School Of Leadership

Leadership Truth You Have Not Heard

2013-03-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

Since the inception of business, organizations have searched for clues to help identify and select successful leaders. They have searched for men and women of vision with that rare combination of traits that help them serve as motivator, business driver, and authority figure. The concept of leadership has been widely observed and frequently studied, but a thorough understanding of what defines successful leadership has always remained just out of reach. I wanted to find the answer(s) to the age-old question, "What makes a great leader?" After studying the behavioral attributes of thousands of business leaders, the resulting data could reveal commonalities that define strong leadership. What similar patterns or behaviors might possibly be found over and over again? By forming a concise "leadership recipe," the never-ending search for quality leaders could finally be simplified to a standardized set of characteristics that might help predict successful leadership in any organization. But could science and behavioral psychology be successfully applied to extract these leadership "revelations" from the data? I centered my investigation on 30 behavioral leadership models that were used across 24 unique companies encompassing 4,512 business leaders from all performance levels. These companies included several from the Fortune 500 list. Each of the 30 leadership models was analyzed to identify the most common behaviors that differentiate higher-performing leaders from low-performing leaders. The findings compiled from this data set revealed new evidence that must serve as a foundational piece of every leadership hiring or training endeavor. Expectations of the Study Leadership is a concept that is difficult to capture. You know it when you see it, but it is difficult to quantify. The components of leadership are often examined and observed, but the ability to predict successful leadership has thus far avoided the confines of a repeatable recipe. Many approaches have been used in an attempt to document commonalities among successful leaders, but only with mixed results at best. Taking a new approach to the issue, I set out to study the behavioral characteristics of successful leaders in comparison to leaders of lower performance levels. The two main objectives of this study were: To identify the three most important behaviors that are predictive of leadership performance. To identify the level or degree of the three most common behaviors that are predictive of leadership performance. Behavioral Leadership Models Before discussing the study findings, it is important to lay the groundwork of this study using the behavioral leadership model. The behavioral leadership model is the cornerstone to this research study since it is designed to capture the behavioral preferences of successful leaders currently working in the position. Essentially, the behavioral leadership model captures the unique combination of behaviors that predicts success. Each unique model was created using the same methodology, but the customization was made possible by using performance data related to a specific position. To create a behavioral leadership model, each organization used the following three-step process. Define Success-Traditionally, leadership success is determined by education, experience, potential, or other non-performance related measures. For this study, success was determined by actual performance on the job. We want to better understand the behaviors of the real leaders who produce results on a daily basis.

