Definitely going to write a piece on Mandela Leadership article.

 
 

TIME Magazine's got a great new article about the leadership secrets of Neslson Mandela worth checking out.

 
 

Let me ask you a question. What makes a leader?

Or rather let me ask it another way.  Are you a leader?  Do you consider yourself someone who leads others?  

This question forces each one of us to ask ourselves, what quality sets some people apart as leaders over others.  Contrary to what many may think, the quality that makes someone a leader is not a title. It's not the title of pastor or CEO or founder or director that makes one a leader.

In fact, one of the greatest leaders in history was a man who never held any official title or office.  Mahatma Gandhi lead India to independence without holding a single office in his native country.  In effect he was a civilian, an ordinary citizen, who lead an entire nation of 350 million people to ending British imperialism in India.  But what made Gandhi a leader? What set him apart as a person of influence over the other millions of ordinary citizens?

You see, a person who influences others by using a title or intimidation, is not a leader.  If you influence other people by means of coercion, you are not a leader, you are a manager.  And all great leaders are not managers.

This is was a truth that Jack Welch, the legendary CEO of General Electric, understood perfectly.  He knew that the key to building a thriving organization was to have a team of leaders, who did not rely on micro-managing to get others to do what they wanted.  In fact he strongly disliked the very word "management," because to him the word conjured up all the negative things employees associate with managing, like "controlling, stifling people, keeping them in the dark, and always finding fault."  Rather, Welch transformed GE by removing every manager from his organization, and replacing them with true leaders.

So what is leader ?

A true leader is someone who influences others by inspiring them.  True leadership is the ability to fill the hearts of people with the hope and promise of what could be, and so inspire them to work toward a shared goal or vision.  This is exactly how Mahatma Gandhi lead the nation of India, by inspiring them to believe in a better future.  He used his voice to help a generation imagine an existence free from oppressive British rule and instilled hope in them for a brighter tomorrow.  With no title or official authority, he lead an entire country.

In the same way, by creating a team who inspired thousands of researchers, inventors, salespeople and employees, Jack Welch lead General Electric from a company with annual revenue of $25 billion in 1981, to a mammoth international organization with more than $125.9 billion in annual revenue in 2001.  Earning him the title of the "greatest CEO of the twentieth century."

So let me ask you again.  Are you a leader?  Are you someone who influences others by inspiring them?  Or are you someone who uses their title and intimidation to get others to do what you want?  A true leader is someone who expresses a clear vision and then gets those around them so passionate about it that they cannot wait to join in and help make the vision a reality.

If you want to see lasting change and growth in the lives of those in your Church, business, organizations, or family, you will have to become someone who leads by inspiring.  To instill in the hearts of others a picture of a glorious future, of the hope and potential of their lives, and inspire them to believe in brighter tomorrow for themselves, and for their children, and for the Glory of God.  And in so doing you can answer your invitation to partake in history.

Because it is the power to inspire others that makes a true leader.