In order to lead people, you will need to be focused. Have you ever met people who come up with a great idea everyday? All the time they are shifting their goal posts, changing the game: football today, rugby tomorrow! Today they want to start a catering business, tomorrow they trash that idea and want to go into funeral parlours. When you look back at their success in any of their “great business ideas” you find they have not done a thing on any of them. They are double-minded and not dependable in all their ways. When they lead people they get everyone confused. Imagine being led by a leader whose vision is always changing. You get the feeling of being a headless chicken, running anywhere and everywhere. Focus is key to achievement: setting your eyes upon the goal and going after it with all that is in you. Only then can you put into practice the ingredients of success. Changing your mind everyday will make you live perpetually in the brain storming phase never starting anything.

Placing value on the vision is key. When a leader is running with a vision that is not deeply etched into his heart, it is easy to just thrust it aside and declare it dead. It is easy to be swayed away from it by focussing on things that are less important. Meetings and activities that are not at all tied to the vision can be a snare to the leader. Some things only exist to test your allegiance to your vision. Losing sight of what is the first (important) thing in the vision will lead to its death. Look at Nehemiah in this passage:

“And it happened, when Sanballat, and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no break left in it (though at that time I had not set the doors on the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you? And they sent to me four times in this way. And I answered them in the same way.” – Nehemiah 6:1-6.

Nehemiah noticed the importance of the work he was doing and was able to discern those that thought to do him harm. Are you able to say the same to your distractions? Small things like the forwarded mail, the unimportant text messages, the ringing phone can become such distractions that remove your focus from the first things. One of the seven habits of highly effective people according to Steven R. Covey is “Do first things first”. Failure to identify these things will lead you into failure without even realising it. Make optimal use of all the hours in the day that you focus on those things that will lead you to success. Reserve entertainment for the days and times assigned to it. Remember the word of King Solomon:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pull up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

Your place is to discern what time it is in your life, your business or your family. It can’t be a time to dance all the time. Some times it’s a time to build up and building up is not a walk in the park. It takes effort, focus, prayer and fasting, wisdom, research, faith, and many other things that laziness will protest against. It will take focus to build up, plant, give birth, heal, gather up stones together, embrace and all those things that are not passive. Determine today to be a focussed leader whose eyes are set before the goal. Run the race to finish it. Set the boundaries by way of strong values. Plan ahead of time and review progress. Adjust course as befitting and keep pressing on. Focus, focus and focus.

Affirmation: I am a focussed leader. I sway not to the left or to the right but I keep my gaze upon the goal.

I have always been amazed at the way Jesus spoke. He had a firm knowledge of who he was so much that he astonished even Pontius Pilate when he was under questioning. He had a deep knowledge of where he was going and what he was going to achieve. Even when Peter tried to talk him out of going to the cross, he knew it was the work of the devil because his won mindset was of God. Did you ever see in the Scriptures when Jesus invited “constructive criticism”? He knew himself more than anyone else and he never allowed anyone to define him. He defined himself and God affirmed him. Just try to imagine Jesus saying to himself, “I’m just so confused, I don’t even know what to do. My life is such a mess, the Pharisees and the Sadducees are after me. Even the Scribes are out to get me. Maybe I should ask Peter or John. Maybe John, that one is deep…” I know that Jesus was on the extreme end but we can sure draw some lessons there.

As a leader, who speaks into your life? What sort of definitions do you accept from other people. Do you allow them to define your life? Effective leaders have a deep sense of identity, security, significance and self worth. They sort internally. Their values are so entrenched in them that they are not quickly moved by what other people say or do. Other people need the approval of their peers, mother, hair dresser, aunt, etc before making a move. They never feel right about doing anything until they have run it by many people and those people approve. Even if most of them think it’s a good move and a few think it is not, these people still struggle to do it. They have such a fear of the unknown that paralyzes them totally and keeps them stuck in their comfort zone. They can not stand the idea of taking risk. Because they can not do that, they have such a slow pace of life. Slow in the sense that they only change very slowly in every area. They know they need to change, but they are too scared to change. These are external sorters. They can be mild to extreme.

