How To Think Big

The tendency for so many people to think small means there is much less competition than you think for a very rewarding career.

Where success is concerned, people are not measured in inches or pounds or college degrees, or family background; people are been measured by the size of their thinking. How big we think determines the size of our accomplishments. Now let’s see how we can enlarge our thinking.

Ever ask yourself, “What is my greatest weakness?” Probably the greatest human weakness is self-deprecation-that is, selling oneself very cheap. Self-deprecation shows through in countless ways. Mr. Ali sees a job advertisement in the paper; it’s exactly what he would like to do. But he does nothing about it because he thinks, “I’m not good enough for the job, so why bother?” or Mr. Obi wants a date with Miss Chioma, but he doesn’t call her because he thinks he wouldn’t rate with her.

Philosophers for thousands of years have issued good advice: know thyself. But most people, it seems, interpret this suggestion to mean know only thy negative self. Most self-evaluation consists of making long mental lists of one’s faults, shortcomings, inadequacies.

It’s well to know our inabilities, for this shows us areas in which we can improve. But if we know only our negative characteristics, we’re in a mess. Our value is small. 

Here is an exercise to help you measure your true size

• Determine your five chief assets. Invite some objective friend to help-possibly your wife, your superior, a professor-some intelligent person who will give you an honest opinion. (Examples of assets frequently listed are education, experience, technical skills, appearance, well-adjusted home life, attitudes, personality, initiative.)
• Next, under each asset, write the names of three persons you know who have achieved large success but who do not have this asset to as great a degree as you.

When you have completed this exercise, you will find you outrank many successful people on at least one asset.

There is only one conclusion you can honestly reach: you are bigger than you think you are. So fit your thinking to your true size. Think as big as you really are! Never, never, never sell yourself short.

Study and Evaluate Yours Leaders

Our culture teaches us to be impressed by leaders by power, academicals degrees, and/or wealth, thinking that those characteristics add up great leadership. Yet you most not imagine that your country will remain strong and established if you vote for someone just because you like the way he speaks or looks, or even if you approve of some of his accomplishments.

Before you follow anyone, you must know what that person truly believes and on what path he is taking you. You might find out too late that you don’t want to go where he is going. I encourage you not to place undue confidence on how powerful a leader is or how much knowledge he has or who his mentor was. Continually evaluate what your leaders stand for, as well as the policies they promote. Study their lives and convictions. Discover what they really think and value, and how their beliefs affect their policies.

Ask yourself questions such as these about individual leaders:

• Does he still have the same convictions that inspired me to follow him in the beginning?
• Does he share my beliefs and values?
• Does he demonstrate that he has ethical standards?
• What is his vision of life?
• What is his attitude toward other human beings?
• What does he see as the future of this company/organization/community/nation?
• What direction does he think the world should be taking?

Even if a leader’s beliefs seem good, you must still observe his life to see if his words and actions are consistent – if he lives according to his stated convictions.

 

If the Blind Lead the Blind...

I consider Jesus of Nazareth to be the greatest leader in history, and He warned, “If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Note that the blind leader doesn’t fall into the pit by himself. Both he and the blind man whom he is leading fall into it together. We have to make sure our eyes are fully open, so that we will know where our leaders are taking us, and can avert potential disaster. We must not allow ourselves to fall into a pit with them.

Moreover, since we are all leaders or aspiring leaders in our unique areas of gifting, we have a responsibility to those whose lives we influence. That is why it is essential for us to understand the priority of character before we move on to the other aspects of leadership. We might understand many of the keys and principles necessary for being a leader but, at the same time, embrace a negative or destructive philosophy that will undermine our leadership and hurt our followers.

Leadership influence is a powerful instrument, and must always be aware of its potential to bring either good or harm to others. Leader without character demonstrate power devoid of principles; they often manipulates people to achieve their own ends. But true leaders have a commitment to ethics and principles; they build up others and offer them a better life.

The Distinguishing Marks of a True Leader

People are looking for leaders who have the qualities to lead them. In the progression of leadership development, the stage in which one develops conviction is key for leaders if they are to move from the recognition of their purpose to establishing a solid foundation for becoming a genuine leader. It is not enough to know that you have a special gift that will give you a unique place in the world. You must be able to serve that gift in accordance with ethical principles that you are committed to follow as you pursue your vision.

Conviction and character are therefore the distinguishing marks of a true leader. They are what separate those who merely have titles, positions, and talents from those who make a positive difference in their families, communities, and nations – from those who make history, changing the course of human events for the better.

Consequently, the twenty-first-century leader must not seek only to find his purpose or to develop his vision. He must also desire to be introduced-or reintroduced- to ethical principles, and he must commit to developing character throughout his lifetime, demonstrating his trustworthiness to those who follow him.

Our attitudes and motivations always correspond to our character.