What You Need to Know About Leadership

2013-03-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

Executive Summary Since the inception of business, organizations have searched for clues to help identify and select successful leaders. They have searched for men and women of vision with that rare combination of traits that help them serve as motivator, business driver, and authority figure. The concept of leadership has been widely observed and frequently studied, but a thorough understanding of what defines successful leadership has always remained just out of reach. I wanted to find the answer(s) to the age-old question, "What makes a great leader?" After studying the behavioral attributes of thousands of business leaders, the resulting data could reveal commonalities that define strong leadership. What similar patterns or behaviors might possibly be found over and over again? By forming a concise "leadership recipe," the never-ending search for quality leaders could finally be simplified to a standardized set of characteristics that might help predict successful leadership in any organization. But could science and behavioral psychology be successfully applied to extract these leadership "revelations" from the data? I centered my investigation on 30 behavioral leadership models that were used across 24 unique companies encompassing 4,512 business leaders from all performance levels. These companies included several from the Fortune 500 list. Each of the 30 leadership models was analyzed to identify the most common behaviors that differentiate higher-performing leaders from low-performing leaders. The findings compiled from this data set revealed new evidence that must serve as a foundational piece of every leadership hiring or training endeavor. Expectations of the Study Leadership is a concept that is difficult to capture. You know it when you see it, but it is difficult to quantify. The components of leadership are often examined and observed, but the ability to predict successful leadership has thus far avoided the confines of a repeatable recipe. Many approaches have been used in an attempt to document commonalities among successful leaders, but only with mixed results at best. Taking a new approach to the issue, I set out to study the behavioral characteristics of successful leaders in comparison to leaders of lower performance levels. The two main objectives of this study were: To identify the three most important behaviors that are predictive of leadership performance. To identify the level or degree of the three most common behaviors that are predictive of leadership performance. Behavioral Leadership Models Before discussing the study findings, it is important to lay the groundwork of this study using the behavioral leadership model. The behavioral leadership model is the cornerstone to this research study since it is designed to capture the behavioral preferences of successful leaders currently working in the position. Essentially, the behavioral leadership model captures the unique combination of behaviors that predicts success. Each unique model was created using the same methodology, but the customization was made possible by using performance data related to a specific position. To create a behavioral leadership model, each organization used the following three-step process. Define Success-Traditionally, leadership success is determined by education, experience, potential, or other non-performance related measures. For this study, success was determined by actual performance on the job. We want to better understand the behaviors of the real leaders who produce results on a daily basis. To keep the study focused on leadership productivity, each company defined success based on their business practices, and their leaders were evaluated on their ability to produce the desired business results. Those who did not produce the desired outcomes were considered ineffective leaders while others who produced the desired results were considered successful leaders. Each organization utilized specific performance data captured from those leaders actively engaged in the leadership role. The types of performance data collected ranged from subjective data (i.e., performance evaluations, soft achievement ratings, etc.) to objective data (i.e., store sales, percent to plan, profit metrics, etc.). Use a Behavioral Assessment-The objective in this step is to capture the behavioral preferences of each leader (across all levels of success). The leaders in each organization were assessed using a behavioral assessment tool that measured 38 core behaviors. The 38 behaviors provided insight into the deeper motivations and preferences of each leader. Build a Leadership Model-To create the leadership model, the behavioral assessment data was combined with the performance data for each leadership role. The result was a behavioral depiction of successful leadership across 38 behaviors. The leadership model determined how important each dimension was when compared to all 38 behaviors. Understanding the importance provides insight into the comparative ability of each behavior in predicting leadership performance. Equally as important is the degree in which the dimension needs to exist (ex: "high" Attention to Detail, "medium" Assertiveness, or "low" Insight into Others). The degree of a behavior will greatly affect leadership in terms of productivity, communication, and many other leadership activities. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4676216

Leadership Development Logic

2013-02-16T06:53:00.002-08:00

As we go through the leadership and development series, I will be going through all of the diverse mindsets, principles & habits of people that have achieved success, as well as the real skills you can build up so you can take this information and utilize it out in the real world.

Leadership and Development Principle: The more we can see, the more options are accessible to us.

Since our beginning, humanity has continuously been on a constant journey to grow in awareness about the world we live in so we can make better decisions, we have even found a way to design tools so we can notice more of what we have available to us, from utilizing hot-air balloons in the Civil War, to satellites used today. As technology has moved forward, so has the ability to view things from a better, elevated perspective.

Just like when you are struggling with a situation, merely taking a step away and looking at the problem from another perspective can be enough to help move your thinking to a higher state of mind. It's tough to observe a way around a brick wall when it's literally 3 inches in front of you. All you have to do, if it's possible, back away from it. Detach yourself from it for a moment and allow your mind have a rest & come up for air. Just letting your mind that time to refresh will allow you to spot all kinds of creative possibilities that you were blind to before.

Using this simple leadership and development tactic can also make us really think about what we're really trying to accomplish, and possibly re-evaluate if where we're going is really a good place to be. This can be a critical moment that can help you correct course or move on to a more valuable goal.

Heroes become heroes when they learn to look at situations from an elevated position. This allows them to see new solutions to old problems, and alternative paths as opposed to dead ends. Do just this, and you will find alternate routes to your destination where before there were only dead ends. There will always be more than one path to your goal. Through creativity, patience and persistence you will find a way to bring your dream into reality.

Leadership and Development Principle: Persistence Can Conquer All

"Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never." -Winston Churchill

Make a resolute decision to decline to surrender. When you choose to keep going in the face of your circumstances, life has a tendency to celebrate our decision by meeting us halfway. New options seem to show up out of nowhere. Things we never saw before tend to spring to life.