Internal sorters on the other hand make decisions internally. Most effective leaders are like that. When a leader always looks for a consensus before making a decision, then the quality of decisions is reduced to the lowest person. People are made leaders primarily on the basis of their ability to make decisions and lead people into effective teams. What sort of President would you like to lead your nation? I believe he/she should be an assertive individual who can make quality decisions in the heat of the moment. I enjoyed watching the series “24″. It often portrayed Presidents making difficult decisions in the face of terrorist attacks. In such situations you do want a leader with deep seated values. One who is secure enough to make a decision without paralyzing fear that will knock him out of action.

The more you are able to use your internal reference for decision making, the more you can lead. This is not to say that you never listen to other people because that is how we end up with dictators. Listen to other people, use the Bible as your reference book, and do not fear to take risks. Without risks, there is very little that can be done. To the world, faith is tremendous risk taking, but without faith it is impossible to please God. Strive for balance. There are people you may listen to just as David had advisors and also listened to the Prophets of God: Samuel and Nathan. You can listen to your mentors, people you esteem highly, but the ultimate decision is yours to make and own. Take responsibility and make decisions. If it is the wrong decision then you can change it. It’s better to do something than to do nothing.

Affirmation: I have strong values and I make decisions by faith.

I did a search in my King James bible of the number of times the phrase “enquired of the Lord” appears and I found 15 verses that have it. 8 of those verses are talking of times when David enquired of the Lord. Is it any wonder that he is the leader that God called “A man after my own heart”? Is it any wonder that he is the father who taught his son about wisdom, which made him able to ask for the right thing when God asked him what he wanted? Is it any wonder then that even Jesus the son of God was referred to as the Son of David? Only the man who wanted to do what God wanted to do can have that honour. Even so today, the man who wants to do what God wants him to do will have the kind of results that come when God is involved in a matter. The way that we know what God wants to do is to understand his word and then lay the foundation of our businesses, organisations and families on that sure foundation.

“Then indeed the churches were established in the faith and increased in number daily. And coming through the Phrygian and the Galatian region; and by the Holy Spirit being forbidden to speak the Word in Asia; having come to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia. But the Spirit did not allow them.” – Acts 16:5-7. In this passage of scripture, Paul and Timothy were going about the business that Paul had been mandated to do: preaching the Gospel to the gentiles. Do you realise that in the natural it would have been great to preach to as many gentiles as possible? It would have made sense but we read that the Holy Spirit disallowed them to go into Asia and Bithynia. God knows a lot more things than us (dah!) and we ought to give Him that space to advise us by His Spirit.

The leader who tries to lead solely by his intellect will achieve results that are as limited as his intellect. Many a time we have seen leaders that everyone marvelled at for their intelligence but some just dropped off the lime light in an instant where they made one bad decision. The leader who is founded on the word and understands the grace of God will like David also make many mistakes but will know to repent, get up, dust himself and carry on. “for a just one falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked shall fall into evil.” – Proverbs 24:16.

When you are constantly engrossed in the word of God, you become acquainted with it. That means you begin to become acquainted with God and His ways. The more that happens, the more the word becomes your mindset. That also means you get a Godly mindset. It becomes your phronesis (the 3rd level of wisdom which is a mindset). When you have God’s phronesis, you can not fail. You can not be defeated. You become a wonder. People will come to you and wonder like the queen of Sheba came and wondered at Solomon’s phronesis. You will be filled with such wisdom even you will be surprised at yourself. Not only will you make great decisions in your business or what ever domain you have, but you will naturally get all the principles that we have been talking about that form the Prime Leader.

Affirmation: I choose to wash myself with the word of God. As I read it, I am transfigured into the image of His Son.

Some leaders are in the business of drawing consistently out of those they lead and never making deposits into their emotional bank accounts. I used to go to this place over my lunch breaks and I would feel really uncomfortable as the lady who ran the place would talk down her employees. She would shout and insult these precious souls in such a way that I would feel compelled to at least say something positive when they would bring my order and leave them a big tip when leaving because I really felt for these people. I realised that it must be a common thing that some leaders do in order for them to be felt and probably respected. Just how long do you think those people will work for you? Do you really believe it is profitable to have employees that curse at the new day because they dread having another encounter with you? The more confident and excited your employees are about their job, the more they will be effective doing what they need to do.

