Leadership 3: Being at the Right Place at the right time & doing something about it

Being at the Right Place at the right time .



Some will call it Luck, but i think it was the Lord's guiding hand. My Journey begun sometime in July 2000 when i was standing at the bust stop waiting for a minibus to take me back to Town to the office. I was on holiday (3rd year vacation) and i had a part time job in one of the estate agencies in Town. I had gone to view a Property in one of the Western Suburbs of the City. Waiting there at the bus stop, a car just stopped and well i was expecting a minibus and there it was and the driver was beckoning me to come. There was Nelson my former Secondary School mate. He told me he was working for an NGO dealing with Housing Issues. i was so intrigued because i had always been interested in Housing issues especially for the urban poor, and i had found the Topic for my Forth Year dissertation. I was studying for my BSc in Rural & Urban Planning.

The following day i visited their offices where i met Beth the Director, one of the Kindest woman i have met in my Life. Considering that i was just a mere student, she gave me space listened to me and i was convinced that i wanted to work with the urban poor and my topic would be in Housing The Urban Poor in Harare. I then spent so much time during my dissertation visiting their offices and communities where i was just my self. Being a rural girl, Urban poverty was new to me since i had only read about it, but i guess the people aspect and management thereof is what intrigued me. When i was finishing my final year in May 2001, Beth asked me to hang around with them after finishing my studies, as i had already informed her of my plans to join my husband in Malawi. I spent 7 months criss-crossing the country and learning as much as i could about how the urban poor could be a part of the situation. At the end of December 2001, we moved to Malawi.

I always look at this incidence, that had i not been at the Bus stop that day, how would my life have turned out. I believe i would have turned out ok, but i know that i would not have become the person i am today. I got the DNA of what i do today from the opportunity that was created by meeting Nelson and i am glad that i am one of the few who managed to have a career that is literally them. I always think and believe that had i not been doing what i do today i would not have been able to excel.

Preparing for these series is amazing for me, for i get a chance to reflect on what the Bible says on that particular issue. Today as i looked though what the bible says about Leadership and being in the right place at the right time, i found out that Nehemiah is one big example on how the Lord uses one when that person is in the right place at the right time. But that is not enough, the Lord expects you to be Right for him too. Thus you might actually be at the right place, at the right time, but you have to be Right in the eyes of the Lord, because the Lord only uses a clean Vessel. Nehemiah was not only right before God; but he recognizes he's in the right place, and it's the right time because the most powerful man on the face of the earth is the king of the Persian Empire and, oh, by the way, he just happens to be in the presence of the king every day of his life. Neh 1 Vs 1-11.

Effective leadership always requires the leader to be at the right place at the right time, and be able to use the opportunities availed by such a crossing point in their lives. Nehemiah, knew that he was right for the Lord, and only him had the kind of access to the King that will ensure he leads in the rebuilding of the City of Judah. The Lord used Him. There are several cases in the Bible where leadership was steered by being in the right place at the right time, and the David & Goliath Case is one case in point, where David was used by the Lord to turn the history of Israel around. The case of Saul, for the Lord needed a Jew to be able to reach out to the Gentiles, and Esther too was right for the Lord and at the right place too. I enjoyed the reflections by Dr. Woodrow Kroll, on Effective Leadership and the story of Nehemiah, and i have used excerpts from his radio program as posted on the backtothebible.org webpage.

I dont know about you, but its never written on the wall that this is a "This is it" moment seize it, but what is clear is that we should always be alert and utilise whatever the Lord provides for us. These are usually life changing circumstances for our lives, institutions we can never let our guards down. How many times have we gotten an opportunity that is not really an opportunity and only when we look back do we realise it was indeed an opportunity. I guess the essence is, always be ready to utilise whatever opportunities come knocking on your door.

Leadership Series 2: Vision

Vision
Leadership Series: 2


The first of the series on leadership was on Leading, since every other leadership trait has to follow leading. Picking up from the first issue, I believe the trait next in line is that of VISION. A Leader has to have vision for him or her to be an effective leader. The ability to see beyond today, beyond the current circumstances and being able to foresee the outcomes way before they occur is what defines a leader and many leaders do not live to see nor experience nor benefit from such acts. Pastor Bill Hybels best described Vision when he said “Vision is a picture of the future that stirs passion in you” On the other Hand Vision is not the Roadmap, goals etc it’s the reason we have goals and the road map in the first place.

As I was thinking through this important aspect of leadership, this quote from H. Ross Perot rang true, he said “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. In the end, leaders are much like eagles…they don’t flock; you find them one at a time.” The last sentence caught my eye because eagles have always been associated with Great leaders. Why is this so, its because eagles have always been known for their strong vision and sharp focus. Eagles have a keen vision, as their eyes are specially designed for long distance focus and clarity.

The eyesight of eagles is unparalled and as they grow older and their eyesights fade with cloudiness age, they are known to fly up towards the sun staring at it, the sun burns away all the cloudiness caused by age. Eagles are also known to be the only birds that don’t cower to shelter when it rains they fly up above the sky (using the storm’s wind to lift it higher). In both these 2 instances a leader does not let any obstacle come in the path of achieving the vision as set. The other major trait of an eagle is that they don’t flock, they just fly high up, just like leaders in real life they are so far apart we have to look for them.