You might get refused 1,009 times, but if you stay steady in your vision, your goals & dreams in the end someone will say yes to you. and then another, and then another. You can win merely by refusing to quit.

You may have a multimillion dollar vision floating around between your ears, and what will ultimately make that idea come to life is your unconditional determination to see your goal through to the end, and keep working until you get what you want. Sheer determination makes or breaks us.

The Characteristics of Good Leadership

2011-11-29T09:22:00.001-08:00

Introduction
Some leaderships have been characterized as good and have been used as challenges for others to emulate. This description however raises an obvious question: upon what criteria were these leadership characterized as good? It is certain that some leaders, whose leadership does not fall within this category, have good qualities that others can emulate. For this reason it is important not only to know that a leadership has been characterized as good but also to know the characteristics that qualifies it as good. According to Anthony D'souza, leadership involves an inter-relationship between three elements:
(a) The quality skills and needs of the followers
(b) The need and expectations of the group
(c) The demands or requirements of the situation.1
It can be observed from what D'souza has said that the first element deals with the personality of the leader; the second, his followers and the third, the task to be accomplished.
On the basis of what has been said the characteristics of good leadership will be identified under the following headings:-
(a) The personal characteristics of the leader
(b) The characteristics of the followers
(c) The leader's task or mission. Selected leaders in the Bible, whose leaderships
have been classified as good will form the basis of this presentation.
(a) The Personal Characteristics of the Leader
It can be observed from scriptures that God was very selective in choosing leaders for specific tasks. God specifically chose Nehemiah to spearhead the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall; Moses to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt; Paul, to pioneer missionary work to the Gentiles and David, whose kinship would have a lasting dynasty, to replace Saul. These men certainly had qualities that were essential for good leadership. God recognized these qualities in them as potentials when He chose them.
In this section some of the qualities of leaders mentioned above will be discussed in a more general way. The goal is to show that it has been recognized that the good personal qualities of leaders, when applied to leadership are characteristics of good leadership.
Nehemiah
In reflecting on the book of Nehemiah, John White said that "the book of Nehemiah serves primarily to unfold for us part of God's on-going plan for his people. But always it is the man, his character and his leadership that holds my interest".2 Two important things stand out from John White's evaluative statement about Nehemiah's leadership that are characteristic of good leadership. The first is the character and conduct of Nehemiah himself as a leader and the second, is his leadership ability. White further commended that probably one of the reasons why Nehemiah was chosen as a cupbearer was because of a well-trained personal quality like that of a stable character. Such well-trained stable character was not just the effort of Nehemiah alone. This can be seen in the following statement - "God used Nehemiah's active prayer life to mold him into a godly leader".3 As a godly leader, Nehemiah was dependent upon God from whom he received his personal support and encouragement, which motivated him enough to succeed. Nehemiah achieved his ministry goal and his leadership has been characterized as good. His good character and conduct and his demonstration of leadership abilities were personal characteristics of his leadership, which made him succeed.
Moses
Moses' childhood training as an adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter was tailored towards leadership. The incidence, which led to his escape from Egypt, revealed that he recognized his leadership qualities before God called him to leadership. However, it took 40 years from the time of his escape from Egypt, before God called him to leadership. Joyce Peel observed that Moses learns how to be a shepherd. Long years of looking after sheep taught him the patience he was to need as leader of the cantankerous children of Israel.4 This observation by Joyce Peel shows that the personal quality of patience in Moses' life was a characteristic of his good leadership. This quality was made evident in the life of Moses through the great challenges he faced as a leader over Israel. One example was when he came down from Mount Sinai and found the people worshiping the golden calf. He smashed the tablet inscribed with God's commandment, and, with a rousing cry, 'who is on the Lord's side?', summons the faithful Levites to a massacre.5 The next day he reproaches the people and then brokenhearted, goes back up the mountain to plead for their forgiveness.6