I have realised in my experience that when I am affirmed, I feel really good. Some times it’s really text book style that those affirming me will use and I know it when it’s coming but I still feel good about it anyway. I even realised that grown up as I am, when I was doing my first level French I would feel really great when my teacher would write “Bravo!” next to my mark. It’s in human nature and probably all nature to want to be affirmed and encouraged. Naturally it makes you want to do as good the next time or even better to keep impressing your leaders. It becomes a standard you want to maintain. When you are demoralised on the other hand you wouldn’t care less if you did badly again. You deteriorate to the level where you just want to get your pay at the end of the month. It ceases to be an adventure and becomes a source of livelihood, an obligation to your family to put food on the table.

It does not take much to say, “great job, I appreciate your diligence”, or “thank you so much for your commitment.” Such simple words carry intense power that generates more power inside the recipient. This affirmation makes the person a better person. They not only will become good in the work place but in many areas of their lives. When peoples self esteem is built, they become bolder, more confident, happier, more interesting to be around, more resourceful and definitely more competent. Where I come from, we call this “Building people, building dreams; Transforming people reforming nations.” You say, “What if they are not doing such a good job.” Well, then you should find ways of criticizing the service and not the person. Remember that the job is not the person. It’s the same you use for yourself, you separate yourself as a person from a failed task. People make failed attempts, but they are not failures until they quit.

One of the most effective ways of affirming is third party affirmations. This means that you affirm your staff when you are introducing or talking about them to someone else in their presence. You would say, “This is Peter, our IT head. He is a very resourceful young man and we are so blessed to have him on our staff.” This way, Peter doesn’t feel like you are just saying it because you are not flattering him; you are telling someone else. What are the chances that you will go round the corner and say, “No, I just wanted Peter to feel good about himself. He’s average”? Not likely ha? Yes, and Peter knows it, that is why he will have confidence that you are truly grateful of his input into the company.

Choose today to affirm and motivate people. Motivation is key on the hierarchy of needs. Soldier need it to fight a war. Sports people need it to play strong teams. What do you think coaches tell their teams over the half time break or the time out? Shouting at the players alone will not do much good. Teams need motivational coaches. Strategy is important of course, but without motivation, people are not willing to follow the strategy. People will opt for a place where they earn less but are appreciated and motivated than a place where they are paid more but de-motivated and disrespected. People prefer those who give them things that money can’t buy. Those are the things that really matter.

Affirmation: I affirm, motivate and appreciate people. Each day I decide to appreciate someone for something.

Where there is responsibility there needs to be accountability. Without accountability, there is no transparency. Without transparency there is no trust. Without trust there is no productive relationship. Leaders particularly need to be accountable at various levels in order for them to stay on top of events. Many individuals are intimidated by the idea of being accountable because they have several things they would like to keep in the closet and are not prepared to get rid of. They have this tendency that in the long run will lead to their downfall but they would rather take the risk. Such tendencies feed on the momentum of practice and grow with each indulgence until the leader is no longer in control. Alcoholism, fraud, and other moral breaches need to be cut off as soon as yesterday with the aid of accountability partners. Lack of accountability is the cocktail for sex scandals and other embarrassing situations that quickly uproot leaders from office.

The leader needs to have accountability at two levels (the third level is often natural). The first level is the upward accountability. This is when the leader is accountable to a mentor who is guiding and directing them in the direction of their intended success. This is often someone that the leader has great respect towards and has achieved similar success (which validates his/her advice). This is very important because the mentor is able to confront issues with authority that peers at the same level will not have. He has an awareness of small looking tendencies and habits that lead to destruction that other people might view as petty and harmless. For men, three questions often asked are 1) How is your thought life? 2) How is your sex life? And 3) Did you lie to me about the first two? Other useful questions to ask are: Have you done anything that you would be ashamed of if Jesus walked into the room? Have you been thinking of things you would be ashamed of if Jesus was watching your thoughts? Of course the truth is that He already knows everything you do and think. This relationship is as the one Timothy had with Paul.