Looking back into my path, I cant really pin point aspects of my work that I could say VISION stands out. I also think issues of the vision of a leader can only be looked at in retrospect, and God giving me life, I still have a lot of years to go, and only then will people look back and pin point the vision. I would want to use this opportunity to share with you some of the examples of visionary leadership that inspire me.

I will start with the person closest to me, my mom. As a primary school teacher she had a vision to see her children get the highest level of education against all odds. That vision has seen her succeed through her children as we have gone on to be who we are in our different lives. My husband, (and his broader clan) is where he is because of his uncle who a generation ago in the late 60s decided that only education will see the clan out of the poverty trap. Even though he never lived to see the fruits of the seed he planted, a generation later, the clan is totally transformed. This to me points out on one aspect of being a Visionary leader, it touches on every life of so many of us, its only when we look back that we appreciate that so and so was visionary because of the results that usually take generations to be felt or appreciated.

To the broader leaders, I will pick on Lee Kwan Yew, the first President of Singapore whose vision of a transformed Singapore was shared by the Singaporeans and today the Singapore we see is all because of his vision. Unfortunately his inability to let go once his vision had been achieved always blights his leadership. Martin Luther King is also another visionary leader who was able to share his vision with his people even though he never lived to see the results, the seed he had planted (through the “I have a dream” speech). Wangari Maathai is also one Visionary leader, who galvanized women and turned around the environmental sustainability of rural communities not only in her native Kenya but across Africa.

The Bible itself is another very good reference point for us on visionary leadership. Of all the leaders in the Bible, Joseph is one who best exemplifies a visionary leader. Hertz, Joseph H summarized Joseph’s leadership by saying that "He is the man of vision, the man of dreams; but to this he joins moral and spiritual strength in all the vicissitudes of life." This raises a point on how Visionary leadership alone is not enough if not combined with other aspects of leadership and good standing of a leader. The Lord commands us to be Visionary, and on Habakukk 2.2, the Lord instructs us to write the vision and make it plain so that people can see and understand it, as they will be instrumental in ensuring that the vision is implemented. Proverbs 29:18 is very iconic to me, and sums up the importance of visionary leadership, it states that where there is no vision people perish, and this can be assimilated to institutions as where there is no vision, the institution perishes.

As I sign off, I would only ask one Question, Who are the 5 most visionary leaders you know and why do you rank them highly.

Goodnight and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

1. LEADING

Leadership

I will be running through series some of the issues i have gone through and some of which i go through in my day to day work. The first post in my series will be on what it means to be a LEADER, and nothing beats LEADING, if you cant LEAD then you cant be a LEADER.



My first recollections on leading are when i was 9 (Grade 4) and we used to prepare Tea for the teachers Tea Break. Every week a set of 4 girls had a responsibility of preparing tea and would rotate until the end of the year, this meant one girl rushing to the shops (to buy fresh milk and bread), and the others remaining in the tea room arranging the chairs, making tea etc. At 9.30am if its your week of tea making you would be released from class and rush to the tea room. I remember one girl called Sihle came to me for instructions (on what had to be done) and another girl in our group was visibly not happy she said "why do you always, go to her, who chose her to be our leader". Sihle had no answer, i too had no answer on why people always came to me or why i ended up taking the lead.

As a Leader, (Appointed or self made) you have to lead. Thus taking action that will ensure that those whom you serve or look up to you get the direction on the next course of action. Leading should not be a conscious action that one takes but it should happen without even thinking and before you no it an action is done. Leadership can not be taught but maybe one can enhance their skills through mentoring and coaching. Leadership is the process of influencing others, but being a leader requires someone who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen. The main issue is that it has to matter enough to you for you to be a leader.

Going through years back the issue of leading, has occurred in so many instances but as I break it down to the points that make someone lead, the core issue that strikes a chord with me is the NEVER SAY NEVER spirit, turning impossibles into possibilities. The most memorable experience was in Vancouver (June 2006) at the World Urban Forum we had apparently taken a very wrong turn in down town Vancouver and found a Stadium. I was with 4 community leaders we had travelled with to the Forum, and I just said this is the way. You can imagine how it was trying to convince them that the underground route beneath the stadium will take us to the otherside of the block. The Relief on their faces once we got to the other side was amazing and still brings a smile. The responsibility that one carries on their shoulders is the ultimate for you as you carry the whole risk not just on your life but everyone with you. When leading, there is always a split second for you to make a decision, and you also have not much time to start calculating the risk as its always about the broader good.

Moving forward, I will try to go indepth with the various traits of a Leader and how I have struddled through them. The list is not exhaustive but i hope to touch on these issues: Honesty, Ability to inspire, Courage, Ambition, Fearlessness, Risk Taking, Optimism (Positive Attitude), Humility (& Respect), Patience, Commiting to Excellence rather than Perfection, Vision (& Focus), Tolerance, Commitment, Accountability, Gratitude, Intuition, Confidence, Decisive, Ability to delegate, Sense of Humor, Creativity, Passion, Persuasion abilities, Integrity, Compassion, Engagement, Empowering, Communicative, Genuine, Self Awareness, Supportive, Pro-active and many other traits. As I was writing down these points I realized that its going to be a very tough point of reflection for me as well since I want to walk through the paths walked over the past 11 years of Leading in one way or the other. I am also hoping this process also enhances my own capacities as I am still walking through the path of Leadership.

Have a blessed and fruitful week.