Patience was not the only personal quality that Moses had. But it has been used to show that good personal qualities, when applied to leadership, bring about positive results. Therefore, good personal qualities are characteristics of good leadership.
Paul
Paul made great achievements in the ministry God called him to. Achievements should however be seen as pointers to personal abilities or qualities that a leader has that made him to succeed. What then were those qualities in Paul that made him to succeed? First it would be important to look at some of the achievements that Paul made. He made remarkable impact in his missionary work and also in his writing. John Stott observed that thirteen letters ascribed to Paul in our New Testament form almost exactly one quarter of the whole New Testament. It was the rediscovery of the theology of Paul which led to the reformation of the sixteenth century, that theological revolution which prompted an upheaval within the Roman Catholic Church and led to the birth of all the present day Protestant Churches.7 Paul's educational background gave him this advantage. It should not go unnoticed that this great apostle used all that he had personally achieved in his formative years in his leadership role. Making use of his personal qualities in bringing about positive results in his leadership was a characteristic of Paul's good leadership.
David
According to Ted W. Engstrom, David the second king of Israel was a striking contrast to Saul, the first king.8 This was because of his noble, generous and admirable qualities he demonstrated in his leadership. This comparison indicates that David's leadership was not only better than Saul's but his leadership can be characterized as good. John C. Maxwell also compared the two leaders. In answer to a question, which he posed - 'Why did Saul fail as Israel's king while David, who appeared to be weaker succeed?' he said that it was because of David's attitude. Unlike Saul, David tried to become a better leader.9 It is clear from these two authors that David's personal qualities, especially that of his attitude to always be a better leader were characteristics of his good leadership. Having the qualification or qualities is one thing, but applying them in one's leadership role is quite another. David applied his leadership qualities in leading and made an impact as a leader.
The Characteristics of the Followers
Some of the characteristics of good leadership can be identified with the followers. Before identifying these characteristics, it would be helpful to examine some definitions of leadership, to be reminded of the relationship between leaders and followers. According to Oswald Sanders, leadership is influence. It is the ability of one person to influence others to follow his or her lead. Ted W. Enngstrom defines leadership with just two words - 'leaders lead'. Myron Rush also gave a definition of leadership and his definition of leadership as 'leader reproducing himself on the followers'. These definitions point to the relationship between leaders and followers but most significantly, what they considered to be the goal of the relationship. Oswald Sanders and Engstrom focus on the aspect of following. This focus identifies one of the characteristics of a good leadership - willing followers. If one gives consideration to D'souza's point cited in the introduction, that one of the elements of leadership is 'the needs and expectations of the group', it follows that one reason why people will willingly follow their leader is because their needs and expectations are met. Another characteristic can be identified from Myron Rush's definition - making leader out of followers, there is a guarantee of the continuity of that ministry. The four leaders, Nehemiah, Moses, Paul and David, whose leaderships have been classified as good, will now be used as test case to identify the two characteristics.
Nehemiah
When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem from Susa, he first personally assessed the situation of Jerusalem's destruction. Afterwards he called the people and shared his vision. The Bible stated that the people responded to Nehemiah (see Neh. 2:8). This shows clearly that from the start of his mission Nehemiah had willing followers. They were willing to follow because they realize that the vision was good and that some of their needs as a community will be met. Maxwell noted that the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt because of Nehemiah's ability to work with people and lead them where they need to go.10 This shows that Nehemiah had willing followers.
