THE 5 LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP

  

John C. Maxwell said that “Leadership is influence.” Everything rises and falls on Leadership.” He came up with five levels of leadership which we’re going to examine in a bit. Put on your seat belt and let’s dive into it.

1. Position Level: This is leadership by right. It is the lowest form of leadership. In this level, people follow you because you’re the boss; you have a title. In fact, this is the beginning of our entire leadership journey. And by the way, the position doesn’t make you a leader. A lot of people have a position of leadership but not good leaders. In the positional level, people only follow you or respect you because they have to, not because they want to. This is where you get the least of people’s energy, effort, and mind. The good news is; you can grow yourself out of this level.

2. Permission Level: In this level the keyword is Relationship. In this level, people now begin to follow you because they want to. In this level, what happens is that you’re connected with the people. This is where people follow you they want to, and they like you because of the relationship you’ve created. Relationships with people are the foundation of leadership. Level two leaders are wired for service. They love to serve, attend to people, listen, observe and learn as they grow. When you get a position, use it to build relationships. So that when your position fails, relationships will sustain you.

3. Production level: The keyword here is Result. At this level, you’ve become more effective as a leader because you produce result. The characteristics of this level of leadership are: 1) they produce by example; 2) they are an example for others to follow. At this level, your leadership begins to gain credibility because you’re modeling for people how to be productive; things they want to see. The fact is on this level, who you are as a leader is who you attract on your team.

4. People Development Level: You grow a company by growing people. When you grow them they increase their capacity, and when they increase their capacity, they began to increase their capacity on what you couldn’t do and what you can accomplish. This is pouring yourself and the knowledge you have to people, to better their lives. At this level of leadership, you empower people to grow. You develop people.

5. Pinnacle Level: The key word here is Respect. That means you’ve done it so well, for so many, for so long that people absolutely follow you. They follow you for who you are, for what you have done, and the qualities you possess. It is a great amount of respect and it takes a lot of time to get to this level. It is a lifetime journey.

What I want you to understand about the five levels of Leadership is, leadership is an ongoing learning process. Now I want you to ask yourself, what level of leadership am I on? I know for sure that as you’re reading this article, you’re doing self-examination. The truth is, you’re not on the same leadership level with everyone. You’re on a different level with different people.

I want you to do this assignment. Take a sheet of paper, list out the names of the people you’re leading, and ask yourself a simple question: what level am I on with this person?

SEE YOU AT THE TOP!!!

 

WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?

       

Leadership has nothing to do with the title on your business card or the size of your office. Leadership is not about how much money you make or the clothes you wear. Leadership is a philosophy. It’s an attitude. It’s a state of mind. And it’s available to each one of us. (Robin Sharma)

A lot of people think leadership is lording over people. That is, lording over people, bossing over people. They forget that leadership is all about service and sacrifices; denying yourself of some things to meet other people’s needs; thinking about others more than you. Leadership is not a noun, it’s a verb. It’s an action word.

Leadership is Responsibility. “The Lord replied, ‘take Joshua son of Nun, who has the spirit in him and lay your hands on him. Present him to Eleazer the priest before the whole community, and publicly commissioned him with the RESPONSIBILITY of leading the people.’”(Numbers 27:18-19). You can see here that leadership is all about responsibility, service, sacrifices, and not being the Boss and lording over people.

Leadership is Influence. The influence here can be positive or negative. The question is: Who are you influencing? Are you influencing positively or negatively? I want to tell you that you can lead or influence from anywhere. It is either you’re influencing directly or indirectly. The bottom line is that you’re influencing people. You can influence your classmates, colleagues, church members, neighbours in your compound, market place, office, and anywhere you find yourself. Jesus is the greatest positive influencer and leader I have ever known. You too can be a positive influencer, modeling after Jesus.

In my next post, I’ll outline the five levels of leadership, as described by John C. Maxwell. You will do a self-examination to see where you belong in these levels and make the necessary adjustment. I see a great leader in you.

SEE YOU AT THE TOP!!!

ALLOW GOD TO SHAPE YOU

  

‘We are the clay, and you are the potter.’ Isaiah 64:8

Imagine a beautiful china teacup saying: ‘I wasn’t always like this. There was a time when I was just a cold, hard lump of clay. One day the potter picked me up and said, “I could do something with this.” Then he started to put pressure on me and change my shape. I said, “What are you doing? That hurts. Stop!” But he said, “Not yet.” Then he put me on a wheel and began to spin me around and around until I shouted, “Let me off.” He replied. “Not yet.” Then he shaped me into a cup and put me in a hot oven. I cried, “Let me out of here, I’m suffocating.” But he looked at me and said, “Not yet.” When he took me out, I thought his work on me was over, but then he started to paint me.