• Leadership, and the gift that enable it, are inherent endowments. 
• Leadership is not about gaining followers, but it is about pursuing purpose.
• Leadership is not about manipulating people, but it is about inspiring people
• Leadership is not about having power over people but it is about empowering people
• Leadership is not about controlling other, but it is about serving them.
• Leadership is not about doing, but it is about becoming a person of noble aspirations.

The Purpose of a Great Leader

Leadership is not exercised simply by implementing techniques or methods, by using one’s skills, or by exhibiting a particular management style. It is the expression of a mind-set resulting from the Knowledge of who you were born to be.  

We live our lives based on who we think we are and why we think we exist.  Therefore, our leadership development to this point has been influenced by our sense of the significance of life and our relationship to it.

Discovering Your Inherent Purpose
A true leader recognizes that he has a special purpose for being in the world. That purpose determines the area of leadership in which he is to serve. His recognition of his particular purpose is not an indication of undue pride. Rather, it is a realistic assessment of his gift and strengths.

Every person on earth is meant to exercise leadership in a particular area of gifting .one of the gift we can contribute to the world and/or the problem we were born to solve.

This process involves asking ourselves question such as these:

• What are my talents?
• What would I like to do with my life?
• What do I most enjoy doing?
• What has been my lifelong dream?
• What idea  do I have  that refuses to go away or keeps recurring in my mind
• What have I always wanted to do but never thought I would be able to?
• What injustices make me so angry that I must do something to alleviate them?

King Solomon, the wisest and the richest man of his day, said, “Aman’s gift makes room for him. Your unique gift will make room for you in the world, opening doors of opportunity, While drawing the help and resource you need to fulfill your purpose. 

Internally Motivated

Perhaps you have been using your gift to some extent but haven’t really applied it with a sense of personal purpose.  Or, maybe you have been burying your dream, settling for a lesser existence. You may already be very accomplished in a certain field but secretly wish you were doing something different with your life.

If you pursue your true purpose, you will be internally motivated to exercise your inherent gift. In contrast, if you do something you were not born to do, you will have to make an effort to perform it. Maintaining your leader position or your job will become a burden and drain on you. 

When someone is in the wrong place, he sometimes has to prop himself up with a surplus of support people and resource. But when he finds the place for which he was born, his life begins to flow naturally. He no longer needs to manufacture motivation, because he can’t wait to start each day and initiate the next step that will bring him closer to seeing his purpose fulfilled. He’s found what he has been looking for in life. He’s not even motivated by a paycheck, because a true leader has a need to fulfill his purpose, whether or not he receives compensation. Even so he discovered that provision comes when he focuses on serving his gift to the world.

If you hate Monday mornings, if you can’t wait for the weekend to come, then you are a “jet.” But if, after a weekend you are eager to get back to your work (your corporation, artistic endeavors, volunteer activities, and so forth), you are a “bird”­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­- and not just any but an eagle. 

Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls
It can be much more difficult to exercise character in leadership if you are in the wrong field, or position in life. This is because if you have become frustrated and uncertain in your leadership, you may say and do things that are not honest or forthright, for the purpose of protecting your position or keeping your insecurities from being exposed. If you are motivated not by your inherent purpose but by other impulses __a desire for fame, money, and the like __ you will want  to do  whatever it takes to achieve those ends, and characters will take a backseat.

There is vague popular belief that lawyers are necessarily dishonest ….. Let no young man, choosing the law for a calling, for a moment yield to this popular belief. Resolve to be honest at all events; and if, in your own judgment, you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer. Choose some other occupation, rather than one in the choosing of which you do, in advance, consent to be a knave.

The same principle applies to any arena of endeavor. If you know you cannot have good character while pursuing a certain goal or working in a certain field, then you should cease pursuing that goal or vocation and find your true purpose. You should pursue something that you can do with honesty and integrity. Even when we are functioning according to our purpose, we still have to build and maintain our character, but we can avoid some of the ethical pitfalls that spring from wrong motivations, boredom or apathy, and the fear that others will learn our weaknesses.

When you are settled into your purpose, insecurities will begin to melt away. You wear yourself out trying to please other people; you won’t are doing. You will like yourself because you will experience your own inner approval as you fulfill what you were born to do. You will also be freer in opening up to other people as you work together to fulfill mutual purposes.

The primary focus of your leadership, therefore, should not be to lead people –which result will develop naturally. Rather, it should be to discern your true self and to pursue your purpose. By exercising your unique gift, you will discover you’re your leadership and find meaning, fulfillment, and contentment in your work. And the character it takes to sustain your gift and your leadership is what this book is all about.

You were meant to accomplish something that no one else can accomplish. You were born to do something that the world will not be able to ignore. So, diligently seek your gift, purpose, identity, potential and destiny.