In addition Nehemiah gave recognition to subordinate leaders as he delegated responsibilities to them. This, as he said, opens the leadership potentials for others.11 Therefore one can rightly say that Nehemiah not only had willing followers but also leaders were reproduced under his ministry.
Moses
When Moses returned to Egypt to set the Israelites free, they were at first excited. But when Moses made their situation worse they were no longer excited about freedom. However, by the end of the ninth plague they had realized that Moses was God's servant sent to deliver them. They followed Moses' instructions in observing the Passover and then willingly followed him as he led them out of Egypt.
There is also scriptural evidence that leaders were produced under Moses' leadership. One example is that of Joshua, who replaced him. Joshua who had been the personal assistant of Moses was mentored by Moses to become a leader. Moses' leadership therefore had the characteristics of willing followers and that of reproducing leaders.
Paul
Even when he was "Paul the aged", he remained the model and leader of a group of dynamic young men. The affection he kindled in his followers' heart was mirrored in the tears that flowed when he told them they would see him no more (Acts 20: 36-38).12 Sanders revealed in the passage cited above that the apostle Paul's leadership had the characteristics of willing followers. His ministry had great impact in the lives of many, who were also not willing to exchange his leadership for another.
Like the Lord Jesus, Paul invested his life on a few people because he expected much from them. These were the people he took on his missionary journeys. Two of the people, Timothy and Titus became leaders of local Churches. Therefore, like Moses, Paul's leadership had the characteristics of willing followers and that of producing leaders.
David
David rose to fame when he killed Goliath, the Philistine giant. Eugene H. Merrill, commenting on David's victory reserved that with his rising popularity among the people came a deterioration of his relationship with Saul, for the king became insanely jealous of Israel's new hero.13 It is obvious that David had a large following. People followed him because of the potential they saw in him. They recognized him as a great leader, even before official recognition was given to him.
David ruled Israel for approximately 40 years and by the time he was stepping down as king, Solomon, his son had already been groomed for that position. So, like Nehemiah, Moses and Paul, David's leadership was characterized by willing followers and the producing of leaders.
(c) The leader's task or commission
It can be observed from scripture that God always give a specific task or mission to every person he calls to leadership. Some of the characteristics of good leadership can be identified in the way the leaders set out to accomplish their task or mission. There are two things that are of primary importance to how a leader accomplishes his task. These are his vision and his style of leadership. A leader's vision and style of leadership can be characteristics of both good and bad leadership. However, in this section the purpose is to shoe how these two characteristics can be characteristics of good leadership.
According to John Haggai, a vision is important because it is a key factor in successful leadership.14 A leader can have a good vision and yet his vision does not contribute in any way to make his leadership good. Haggai points out what a leader needs to do to make his vision a contributing characteristic to good leadership. First, he says that both leaders and followers must grasp the vision. It is the leader's responsibility to help the followers understand the vision and accept it. Second, both leader and followers must commit themselves to act on the vision. This action involves designing a goal program to fulfill the vision. In this way both the leader and followers are prepared to face difficulties and eliminate obstacles. It is in this way that a vision can be a characteristic of good leadership.15
The other aspects mentioned that can be a characteristic of a good leadership is the style of leadership. Leadership styles have been given different classification by authors. Anthony D'souza classified leadership styles in a continuum in which one end is described as task-oriented and the other as relationship-oriented.16 Myron Rush also agreed with D'souza that leadership styles can be seen in a continuum, but he used different descriptive terms for the different styles within the continuum.17 The four styles used within Rush's continuum are: dictatorial, authoritative, consultative and participative. These authors argument about styles was not to point out the best but rather to show the importance of all of them. The point that they were making was that a good leadership had the characteristics of the different leadership styles. The leader must be flexible to the changing situations. When he is able to adjust his leadership styles to changing situations, then his leadership styles... become characteristics of good leadership. Myron Rush gave examples of situations where particular leadership styles are appropriate. He said, dictatorial leadership style is appropriate in an emergency or when people's lives, are at stake; consultative style in conducting on-going planning for the department or organization; authoritative style when employees constantly misuse authority and participative style as people become competent in performing their routine responsibilities.18
