THE LEADER'S ATTITUDE - PART 2

 THE LEADER'S ATTITUDE - PART 2

ATTITUDE, CHARACTER AND CAPACITY

Psalms 78:72 (AMP)

_"So David shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart; And guided them with his skillful hands"._

From the above scripture, we see vital tools necessary for a true Leader. King David was such a leader who according to the Bible led well; even right from when King Saul was out to destroy him and he had to escape out of the city with some hundreds; every step of the way He showed us what it meant to be a true leader. The Leadership of David had to do with the three concepts we are looking at today: Attitude, Character, and Capacity. As a leader, one should not lack in any of these three vital requirements if he wants to lead well and have his people follow well. You are not just leading to lead well; you lead to have your followers follow well. This was the same way it was for David. We see from scriptural account; he had the respect of the men and women that were under him.

David's leadership had to do with his heart(character), discernment(Attitude) and with his hands(capacity); as we saw it in the pilot verse. The Heart defines the character of man. Because it is popularly said man is a product of his thoughts, whether it is his character, his beliefs or what he holds in high esteem. We all are products of our thoughts. Where then do these thoughts come from? They are a reflection from our hearts. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). Your heart - Your thoughts - Your Character. Also we see in him (King David); these things did not just stop at the level of the integrity of His heart, the Bible made us understand he showed it in his actions - "his Attitude" (he guided them with the skillfulness of his hands). The last part "skillful hands" tells us in every sense that for a leader to lead well, skills are necessary. If as a leader, you are lacking in the necessary skills to having a successful leadership; you cannot lead successfully. All these above are very important for us as they form the framework of Leadership and also it's sustenance. Leadership becomes meaningless and useless without the aforementioned. To everyone you have acclaimed being a leader, make sure you check for these vital components.

Let us take a more closer look into these concepts:

To have integrity of heart means to be complete or undivided in your heart. Integrity simply means oneness i.e. you are what you say you are. Looking expressly at the life of Jesus Christ, He lived his life in all integrity. He never at any time compromised His words or deeds. He was truthful even in his dealings with the very untruthful fellows.  As leaders, we have this commandment also to be like Him. Every leader who wants success will always want to walk in the footsteps of the successful ones before him. Christ's life shows us all these; therefore it is expedient we live like He did. Man is made up of the spirit, soul and body. Incorporating all these parts in integrity is vital. Understanding them and bringing them into unity is key to what we call integrity of heart.

For Attitude, this is what brings you to Leadership while, Capacity is what makes you a true leader. Character on the other hand, sustains you. For every leader to be sustained in leadership, he must build his character or work on his character because character is the real you.Discernment reflects in your attitude; in your actions. It reflects in your perspective, how you look at things or look into things. According to the Oxford dictionary: Discernment is the ability to distinguish between things or the ability to perceive differences that exist. Discernment is a form Attitude takes, which is the state of the mind. It is also the manner in which we see situations and respond to them i.e our belief system. Attitude is the ability to discern a solution in a problem. What brings you to leadership is your ability to discern a solution in a problem and the willingness to set out to solve the problem. The Bible in Proverbs 18:15b (NIV) "the heart of the discerning acquires knowledge". A leader is fearless because of Knowledge - he knows something. Knowledge is what makes the heart to discern. Right knowledge, Right discernment. The power of leadership is their belief and attitude.

Skillfulness of hands can be likened to capacity. It is also important to recognize this basic leadership skill. Every leader must give room to capacity building. Capacity building is what moulds a leader into leadership shape. King David's leadership was questioned by his skills in five major areas:

✓listening skills;

✓communication skills;

✓management skills;

✓learning from failure;

✓raising up other leaders.

As leaders, we are to grow in capacity, build more, acquire skills, be efficient in them; as they are building blocks for our Effective Leadership.

TO BE CONTINUED

Thank you

The Men That Lead

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