The second level of accountability is where the leader is accountable to someone at their peer level. This is a person who is at about the same stage of life or spirituality. This is important because the leader is able to relate with that person easily as they have a generally similar understanding of issues affecting them. They become a pair that can strengthen each other. This kind of relationship is as the one between Paul and Barnabas who was referred to as the son of encouragement. You can picture two friends that start to go to the gym together. When the one is about to give up before completing his set of reps, the friend encourages him to keep pushing, and the friend’s ability to complete the sets inspires his friend. I have found it a lot more effective than when I was working out alone at home where I just stop when I feel tired and there is no one to tip me.

The third kind of accountability is the one Paul had with Timothy (that is when the leader is the senior and is keeping a younger person accountable). In this relationship, the leader has a role to play as a mentor. He reaches deep into his resource to bring the best out of the younger person. This does not have to be a literally younger person in terms of age, but with respect to the desired area. Younger people may be more spiritually mature than older people. The role of teaching helps the leader see how much his convictions and values can shape another’s life and thus convinces himself of the importance of such practices. It also enforces the need to lead by example when you confront someone else about certain issues. You can not be confronting someone on fidelity issues when you lack integrity in that area. This kind of relationship makes you grow as does responsibility a lot of times.

In summary, every leader needs a Paul to look up to and be led by, a Barnabas to strengthen him and a Timothy to lead. I served in a ministry where our policy was to teach to teach to teach. Everyone was taught so that they could teach someone to teach. That makes learning a lot more important and enforces the need to understand what is taught. The leader thus should endeavour to understand the concepts of leadership so that they can pass them down to at least two generations. Accountability is a major part of this process.

Affirmation: I am accountable for my goings and comings. My life is as an open book.

All great leaders in history were masters of communication. They were able to reach a mixed population with their philosophy and get them moved deeply enough to be devoted to their cause. Many times I have listened to Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech and I am amazed at how the man used the power of words so efficiently. The multitude that listened to that speech identified with the dream that he had. Even today, people listen to that speech and are able to connect to the man’s passion. How about the new president of the United States? I can understand why he is the president. The man has great appeal in his speech that convinces you that he absolutely believes what he is saying and not just saying it. I listened to a speech he gave in 2004 campaigning for someone else. It was such a powerful speech delivered in about twelve minutes. That is the power of the Prime Leader; the power to utilise words like no average person.

In communication, one needs to understand that people respond to specific points of communication. There are those that are primarily visually oriented. These people will be moved when the words used paint pictures in their minds. The Prime leader will use statements like, “Let me paint this picture for you”, or “Picture this.” They will literally paint pictures with their words. When these people begin to see that picture in their minds, they will be in a more receptive state. Such people often in their speech also use such phrases like, “It really paints a weird picture. It doesn’t look like.., it looks to me like…” These people will also be affected by the presentation of the one delivering the speech, that is, their appearance. That is why the Prime Leader needs to look presentable, dressed in a dignified way. How serious do you think you look in a pair of blue jeans? Because of this, you will notice that the majority of great leaders that were liked most by people were even handsome or beautiful. A lot of people fall into this category.

The next group of people are primarily auditory. This means that they respond a lot more to communication that has to do with hearing. The Prime leader will use phrases like, “Does it ring a bell when…, Do you hear my….” These people are those that also use the same statements in their regular speech. When such statements are used, they are put in a receptive state where they are more likely to connect with the speaker. Poetic language and melodic speech will go a long way in reaching these people because they really pay a lot of attention to words. They will appreciate the speaker who has a smooth flow of words and connects his ideas systematically. There are many people also who fall into this category. I happen to be one of these and maybe that is why I love the part whey Martin Luther King started describing his dream in a somewhat poetic manner, repeating “I have a dream….”