The four leaders mentioned in this paper, whose leaderships have been classified as good, will now be used as test cases to determine whether the points mentioned here are characteristics of their leaderships.
Nehemiah
Joyce Peel, commenting on Nehemiah's task of building the walls of Jerusalem said that a dispirited nation needs an inspired leader who can unite and galvanize his people into action. Such a man was Nehemiah.19 These words not only revealed that Nehemiah had a clear vision of his task but also was able to make his followers understand the vision and commit themselves to act on it. This was just one reason why they were able to rebuild the walls in fifty-two days. Many Jews lamented over the ruins of Jerusalem city wall, but it took the vision of one man, who united the people and gave them hope to change the situation. Engstrom also pointed to the fact that the people caught Nehemiah's vision and acted upon it, when he noted: "One has only to read the Book of Nehemiah to discover the importance of people at work. The leaders in building the temple and city walls never lost sight of the total goal and overall picture. They were able to keep this focus by using all the people as well as experts who were trained to do specific work".20 Nehemiah's leadership had the characteristic of a clear vision which was actively pursued by himself and his followers.
It can be observed from the book of Nehemiah, that Nehemiah used the consultative style of leadership when he got to Jerusalem to begin the work. However in the last few chapters of the book, when things were going wrong, his style of leadership changed to an authoritative one. Therefore it can be said that Nehemiah's leadership had the characteristics of a vision and a changing style of leadership.
Moses
Moses has a clear vision when he returned to Egypt to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. The Israelites wanted to be free, but they doubted the possibility of Moses setting them free. However, when they became certain that Moses was God's servant who will set them free from bondage, they obeyed his instructions and later walked out of Egypt following him.
The biblical records also show that Moses varied his leadership styles. Before Jethro came to visit him, he carried a heavy load of work all by himself. Myron Rush pointed out that it was an authoritative style of leadership because Moses had to make every decision.21 After his encounter with Jethro his style of leadership changed to more of a consultative one.
Paul
Paul's vision was not only clear to him but also to his followers. Since his Damascus road experience, he knew he has been called by God to be a missionary.
Sanders observed that Paul was a missionary trail-blazer, leaving behind him a string of new Churches. It is a significant face that the greatest missionary advances of the last fifty years have followed the rediscovery or re-emphasis of Paul's missionary principles.22 It is because Paul's vision and principle of accomplishing that vision was so clear that long after he has gone people still followed his steps.
It can also be seen from the Acts narrative that Paul varied his leadership styles. For example, in the contention between himself and Barnabas over John Mark, Paul displayed an authoritative style of leadership. Most times he is also authoritative when dealing with issues in the Church. At other times he demonstrated a consultative style of leadership - in the issue that lead to the Jerusalem council. It can be seen that Paul's leadership was characteristic of a clear vision and changing leadership styles.
David
Two things are very clear in scripture about David. The first is his vision for Israel and the second his vision for God. David was a king of war and he led his army in battle against Israel's enemies and took the land God gave to them. He also lived his life in devotion to God. He had a vision to build a dwelling place for the Lord. Although God denied him this privilege, he made great preparations for this temple, which was later built by his son Solomon.