I couldn’t believe what he did next. He put me back in the oven, and I said, “I can’t stand this, please let me out!” But he said, “Not yet.” Finally, he took me out of the oven and put me on a shelf where I thought he had forgotten me. Then one day he took me off the shelf and held me up before a mirror. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had become a beautiful teacup that everyone wants to buy.

There are things going on in your life today that you don’t understand. When you finally get to the place God wants you to be, you’ll realize that he has been making you into a vessel he can use, bless, and use you to bless others. So, allow God to shape you!

SEE YOU AT THE TOP!!!

Shutting down Google+ for consumer (personal) accounts on 2 April 2019

In December 2018, we announced our decision to shut down Google+ for consumers in April 2019 due to low usage and the challenges involved in maintaining a successful product that meets consumers’ expectations. We want to thank you for being part of Google+ and would like to provide the next steps, including how to download your photos and other content.

On 2 April, your Google+ account and any Google+ pages that you've created will be shut down and we will begin deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts. Photos and videos from Google+ in your album archive and on your Google+ pages will also be deleted. You can download and save your content. Just make sure that you do this before April. Please note that photos and videos backed up in Google Photos will not be deleted.

The process of deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts, Google+ Pages and the album archive will take a few months, and content may remain throughout this period. For example, users may still see parts of their Google+ account via the Activity log and some consumer Google+ content may remain visible to G Suite users until consumer Google+ has been deleted.

From as early as 4 February, you will no longer be able to create new Google+ profiles, pages, communities or events. See the full FAQs for more details and updates leading up to the shutdown.
If you’re a Google+ Community owner or moderator, you may download and save your data for your Google+ Community. Starting in early March 2019, additional data will be available for download, including author, body and photos for every community post in a public community. Learn more

If you sign in to sites and apps using the Google+ Sign-In button, these buttons will stop working in the coming weeks but, in some cases, may be replaced by a Google Sign-In button. You’ll still be able to sign in with your Google Account wherever you see Google Sign-In buttons. Learn more
If you’ve used Google+ for comments on your own or other sites, this feature will be removed from Blogger by 4 February and from other sites by 7 March. All your Google+ comments on all sites will be deleted starting on 2 April 2019. Learn more
If you’re a G Suite customer, Google+ for your G Suite account should remain active. Contact your G Suite administrator for more details. You can also expect a new look and new features soon. Learn more

If you're a developer using Google+ APIs or Google+ Sign-In, click here to see how this will affect you.
From all of us on the Google+ team, thank you for making Google+ such a special place. We're grateful for the talented group of artists, community builders and thought leaders who made Google+ their home. It would not have been the same without your passion and dedication.

MAKE THAT ATTITUDE, TOO

       

 

‘Think on these things.’ Philippians 4:8

Your ability to succeed in life often comes down to a single choice: how to react to what has been done to you in the past, or is being done to you right now. Dr. Victor Frankl endured the holocaust by this principle. The Nazi killed his family, place him in a concentration camp, starved and beat him. When the war ended Frankl was neither broken, bowed, nor bitter. When asked how he endured such treatment with a positive outlook he said, ‘Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedom, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.’

Ground Zero is a space where the twin towers once stood. Three thousand people died there. And how did New Yorkers choose to respond? A sign at the edge of ground zero proclaims, ‘The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart.’ That’s the attitude God’s word calls us to adopt: ‘Whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are of good report…think on these things.’

Every day you choose the clothes you wear, the food you eat, and the attitude you adopt. And there are only two kinds of attitudes; good ones and bad ones. A good attitude is the one the psalmist adopted when he woke up each morning: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it’ (Psalm 118:24). Make that your attitude too!

SEE YOU AT THE TOP!!!

