Great followers are great leaders
18 – “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19 – And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 – And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
21 – And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
22 – And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” (Mathew chapter 4 verses 18 to 22)
When it comes to leadership, there is no short cut to becoming a leader who will transform society
There is never a great leader who was never a great follower. There is no controversy about the impact of being a genuine follower. It on the account to follow that one will develop and stir up the right mental attitude to become. Followership is so important in the art to becoming an effective leader, that is why the greatest of all time leader our Lord and Master Jesus Christ asked them to follow Him.
The greatest art to becoming an effective leader is never learnt, the greatest art to becoming an effective leader is caught. Everyone was born to lead, but anyone who desires to lead effectively must learn to the art to follow. When it comes to leadership, there is no short cut to becoming a leader who will transform society. There is a process to becoming a transformational leader.
But one thing significant about the whole process of leadership and playing politics for four years, is that politics is never a dirty game but it takes individual to make it a dirty game
I remembered my days in campus where I joined school politics two weeks of my resumption. I never came into the campus with the mindset to play politics but there I was. It was a wonderful moment all through my stay in campus. Having the capacity to lead my department as the president was a remarkable achievement and success as we worked hard to make our department a bit better than we met it.
There were so much tribulation during the process to become the president of Geology and Mining department Enugu State University of Science and Technology. Geology and Mining was the toughest department in the whole campus as of the time. Those who are familiar with our campus can testify to that. But one thing significant about the whole process of leadership and playing politics for four years, is that politics is never a dirty game but it takes individual to make it a dirty game.
There we are taught the art of effective followership through discipline
It is those who are dirty at heart are those who make politics a dirty game. Politics is never a game to elect those who will have the opportunity to pollute the entire society with the state of their heart. Politics is good and it is beautiful when people played it with clear conscience. When people are with the mindset to serve and transform the society, they will thereby live to make the society a better place than they met it.
I did not join politics for fun or to answer an ex president, I joined campus politics because there was need for change and transformation. I was a follower and I am still following. From my childhood to my youthful stage I have always been a member and an officer of boys brigade. There we are taught the art of effective followership through discipline. That is why her pillars is religion which is God’s Word and discipline.
Followership should go with the mission to get one transformed so that he or she can be an agent for transformation
The reason why our society is the way it is today, is because those who long to occupy the position of leadership are never good followers. Yes, some of them will argue it that they were good followers. But the question is, good followers of who and what? Any followers who did not receive wholeness in the art of following never followed right. Followership should go with the mission to get one transformed so that he or she can be an agent for transformation.
Jesus assured them that He will make them fishers of men if only they will diligently follow Him. Who you follow will decide how you will turn out. We can see that everyone that Jesus asked to follow Him were accommodating a wounded heart at the time He met
them, but He promised them that He is going to transform them and make them whole so that they will live to transform lives.
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
It is as disastrous as whatever one may think of when someone with a wounded heart occupies the position of leadership. Such person will end up raising followers with wounded heart. This is the state of many leaders in the world today. This is the leadership style that has crippled my continent Africa and its robbing the destiny of my God given country Nigeria. They were never great followers for transformation.
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs chapter 29 verses 2)
Conclusion:
“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mathew chapter 4 verses 19)
The world at large will be a great place for habitations when those with the sincere heart of followership occupy the position of leadership. It is paramount to have those who sincerely follow to develop the right heart to lead effectively. On the account of Apostle Paul, he made it obvious that will he is a great leader, he is also a great follower.
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (1Corianthians chapter 11 verses 1)