It is evident in scripture that David changed his leadership styles in accordance with changing situations. He displayed an authoritative leadership style when he led his men in battle. For example in the situation when Nabal refused to reward him and his men with food supply for protecting his servants and sheep in the fields. At other times he demonstrated a consultative style of leadership. When the biblical records are examined, one could clearly see that David's leadership show characteristics of a clear vision and a changing style of leadership.
Conclusion
In this article some of the characteristics of good leadership have been identified. This was done under the following headings: (a) the personal characteristics of the leader, the characteristics of the followers and the leader's task or commission. These divisions were based on the findings of Anthony D'souza, which revealed that leadership involves an inter-relationship between three elements - the leader, the followers and the task to be accomplished. Six characteristics of good leadership were identified and they are as follows:
a) The personal qualities of the leader, which give him his leadership ability.
b) The leaders conduct or character which is formed by the godly life he is living.
c) The willingness of the people to follow without coercing.
d) The reproducing of leaders from the followers.
e) The clear vision of the leader, which eventually becomes the people's vision and
focus in the ministry.
f) The variations in the style of leadership to meet different leadership situations.
Six leaders, whose leaderships have been characterized as good, were used as test cases to see whether the qualities mentioned can be found in their leadership. It was proved that these characteristics were evident in each of their leadership. There are many more qualification of good leadership, but it is primary importance to have a balance in the three major areas identified. An individual can have all the good qualities of leadership and yet his leadership may not be good because of his style of leadership. Also, the people may not follow the leader because his vision is not clear to them. Good leadership does not only depend on the leader or on the follower or the style of leadership but on all three of these qualities. When there is a balance in these three areas, leadership becomes exceptional and that was the kind of leadership Nehemiah, Moses, Paul and David portrayed.
END NOTES
1. Anthony D'souze, Being A Leader (Achimota: African Christian Press, 1990),
p 25.
2. John White, Excellence In Leadership: the Pattern of Nehemiah (Leicester:
Intervarsity Press, 1986), p 10-11.
3. Ibid, p 14.
4. Joyce Peel, A Journey Through The Old Testament: The Story of God's
Relationship With Man Woman and the World (Oxford: The Bible Reading
Fellowship, 1993), p 35.
5. Ibid, p 41.
6. Ibid. p 41.
7. John Stott, Men With A Message: An Introduction To New Testament And Its
Writers (Suffolk: Evangelical Literature Trust, 1996), P 86.
8. Ted W. Engstrom, The Making of A Christian Leader (Michigan: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1976), p 30.
9. John C Maxwell, The 21 Most Powerful Minutes In A Leader's Day; Revitalize Your
Spirit an Empower Your Leadership (Nashville: Thomas Nelson's Publisher, 2000), p 4.
10. John C Maxwell, The 21 Most Powerful Minutes In A Leader's Day: Revitalize Your
Spirit and Empower Your Leadership (Nashville: Thomas Nelsons Publishers, 2000),
P 68.
11. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), p 166.
12. Oswald Sanders, Paul the Leader: A Vision For Christian Leadership Today (Glasgow:
Kingsway Publication Ltd., 1983), p 42.
13. Eugene H Merrill, I Samuel: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Colorado: Chariot
Victor Publishing, 1985), p 449.
14. John Haggai, Lead On! Leadership That Endures In A Changing World (London: Word
Publishing, 1986), p 16.
15. Ibid. p 17.
16. Anthony D'souza, Being A Leader (Achimota: African Christian Press, 1990), p 36
17. Myron Rush; Management: A Biblical Perspective (Illinois: Victor Books, 1996), p 219.
18. Myron Rush, Management: A Biblical Approach (Illinios: Victor Books, 1983), p 226.
19. Joyce Peel, Journey Through the Old Testament: The Story of God's Relationship with
Man. Woman and the World (oxford: The Bible Reading Fellowship, 1993), p 141.
20. Ted W Engstrom, The Making of A Christian Leader: How To Develop Management
And Human Relations Skills (Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976), p
21. Myron Rush, Management: A Biblical Perspective (Illinois: Victor Books, 1976), p 220.
22. Oswald Sanders, Paul: A Vision For Christian Leadership Today (Glasgow: Kingsway
Publication Ltd, 1983), p 967.
END NOTE
1. Anthony D'souza, Being A Leader (Achimota: African Christian Press, 1990),
p 25.
2. John White, Excellence In Leadership: the Pattern of Nehemiah (Leicester:
Intervarsity Press, 1986), p 10-11.
3. Ibid. p 14.
4. Joyce Peel, A Journey Through The Old Testament: The Story of God's
Relationship With Man Woman and the World (Oxford: The Bible Reading
Fellowship, 1993), p 35.