DON’T JUST PRAY, LISTEN

    

As I hear, I judge. John 5:30

Ever wonder why Jesus never made a single misstep? He tells us: ‘The son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever he does, the son also does in like manner. For the father loves the son and shows him all things that he himself does…. I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous because I do not seek my own will but the will of the father who sent me.’(John 5:19-20,30)

Jesus often prayed all night, yet few of his prayers are recorded. Why? Because he didn’t just talk to his father, he took the time to listen and get instructions. Jesus prayed on mountaintops and in gardens. He even prayed on the street outside the house where he had slept the previous night. No doubt if he’d had a car, he would have prayed driving to work. Prayer and listening to God were as natural to him as breathing. It was the spiritual oxygen he thrived on. When the bible says, ‘Pray without ceasing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17), it means we are to stay in touch with God at all times, to be spiritually sensitive and attuned to the still small voice of His spirit within you. That calls for having an uncluttered mind and heart.

Thank God for the understanding of who we are in Christ, and our authority as believers. But there’s more to prayer than coming ‘boldly unto the throne…‘ Hebrews 4:16. That kind of prayer is usually about what we want. This kind of prayer is about what God wants! Now, since God designed the plan for your life, don’t you think it is wise to get quiet before him so that he can tell you about it? Think about it.

SEE YOU ON AT THE TOP!!!

LEARN TO MAKE BETTER DECISION

“A prudent man gives thought to his steps.” Proverbs 14:15

If you’re still making the same mistake; at fifty that you were at twenty, you need to ask God for wisdom. ‘The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out’(Proverbs 18:15). What you are in the present, was determined by the decisions you made in the past. If you want to change your future, learn to make better decisions. Be wise; let these principles guide you:

• Never make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances. If you do, you’ll regret it. 
•  Don’t let your emotions blind you to reason. Pray, weigh things carefully and based your decisions on mature judgment.
• Surround yourself with sharp people and draw on their gifts, without being intimidated by their expertise.
• Take the time to consider all options. What looks good to you today, may not look good to you tomorrow. 
• You can’t fight successfully on every front. So choose your battles carefully. Simply stated: some things are not worth fighting for. 
• Consider the consequences of each action. Ask yourself, ‘Am I ready to handle this right now? 
•  Make sure your expectations don’t exceed your potential and your resources. Be realistic. If you can’t count, don’t apply for a job in the finance office. If you can’t sing, don’t cut an album. Focus on what gift God gave you. That’s where you’ll succeed.

Allow yourself a 10% risk of being wrong, a 50% likelihood of betrayal, and a 100% commitment to trust God. Go forward and survive it all.

SEE YOU AT THE TOP!!!

WHO WILL YOU BE TOMORROW?

"I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendant as a permanent possession." Genesis 13:15 

Hello Friends, Happy new month. Thank God it’s Friday! Yeeeeaa!

Today you will enjoy unusual benefits. 

My last post or discussion was about the power of your imagination. And over time, I have come to realize that our success or failure in life has a lot to do with our imagination. Whatever battle you cannot win in your imagination, you cannot win in real life. Our opening scripture says “…as far as you can see…”

If you remain small in your mind, you cannot grow big in reality. If you see small, you’ll get small. The man with imagination is never finished. He will always see a way through his present situation to a better future. The questions are :

What do you imagine?

Is your imagination positive or negative?

Is your imagination what will take you to your next level?

Someone said “You cannot feature in the future you have not pictured” This is so true.

Friends, the realities of your life tomorrow are already in the pictures that dominate your imagination today. Who will you become tomorrow? Have you seen it?

Happy New Month

I SEE YOU ON TOP!!!

THE POWER OF YOUR IMAGINATION

    
Hello Friends, Happy new week!

This week will be a great one for you.
My mentor will always say “You know, I always say that your dreams of yesterday will be your reality today and your dreams today will be your reality tomorrow.” 

Imagination is the ability to form a mental image of something that is not perceived through the five senses. Everyone possesses a certain degree of imagination ability.

Do you have dreams for this week? Let it be something Big. Dream Big! Let your imagination travel and see yourself soaring so high knowing nothing can limit you.
I see you changing, I see you prosperous, I see you as the Next Big Thing in Africa and in the world. You are a Global Champion.

How do you want each day of this week to end for you? It all starts with your dream. Or put in another way, your imagination. Pastor Dayo Olutayo would say “Imaginations are free, you don’t pay anything to imagine or dream.” 

Every single thing you see with your two eyes was created twice. First, in the imagination and then, in reality. It is the picture you have in your mind that will be printed out in reality.

My question for you today is; is the picture in your mind a positive or negative one?

I SEE YOU ON TOP!!!