The third group of people are those who primarily access information via the kinesthetic route. This are those who like to feel things. Once they feel something, they are more receptive to take in or learn the particular thing. The Prime Leader will use statements like, “I feel like…, can you feel my..?” These people will often use statements like, “It feels like.., I feel like…” The route of feeling is the key to these peoples emotions and their understanding. These people will appreciate the coherent demonstration of emotion consistent with the issue being discussed. They are also sensitive to incongruence, where the speaker is saying one thing but his gestures are not in agreement with those things. It is like saying “Yes”, while your head is shaking. This shows that the speaker is not believing what he is saying.

All these groups of people are found in the same audience. The Prime Leader deliberately addresses each one of them in their particular way in the same speech. He will address emotional issues, paint powerful vibrant pictures and use the kind of words that flow and are accompanied by the relevant gestures. When this is done, the audience connect at a personal level with the speaker and buy into his message. Jesus often used parables where he painted pictures that were relevant to the people’s current situation. He used simple words that every man could understand, yet his message was always powerful. He literally addressed the emotions of people by giving them hope and healing the sick. Paul the apostle used words that were truly amazing. Passages of his letters like Ephesians 1 and 4 are power packed chapters that demonstrate the use of words.

Choose today to train yourself in your speaking skill. Your influence is directly affected by your ability to communicate effectively. If you are unable of communicate what you see, feel, taste, hear and smell inside of yourself to other people, then they will not be as motivated as you are, which means they will not be sold out to your vision as you are. Even the most terrible leaders like Hitler were able to motivate their followers by the power of their communication. You too can be the Prime Leader. You are the Prime Leader in the making. You have it all in you, you just need to work at it.

Affirmation: I am an effective communicator. I control the words that I speak and I use them to reach all people effectively.

It probably is more common to find leaders who want to remain the cream of society, separated from the average man and intent on keeping things that way. These leaders make the effort to make sure they remain on top of the” food chain” in their organizations with a wide gap existing between them and the rest of the people. Common as it is, it remains an ineffective way of leading people. Until you make leaders, you are not yet a leader. Leaders make leaders, their philosophy rubs on to those around them and they intentionally ensure that. This takes an attitude of security in the leader, knowing that his identity is not threatened by those around him becoming more like him and more able to do the things that he does. He knows that “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above his lord. It is enough for the disciple to become as his teacher, and the slave as his lord.” – Matthew 10:24,25a.

Jesus said to his disciples in John 15:15, “I no longer call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his lord does. But I called you friends, because all things which I heard from My Father I made known to you.” This is the attitude of a leader. He showed them all things that the Father showed him. Wow! No wonder he was confident to leave them in charge; eleven men with whom he had walked for three years. In that period Jesus had imparted all that was necessary for them to take the reigns and establish God’s Kingdom in the whole world. The only missing ingredient was the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised them would come to empower them. No wonder Acts 4:18 reads, “But beholding the boldness of Peter and John, and having perceived that they are untaught and uneducated men, they marvelled. And they recognized them, that they were with Jesus”

Consider David’s mighty men. They were a bunch of men who had nothing much to look forward to in life. I believe they never imagined they would be recorded as mighty men whom people would continue to read about until today (2 Samuel 23:8-39). “And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel, a son of a mighty man, great in deeds; he killed two lionlike men of Moab. And he went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit in a day of snow.” – 2 Samuel 23:20. Does this not sound like David who affirming himself in God said, ” Your servant has struck both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, for he has reproached the armies of the living God.” David the giant slayer raised mighty men who also became giant slayers.

Success without a successor is not success at all. This is not only in reference to a biological heir, but every vision should be large enough that there are people who have been raised to run with it just as well or better than the original visionary. Those who had vision that were not of God were made examples by Gamaliel the Pharisee when he said, “For before this there was Theudas, who said he was someone important, to whom about four hundred men gave their support: he was put to death, and his band was broken up and came to nothing. After this man, there was Judas of Galilee, at the time of the numbering, and some of the people went after him: he was put to death, and all his supporters were put to flight.” This is what happens when there is no anointing or empowerment given to disciples. When the vision is not God given, not effectively imparted and not birthed in love.

