What type of leader are you?
There are different types of leaders. Have you heard this statement before, “You are behaving like a child! Or you must have heard someone say to another, “You are childish!” And I am sure you have heard this retort before, “I am not a child!”
These statements are made because grown-ups sometimes behave like children. Unfortunately, leaders in high positions also behave like children and this greatly affects everyone around them.
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You must avoid developing a leadership style that is akin to the leadership of a child.
Do not become a leader who demonstrates the leadership of a child! So what is the leadership of a child?
Disorganisation
The leadership of a child is characterised by disorganisation. Then he will appoint children to rule over them, and anarchy will prevail. Isaiah 3:4 (NLT).
If you cannot tidy up your own room you must be a child. If you cannot clean the places where you live, you must be a child. If you cannot clean up your city you must be a child even though everyone calls you the mayor or the minister.
You must study leadership, understand leadership, and practice appropriate principles of leadership so that you do not lead people with the mind of a child.
The leadership of a child results in anarchy and disorder as the Bible predicts. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths, Isaiah 3:12.
Whenever you see disorder, chaos, disorganisation and confusion you can assume that the leadership of a child is at work.
Lack, understanding
The leadership of a child is characterised by a lack of understanding of serious issues and imminent dangers.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things, 1 Corinthians 13:11.
A child’s mind is dominated by a lack of understanding of the serious issues and dangers that confront him. Little children live in dirt and do not understand what it means.
If children are left alone, filth and dirt multiply. That is why no one leaves children alone. They will not clean, sweep or wipe anything.
The chief characteristic of cities that are ruled by children is the rubbish and life-threatening garbage that can be found everywhere.
This can put the population in danger. The childlike leadership does not sense the connection between these death traps and the welfare of their people.
Even if they sense the connection, they probably do not know what to do in the face of such imminent danger.
Understanding, complex issues
The leadership of a child is characterised by not understanding anything that is a little complex.
Dear readers, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things… but be mature and wise in understanding matters of this kind, 1 Corinthians 14:20 (NLT).
When a person is in leadership and has the mind of a child, he does not understand anything that is a little complex. This is obvious when an unlearned person is at the helm of affairs and does not understand the implications of his statements.
Such people probably do not read nor do they understand the implications of things they are saying and doing. Their leadership can have far-reaching repercussions on those they lead.
Leaders of poor countries have swallowed the concepts of globalisation and free trade with their negative implications of de-industrialisation, de-agriculturalisation and de-population of cities.
Industries and farms have been wiped out in nations which wholeheartedly accepted these policies without understanding the complex implications they would have on the rest of the nation.
Long ago, the richer nations, such as, the USA and Australia absolutely rejected the idea of freely trading in raw materials with England at the expense of not developing their own industries.
They understood the complex nature of opening their borders to cheap imports.
These complexities are not obvious to one who demonstrates the leadership of a child. The fact that someone who sells iPads, iPhones and iPods will always be at an advantage over someone who sells oranges and tobacco, is not easily understood by leaders who announce that their emphasis will just be on agriculture.
How can a child understand the practical implications of terms such as diminishing returns, increasing returns activities, synergies, innovations, perfect markets, imperfect markets and so on? And yet, an entire population is led by people who have studied these things in school, but do not know how to apply them in their nations!
So, what type of leader are you? Do not become one who demonstrates the leadership of a child! You can become a good leader!
The writer is the founder of the Lighthouse Group of churches
E-mail: [email protected]