CREATE ROOM FOR MORE

                                
Hello Friends,
A pleasant day to you! Today’s post is going to be a very short one but very inspiring. I believe by now that you must have started dreaming big. 

Though the year is just beginning, I want to advise you to create room for more great things.
You see, principles work; and as you begin to practice the proven principles of success, you will build capacity and move to a higher level.

But I want you to note this; it all begins from your inside. Your mind must be programmed for success. Success grows from the inside out. Your outside cannot outgrow your inside. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” As you begin to take care of what goes inside of you; filter what you process inside, the growth outside is inevitable. 

Today, be expectant, be enthusiastic, seek knowledge, seek the wisdom of God and be ready for more, for your dreams are coming to pass!

I SEE YOU SUCCEEDING!!!

WHY YOU NEED TO ACT ON YOUR IDEAS

     

Hello friends, how is your week so far?

I want to believe you have been having an exciting week especially if you have switched on the power of your thinking for generating ideas. There is never a dull moment for idea creators because every bad situation could be turned into great opportunities. 

Today, I want to emphasize the importance of developing the capacity to act quickly on your God-given ideas. It is not enough to come up with profitable ideas, it is equally necessary for you to act on them.

Friends, rather than tell people what you would do, simply go ahead and do it! Someone said that talk is cheap. Anybody can talk. Anybody can come up with beautiful ideas but only those who act on their ideas ever get the chance to be celebrated.

One of my mentors told me a story of a man who an idea came to him to write a small pamphlet on how to organize a personal retreat on his way to church. The following day, he organized a two-day personal retreat to put the thoughts together. During the retreat, he experienced an unusual inspiration and an expanded idea to turn the book into a bigger project.

Today he organizes retreats for corporate executives who pay him a handsome amount of money to attend. His manual on retreat has also been of tremendous benefit to many. Just one idea speedily acted on has brought a breakthrough to him.

Here is what happens when you act quickly on the inspirations that flash through your mind:
1) - When you step out in faith with any idea you come up with, without wasting any time, there are supernatural forces that are released to arrange circumstances, events and people to work with you and make sure the idea becomes a reality.
 

2) - Every single idea comes with layers of doors and hidden opportunities. You would not get to see those hidden opportunities until you step out in faith with your ideas. And as you act on the different aspect of the idea, many opportunities you never envisaged would start to surface.

Act on that IDEA today.

 SEE YOU AT THE TOP!!!

ACTION TAKES YOUR IDEAS TO ANOTHER LEVEL

    

Hello friends, Thank God it's friday! I know some people will be happy.
I want to talk about IDEAS and ACTION. You see, you can or may have great ideas, but if it is acted uopn, it can come to reality. Let me leave you with this intriguing story.

There is a story of a Nigerian that identified a need and filled it.
Have you heard of the slogan, Shit Business Is Serious Business before? You probably have. What you may not have heard was how Isaac Durojaiye a.k.a Otunba Gaddaffi (of blessed memory), the founder of DMT Mobile Toilets turned a simple idea into a money making machine.

By the way, Otunba Gadaffi (as he was fondly called) used to be a top security aid to the late multi-millionaire MKO Abiola. Here is the idea generating breakthrough story according to Gaddafi.

It was during the wedding ceremony of one of the sons of the late politician and Otunba Gadafi was given the assignment of maintaining security during the celebration in line with his duty. But as he was going about the assignment, he discovered that many of the guests were looking around frantically to see how to ease themselves. Most were urinating in the open ground.

In a flash, an idea came to him that those respected guests would not mind a decent convenience if provided. That was how he got the idea of a mobile toilet. But what stood him apart from others that often have flashes of ideas like that is that he acted on that single idea and in less than a decade later, he became a multi-millionaire.

Friends, you have to act on the ideas God is dropping in your mind to get your ground-breaking lifetime breakthrough. Action is the keyword here. When it is missing from the ideas you have, it only becomes day dreaming.

This is an area where most people get stuck with the idea. It is like a thin line between having an idea and getting your idea to work. The mindset of many people is that money is the bridge between these two divides. Why we cannot shy away from the importance of money, it is not always the key to making your ideas to work.

I pray that as you go about today’s activities, God will allow ideas that will supernaturally turn your life around to flow into your life. He will grant you strength to act on what He brings your way.
You will succeed!

SEE YOU AT THE TOP!!!