The sign of life is replication. Multiplication is the mark of progress. In Genesis 1:28a we read, “And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply.” In John 15:2 Jesus said, “Every branch in Me not bearing fruit, He takes it away; and each one bearing fruit, He prunes, so that it may bear more fruit.” Every tree produces fruit after its kind. The tree that does not produce fruit is not fulfilling its purpose. “And seeing afar off a fig tree having leaves, He went toward it, if perhaps He would find anything on it. And coming on it, He found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season of figs. And answering, Jesus said to it, Let no one eat fruit of you any more to the age. And His disciples heard. And passing along early, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. And remembering, Peter said to Him, Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” Mark 11:13-14, 20,21. God is interested in fruitfulness. Leaders ought to produce leaders.

Affirmation: I allow others to learn from me. I know that their competence does not affect my security, significance or self worth.

When any leader gathers up a group of people around him, he has a vision (under normal circumstances). For some, it is an idea they have had playing in their minds over and over and now they come to the part where they act towards it. The smarter ones have written it down clearly and have a clearer picture of where they are going. The excellent ones have not only written it down, but have visualized it vividly in their minds and experienced the reality of the achieved goal. They have seen it, felt it, tasted it, heard it and smelt it. They have practically visited the achieved goal and are now affirming themselves around that goal. They are already giving thanks to God for the achievement and absolutely excited about bringing into physical reality what they have seen in their spirits.

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have wherewith to complete it? Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, as he goeth to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and asketh conditions of peace.” – Luke 14:28-32.

Taking the step of building a team around himself, the Prime leader realizes that if he will achieve what he needs to achieve, his team will need to vibrate at the same frequency as himself. The people in the team need to own the vision just as much as he does. They need to have the same kind of excitement that will propel them in the same direction as the leader. Without being able to see that vision, the team will cast off restraint and everyone will pursue their own agenda. Imagine having a football team where one wants to show off their juggling skill, someone else wants to dribble around everyone, the other wants to show off his ability to shoot from long range! That team will not go far. We have seen it with our national team that comprises of stars playing in the premier leagues in competitive countries. When they come together and are not in camp together for long enough, they will put up a terrible show. The team needs to shoot towards the same goal.

The leader deliberately paints his picture of the realized goal in colorful and bright pictures. He gives the goal a great desirable sound and a tantalizing feeling. Everyone in the team sees exactly what the leader is seeing and catches the excitement. Some will catch it before others, and those not inspired by that vision will drop out. It is better to have one committed partner than a multitude of self centered hirelings. When one is completely sold out into the vision, they are more motivated by the desire to see it fulfilled than the desire to get paid in monetary terms. When people see the big picture they are more committed because they identify their unique contribution to the ultimate. On the other hand, when one only knows his small portion, he is not aware of the implications of their ineffectiveness.

Once, I was leading a cell group in the city that consisted of around seven people. I knew we were supposed to submit reports every week of our attendance and what we did. I thought it was a burden and sometimes I would pick a day when I would sit down and try to remember what transpired in the last five or six weeks then submit all reports at once. When I attended a certain meeting where it was explained to me how the information is compiled at increasing levels to give feedback to the Senior Pastor of our church, I immediately realized the need for timely submission of reports. I was more diligent in making accurate reports in order to give accurate information now that I knew the relevance of the information to the decision making level of the church. Knowledge brings responsibility. He who knows how will always be at the mercy of him who knows why.

In larger groups, the Prime Leader creates structures that facilitate the flow of information to the lowest level of participants. This flow should include constant sharing of the vision. He casts the organization’s vision and allows all levels to come up with their version of the same vision that applies to their unique department. Each department will own their version that they came up with and as a result, they take full custody of that vision. Everyone at every level understands their unique contribution and are not prepared to be the weakest link because they know the consequence that their malpractice will have on the big picture; the ultimate vision.

Everything else may change, but the vision will remain the same. Changing the vision will confuse the entire organization. Small alterations may be made preferably where the scope of the vision is enlarged. Growth is inspiring, the reverse is death. When ever the team members seem to be slacking, they need to be reminded of the vision again. A systemized way is more effective, where for instance once every month a meeting is held to review progress towards the vision and to adjust course as may be relevant to ensure better progress.