Dr. Leopold A. Foullah is currently Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Mount Aureol, Freetown. He is also the General Superintendent of the Missionary Church of Africa, Sierra Leone Conference. He holds the following academic qualifications: Dip.Th., B.Th., M.Div., M.Th. and Ph.D (Leeds University, England). He is interested in Biblical Theology and Social Issues. He is External Examiner for both The Evangelical College of Theology (TECT), Jui and the Sierra Leone Theological College & Church Training Centre in Freetown. He is married with three children.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leopold_A._Foullah

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1254854

Get Creative With Your Writing Career

2011-11-29T09:20:00.001-08:00

How brave are you?
You need courage to submit your work to potential buyers, but you also need courage to get creative with your career. To get creative, you may need to break a few rules.
There are hundreds of rules around writing. The rules give you basic information, such as -- how to format a manuscript, how to contact editors, how to find and interview sources, and more.
The danger is that you may come to look on these rules as "musts". Not so. These rules are merely guides. They're NOT written down in stone. You can flout the rules if you wish. There are no publishing-police, who will drag you into publishing court and charge you with the horrendous crime of submitting your manuscript in 12-point Times New Roman, rather than in Courier New, for example.
=> Get creative: do it your way
Like the immortal Chairman of the Board, you can do it your way. I was interested this morning to read a message from a much-published friend, telling me that she'd decided to take a new tactic with a novel she was working on. She has almost completed the novel, and rather than shipping off the completed novel to her agent, she decided to send the first half of the book to fifteen agents, to see what the response would be.
Here's how my thoughts ran when I read this message: Whoa! She's breaking all the rules. She has an agent. She should offer it to him. If she wants to contact other agents, she should send them a letter first, and -- I was indulging in a wonderful round of "musts". I do know better, but since this was my initial reaction, it shows you how firmly the rules hold us in their grasp.
Don't buy into the rules. There are no rules.
More power to my friend. Her intuition told her that this was the right procedure for her on this book at this time, and she went ahead and did it.
I've told you this little story to show you that you can do as you think best, always. Others may not agree with you. That's fine. You don't need anyone's permission.
=> Break the rules creatively
How do you creatively break the rules? First you need to know what the rule, or the common practice, is in your situation. "Breaking the rules" doesn't mean that you act insensitively or arrogantly. In the example above, my friend wasn't breaking her contract with her current agent. She has a verbal agreement with him which operates book-to-book, not a written "whole-career" contract. She said that she feels that this new novel might not be his kind of book, and didn't want to argue with him before she finished the book. She loves the book, and doesn't want to listen to any doubts from someone she trusts. She wants to find someone who loves her book the way she does, without reservation.
You break the rules creatively when you decide to try something new, because it seems to be right for this situation. Another writer just posted an entire published novel on her Web site. She's made some money on the book, and because the rights to the book reverted to her, she feels that she'll get more promotional mileage by letting people read the book for free on her site than she will by trying to sell it to another publisher, or by selling it as an ebook on her site.
A couple of years ago an Australian writer whose books went out of print published them on her Web site. She charges a hefty yearly-subscription for access to the site. Subscribers get ebooks free, a forum, and can ask the writer's advice on her topic, because she's an expert. She broke the rules too, and in the process made a new rule. This happens too.
If you get an inspired flash to try something, try it. The flash may make no sense at all, in the context of your current writing and writing career goals, but why not try it? When I look back over a quarter of a century of writing, I don't regret anything I wrote. What I regret are all those ideas and inspirations I pushed aside and ignored. I regret the times I listened to other people, instead of to myself. I regret the times I thought other people knew more than I did, because they never did. I'm the expert on me; just as you're the expert on you.
What creative inspirations are you ignoring? Start today. Get creative with your writing career.

Stuck in your writing career? Get a coach! Angela Booth coaches writers in copywriting (writing for business), nonfiction, and fiction. A veteran writer, published by major publishers worldwide, Angela is also an experienced writing teacher, who knows how to inspire and motivate. You CAN make a success of your writing career. Free daily info for writers at her blog: http://copywriter.typepad.com/ Start your writing coaching today by contacting Angela at her site http://angelabooth.com/ Angela offers personal one-on-one e-courses and mentoring for all forms of writing. Ask for a low-cost initial phone or email consultation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth

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Leadership and Development Series: Looking at Life Through Heroes' Eyes

2011-04-27T03:38:00.000-07:00

Author Resource:- Leadership and development is absolutely crucial in developing the mindset and habits of a successful leader, regardless of what field you choose to devote yourself. It can also be a daunting task if you don't know where you need to start to receive this training. Click on the following link to gain full access to a leadership and development system complete with a step by step method of generating leads for your new business.

BASIS OF SUCCESS OF LEADERSHIP.

2011-02-21T02:08:00.001-08:00

Leadership: A must for Everybody.

2011-02-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

The world is craving for an imminent solution to the global economy downturn. In fact everybody is trying to use resources at his or her disposal, to combat this menace. It is amazing to note that as pressurizing the global economy is, a great people are making their fortunes. The difference is not farfetched from the fact that those who make fortune out of it, understand the place of leadership. If you do not have effective leadership of self and Nation at large, you will become soccer on the field. You can learn more on self leadership on www.mindtools.com to help develop your ability in handling the current global economy downturn.