Leadership Intergrity (Part 2) - The Power of Vision

“The ability and foresight to capture the picture your future in the palm of your hand, is what I define as vision”3. Your vision of a future situation or society is what you imagine or hope it would be like; if things were very difficult from the way they are now.

For example: “I have a vision of a society that is free of exploitation and injustice! Your vision is your ability to see clearly with your eyes”4. What is vision really?

 PHASE 02

THE POWER OF VISION

Your vision should be your drive. Let me tell this; in your daily endeavors, if nothing motivates to do something or stand for something, you’re living a dangerous life! Like a shaft, your vision gives you a sense of direction and coordination. I am yet to see a car without its driving shaft; that kind of car has not yet been invented. Only through fictions movies, but generally speaking, every car needs a shaft. In the world of leadership, every leader needs a shaft – a driving shaft. Every leader needs a vision. It is a crime, a crime against humanity and divinity for anybody to venture into the hall of leadership without a vision! Posterity will not forgive you, if you try to.

VISION AND AMBITION

Yes, we’ve defined clearly and in clear terms what vision really is, but we’ll move a little further to bring to light an impostor called; ‘ambition’. Ambition has taken on the altar of vision and is now wearing its garment. So many don’t seem to separate the two. Is there any difference between the two? Listen up please.

“It is a crime, a crime against humanity and divinity for anybody to venture into the hall of leadership without a vision! Posterity will not forgive you, if you try to” Are they brother and sister, or do they come from the same village? Well let’s do some little assignment here and see how far, shall we?

AMBITION
“If you have an ambition to achieve something, you want to very much to achieve it”
For instance; “His ambition is to sail around the world”. It is a desire to be successful… and needs a lot of work in order to be successful… to be rich, powerful”.

INSIGHT
Note the following words or phrases please from the above:

• Desire
• Achieve
• Want
• Very much
• A lot of work
• To be
• In order.

What do you think that word/phrase mean to a man of vision and how different is it from ambition? A clear study reveals that:

• Vision – is not about me only.
• Vision – is not concern about ‘want’, but need.
• Ambition – is all about me only.
• Ambition – does not care whether that desire is needful at that moment or not.

Leaders do not act based on ambitions, but they work and operate in accordance to the principles of vision.

• Ambition – kills, it always has a disadvantage.
• Vision – makes a live.
• Vision – does not have a disadvantage, not at all.

Ambition: makes you run so fast in life, and take rash decisions. Now listen to Chris Kwakpovwe: “when you run so fast to get some where, you miss half the fun of getting there”. Vision: creates patience PATIENCE “To be patient is to wait, and many, almost every human being hates to wait” Patience! It is a virtue that every leader must emulate!

Please discuss further, making relevant contributions of real life experiences. An unknown preacher said once and I quote: “When you hurry GOD on any matter, you attract a curse (woe)” The basics and concepts of leadership is the only thing missing in many books written on leadership that I’ve read so far. When you place a cat before a horse; get ready to be a spectator! You must learn to wait. It is necessary!

I was engaged recently in a heart-to-heart discussion with a particular servant of GOD that many people don’t seem to appreciate, but I discovered him to be an interesting personality. Here is what he lamented to me profusely: “I have hurt so many people that I shouldn’t have, made so many enemies that were unnecessary and I’ve been hurt so badly by those I’ve trusted... but I later realized that all that happened because I did not apply patience…” I felt the hurts as he opened up his heart to me at the end of our meeting (around pass 10.pm in the night) he concluded by saying: “Please my dear brother, don’t go through the pains I went through due to my impatience; I know I wasn’t wrong but my impatience had caused me so much pains, waste of time – my precious time, and I had to pay (painfully) in due course”. He added: “Please don’t! Be impatient in life, wait”!

Now, as a leader to be, or if you’re in any position of leadership, please I want you to imbibe this basic quality of leadership. This is my candid advice to you. Be patient in everything. The concept of leadership, cut across every aspect of our human existence. Listen (and discuss) to what Sarah Utterbach said on patience: “Patience is the bridge that carries you from the will of God to the promises of God. If you do the will of God on this side, the promises are waiting for you on the other side, but patience is the bridge that gets you from one side to the other! The key is – bridges come in different lengths!”5

So there is a bridge that connects the will of Jehovah to the fulfillment thereof. And what is that please? Right, Patience!