The human mind is a goal seeking organ, and without a goal, it wonders wildly and will find another goal that may not be consistent with the cooperate goal. It is therefore imperative to avail the goal to everyone in order to tap into their creative genius. The Prime leader knows this and wants to elicit the maximum contribution from each person in his team.

Affirmation: My goal is clear in my own mind. I am excited at my goal. I can see, feel, taste, smell and hear everything around my achievement. I can communicate it to anyone with enthusiasm.

The Prime Leader is determined to add value to the people that he/she leads. This requires genuine heartfelt love to be exuded from the leader. An encounter with him will leave the subordinate inspired to do more, give more, and be more valuable. Unfortunately, a lot of leaders see themselves esteemed high up on a pedestal unreachable to the subordinates. They look down upon and talk down their subordinates in a way that breeds a form of fear to resonate within them ultimately suppressing their creativity. The true value of the individual is in their creativity rather than their routine work because anyone can be trained to do a routine task, but creativity is unique to the individual and is only volunteered.

To love the flock is to be concerned of not only the people’s use in the organization but also other areas of their lives that might affect their productivity. The aim of the Prime Leader should be beyond just the productivity of the organization but the ultimate growth of each person that passes through the organization. This means that he should be prepared to allow those people to one day spread their wings and fly. Doing this will often times result in growth rather than depletion of the organization as everyone will want to be a part of that organization that changes people’s lives. No one wants to be a slave, but rather a friend. Slaves work by the clock and down tools as soon as it is time to knock off. Friends stick it out to do what is necessary to achieve the goal. They serve not out of bondage, but out of the mutual love existing between them and their leader.

To love the flock is to appreciate that people are more important than things. It is to create a relationship that allows every person serving in the organization to feel a sense of belonging. The reason why gangs are powerful is that they provide a sense of belonging (families as it were), security and discipline. This is no different from the real family and should not be for an organization. Every family needs a father figure and a mother figure. In my experience, the head of the organization fills the father figure whilst the human resources management fills in the mother figure. The personnel manager does the hiring and makes sure all affairs are well with the employee (a form of birth and nurturing). The leader is the head, running with the vision that he ably imparts into the family.

Love seeks to give, even at the expense of self. Lust seeks to benefit self, even at the expense of others. The leader who operates by lust will soon demotivate everyone as the momentum of lust sucks out everything around him to create a vacuum that inevitably suffocates him into a premature death. A negative osmosis oozes out of his speech and conduct that repels and extinguishes the flame of exuberance from the young talented souls waiting to contribute meaningfully to the good of the organization. Frustration from abuse inevitably drives this human resource away to places where their potential can be tapped. Lust will never benefit, it can only result in detriment.

Being the loving leader does not make him a softy doormat leader. It simply means that he seeks to benefit the subordinate as passionately as he want to benefit himself. The ultimate Prime Leader said:

“The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them: he fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” – John 10:10-15.

From this passage, we see that the leader has the tenacity to face the wolf even to his detriment that he might save the flock. He values the flock immensely and has its best interest at heart.

Balance is the key to life. Loving the flock is not being suicidal. I am not advocating that the leaders become suicide bombers. The principle is to go for win-win scenarios. Often, some leaders go for win-lose first and if the subordinate does not negotiate, the company rips him apart like a kid in the mouth of a lion. Win-win is tougher than either win-lose or lose-win. It is a more mature way of handling business that builds a reputation of trust. Trust is an asset that is also called good-will. Without trust, there can not be a meaningful relationship for you never know when friend will turn around to be foe. Trust is the basic building block for synergy.

“But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13. Seven times the bible records, “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 9:18, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8 – American Standard Version). That’s enough times for each day of the week. It is enough times to show that we ought to love with no end. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” – 1 John 4:7, 8.

Affirmation: I am a Prime Leader and I love all that God has given me stewardship over. I choose to be a good shepherd.