Teaching on Leadership

A YOUTH SUMMIT ORGANIZED BY THE ANGLICAN YOUTH FELLOWSHIP OF THE DIOCESE OF ABA

THEME: THE 360 LEADER

FOCUS: THE 21ST CENTURY LEADER

Written by Rev Prince Uche Onyema 

Introductory Remarks

It is my honor and privilege to anchor this topic, The 21st Century Leader. I duff my hat to the leadership of the AYF, particularly the Chaplain, his assistant and of course, the President for your doggedness, resilience and commitment to the all round development of the youths. I have no doubt; this summit would contribute greatly to personal development and self enhancement of all participants. God will help us achieve this goal, Amen.

The 21st century is characterized with a phenomenal increase in knowledge and constant changes. There is high level of scientific and technological developments as never before with their pros and cons. Understandably, these have greatly affected and influenced the way people think and live. To this end, what was obtainable in time past may not be obtainable at present. In view of the fore-going, any leader that desires to be relevant must as a matter of urgency, be abreast with the trend of events. Corroborating, Munroe(2014) holds that: 

We need strong leaders who have the courage to grapple with perplexing issues and seemingly overwhelming problems, as well as the ability to discover and implement workable solutions. More than anything else, what we require today are competent, effective, visionary leaders in all walks of life. (p.2).

Supporting the above view, Rost (1991) aver that the 21st century leadership is a perspective of leadership intended to respond to the unique challenges and opportunities of today’s world.

The focus of our discussion is so broad and vast such that a day nay, a month may not be enough to exhaustively discuss on this important topic. Thus, being mindful of the time allotted to us for this talk, we shall by God’s enabling grace, consider above all, an operational definition of leadership/leader, the demands of a leader in the 21st century and the challenges thereof. 


The Concept of Leadership/Leader

Leadership as it were, is as old as the origin of man. After creation, God had to lay uponthe man whom he created in his image the responsibility of taken care of the creations, Genesis.1:28. For John Maxwell:

           Leadership is often misunderstood. When people hear that someone has an                           impressive title or an assigned leadership position, they assume that individual to               be a leader. Sometimes that’s true. But titles don’t have much value when it comes               to leading. True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes                   only from influence, and that cannot be mandated. It must be earned. The only                     thing a title can buy is a little time— either to increase your level of influence with             others or to undermine it. (p.25).

A person may be “in control” because he has been appointed to a position where he or she exercises authority. But real leadership is more than having authority. It is more than having the technical training and following the proper procedures.

Leadership is defined as an act of leading,showing the way, or the ability of leading others successfully.  Maxwell (2007)opines that everything rises and falls on leadership. For him, leadership is all about influence, there is nothing more, nothing less. Hence, his favorite leadership proverb is “He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.” For James Georges in Maxwell (1995), leadership is the ability to obtain followers. In a broader sense, Roll (2019) asserts that leadership is a trait in an individual that enables him or her to influence the behavior of others to achieve a goal or to get them to do things they would not otherwise have the skills or motivation to do. For us here, we take leadership as both an ability to lead others successfully and an act of influencing others positively. On the other hand, a leader is one who takes the lead while others willingly follow.

True leadership is being the person others will gladly, confidently and courageously follow. A real leader knows and understands the distinction between being a leader and a boss. The differences according toMaxwell (1993) are illustrated thus:

  • The boss drives the followers while the leader coaches them
  • The boss depends on authority while the leader on goodwill
  • The boss inspires; the leader inspires enthusiasm.
  • The boss says “I”; the leader says “we”
  • The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown
  • The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how it should be done.
  • The boss says “go”; the leader says “let’s go” 


Challenges of Leaders in the 21st Century

Every generation has its own challenges. I am aware the 21st century places enormous challenges to every leader, but then I wish to discuss this in line with 2Timothy 3:1-5:

Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people. The Msg Bible.

From the text above we can deduce the following challenges:

  • Difficulty in getting people agree with your visions
  • A generation that is wise in their own eyes
  • Self-centeredness and self-aggrandizement 
  • Love for God and things of God growing cold
  • Constant changes


 The Demands of a Leader in the 21st Century

Much is demanded from leaders in this 21st century. Below are some of them:

  • Understanding of the time, 2Chron. 12:32; Eph.5:14-18
  • Servant leadership
  • Sacrifice
  • Sincerity and commitment
  • Optimism: positive mindedness  
  • Transparency and accountability
  • ICT complaint
  • Faithfulness and honesty
  • Effectiveness and efficiency
  • Adaptability and agility 
  • Heavenly minded


Conclusion

The 21st century leadership is both challenging and rewarding. To remain relevant leaders must be abreast with the trend of events and make every effort to harness the positive sides of the century. Effectiveness, efficiency, accountability and transparency, and of course faithfulness to duty must be the watch word. Nevertheless, we must depend solely on God for wisdom and direction. Again, we must focus our eyes on Jesus as our model for leadership knowing that we all must stand before the judgment throne of God to give account of what we did after we had finished our race here on earth. Receive grace to finish strong!


References

Maxwell, J. (1993). Developing the Leader within You. Nashville: Thomas Nelson


-------------- (1995).Developing the Leader around You. Nashville: Thomas Nelson


Maxwell, J. (2007). 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville: Thomas Nelson

Publishers.

Mounroe, M. (2014).The Power of Character in Leadership. U.S.A: Whitaker House


Roll, M. (2019). Leadership in the 21st Century. Retrieved on April 30, 2021 from

 https//martinroll.com/resources/articles/leadership/leadership-in-the-21st-century


Rost, J.C. (1991). Leadership for the 21st Century. New York: Praeger.

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