliant vision and were eager to start the execution of their mission. If ever there was an expression of trust in executive management (God), self-confidence and belief in the efficacy of the resources at one's disposal, particularly, human resources, it is the address given by Joshua and Caleb to the people of Israel. What remarkable leadership! In my words, the essence of what they said is:
We have carefully analysed the task that we have been given.
Our goal is superb.We have studied our final destination and
the prospects that come with its achievement are exhilarating.
It is true that the challenges are many and the obstacles
are great, but these would crumble in the face of our efforts.
We have the unwavering support of management and we are
well equipped to achieve our goal. We need not fear, we need
not cower. Let us move forward with confidence. Victory will
be ours. Victory is ours.
Our goal is superb.We have studied our final destination and
the prospects that come with its achievement are exhilarating.
It is true that the challenges are many and the obstacles
are great, but these would crumble in the face of our efforts.
We have the unwavering support of management and we are
well equipped to achieve our goal. We need not fear, we need
not cower. Let us move forward with confidence. Victory will
be ours. Victory is ours.
Sadly, the Israelites were already devastated by the reckless pronouncements made by the ten worthless leaders. "We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. ... we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (Num. 13 31,33). Talk about a pathetic self concept! The bible indicates that the whole multitude of Israel gullibly accepted the leaders' perception of themselves and their followers. In spite of what they knew about the God they served and their experience of His matchless power, they failed to sieze the opportunity to exercise faith in Him. The ultimate consequence of the kind of leaders the ten were is that, save for Caleb and Joshua, that generation of Israelites never experienced the realisation of the goal. They never reached their destination. God had pronounced, "surely they shall not see the land which I swore unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it" (Num. 14:23 KJV).
So, who's leading you or maybe, more significantly, what kind of leader are you?
So, who's leading you or maybe, more significantly, what kind of leader are you?
I stop what I was doing just to sit and read this, and I am not disappointed. I am know realising that I will be leading in a couple of weeks and I need to be proactive about my vision and mission. Thank you Mrs. Collins you are a great writer.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post is very insightful. It has caused me to introspect the type of leader that I am presently and to think about what type of leader I would like to become.
ReplyDeleteMost times, leaders tend to focus on the insurmountable obstacles that are ahead of them when trying to accomplish their goals. That was what the ten leaders in Numbers 13 was doing, as they formulated all the possible reasons why they could not enter into the land that Moses had sent them. This is often what some leaders do in reality. They make the obstacles and challenges prevent them from accomplishing their goals. As you said in the post, it is only when faced with challenges that persons will be able to see the true attributes of a leader. By overcoming the challenges that arise, leaders are better able to grow as individuals and be able to exercise their leadership capabilities. In Numbers 13:30, Caleb was optimistic about overcoming the challenges that they were facing. He said,” “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” We as leaders should develop this “Can do” attitude, as Caleb did. Yes, obstacles will come and we will feel discouraged and want to give up some times. However, we should remember the scripture that says, “You CAN DO ALL THINGS through Christ which strengthens us.” This should be our motivation when faced with challenges.
As you rightfully said in the passage above, we must examine our goals, establish our final destination and analyze the challenges. If we are persistent, willing to overcome our fears and move forward with confidence the Victory is definitely ours.
Thank you very much Mrs. Collins. You are indeed a leader worthy to be followed. Continue to inspire and pave the way for the upcoming leaders.
Thank you, Tinacee and Alisiah. With the kind of attitude you express, you are both poised to be exceptional leaders.
ReplyDeleteIt is always good to reflect on aspects of our lives in relation to our values and belief systems. Your post was good read, as usual. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteReal question for me to ponder. As we do our best to leave our mark in our career and our family God help me to consider who is leading.
ReplyDeleteGood read, Desryn! In addition to vision, mission and faith as attributes that leaders need to possess, your article also suggests that courage is another key attribute; the courage to face challenges; a courage that is based on faith. Let us develop the mindset that is built on faith, that we will take on any challenge to anything that we hold dear, in spite of everything that could go wrong. Keep on challenging us with your words.
ReplyDeleteYou are perfectly right about courage, Janette. I do intend to continue sharing my thoughts and that means challenging myself and readers to be better and do better. Thanks for the encouragement.
DeleteYou are perfectly right about courage, Janette. I do intend to continue sharing my thoughts and that means challenging myself and readers to be better and do better. Thanks for the encouragement.
DeleteThanks, again for your inspirational thoughts, Mrs. Collins. Indeed, as I reflect on the lessons we just completed on the book of Jeremiah, I recognize, through your post, how important it is for me, as an individual, be it as a leader or follower to be purposeful about the role that I am called upon to play. The responsibility rests upon me to ensure that I am knowledgeable about that role and that I do not follow blindly, or lead without the necessary preparation. Continue to inspire others!
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