PERSONAL TRAITS FOR SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP

INTRODUCTION

It is everyone’s desire to be a success and prosper in life. The meaning of success and prosperity varies from person to person and culture to culture. People go through life striving for success and prosperity based on perception of what the words mean to them. It would be unfortunate to go through life only to realise at the end of life that the focus has been on the wrong definition of success and prosperity.

For example, a person with a desire to become a medical doctor in life assuming that high school subjects required are Biology, English, Fine Art, Literature, Geography and Home Economics. The person then spends years in school preparing for examinations and scoring 80% average. On the surface the person is considered to have done well. Based on the requirements for admission into medical school the person took the wrong subjects and will not secure an admission into any medical school. The only alternative left if the person still wants to go to medical school would be to find out the correct admission requirements and seek to meet them. Anyone that uses a wrong definition or standard as basis for actions will end up discovering it is vanity as stated by Solomon (Eccl. 1:2). Jesus asked a question in Mk. 8:36 - “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” I would say no profit.

But a lot of us believe that to make it in the world you have to play the unethical game and cut corners. This is not true. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof (Ps. 24:1) so the owner can give it to whosoever is obedient unto him (Is. 1:19). You may be saying in your heart, “How can I keep His Commandments and prosper in an unethical setting?”. What the Lord would show us in this booklet will confirm that it is possible to be on the Lord’s side and win the battle in the marketplace and therefore become successful and prosperous. We are encouraged by Jos. 1:8 - “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success”.

The Bible also says that God is the one that gives us power to get wealth (Deut. 8:18) so that He can establish His covenant which he swore to our fathers (Read from Deut. 8:1-18). He teaches our hands to war and gives strength (2 Sam. 22:35; Ps. 18:34; 144:1). What we seek at the end of life is a place with Jesus Christ. Achieving that position is the ultimate peace, joy, rest, prosperity and success.

DEFINITIONS

Let us explore some issues about business, success and Christian in light of what the Bible says about them. God’s perspective is eternal and an appropriate telescope to use for our lives.

Christians Are Believers

“Believers are a group of people who on personal conviction (not on group, general or hereditary basis) have identified their own personal sinfulness and the wretchedness of their personal righteousness. They have recognised their inability to attain God’s requirement, and having come to such an awareness, have sought help from God looking up to Him for mercy and assistance, because of their weakness; requiring mercy that they may be forgiven and requiring assistance that they may be helped out of their weakness and inability to meet God’s requirement. They all have accepted God’s offer for forgiveness, for mercy and for salvation, which all of them believe is ONLY available in Jesus Christ.

Their claim is based on this: that God in His love released a man, Jesus, born into the world by a virgin, Mary, by the power of the Holy Ghost. He grew up and lived a perfect, sinless life. He healed the sick and cast out devils. He threatened devils wherever He entered and broke down the powers of death. He raised men from the dead and spoke with such authority that no man ever spoke with. Creation was subject to His command, so they believe Him that He is God’s offer for their sin and their suffering and that God gave Him up deliberately in love, that He should become the substitute for man and it was appointed of God that He should suffer for their sin.

Such suffering was made manifest when he went to the cross where His blood was shed (a necessary remedy for the forgiveness of their sins and atonement). They believe that it was for them He suffered and died and rose from the dead and that in rising, He demonstrated His victory over Satan and over death. They affirm their faith in Him that as He, being alive, has overcome death, they also overcome. This group of people maintain such faith day in and day out. Are you also one of them? If you are not, endeavour to make yourself one of them as a matter of urgency.” - Excerpt from Believer’s Authority by Olaiya P.J.A.

Only a believer can exercise the rights and powers available to a believer and achieve success from God’s perspective.

Business

This means one’s work. It refers to Christian ministry or corporate activity. Work is any activity that one exerts strength or faculties to do or produce something e.g.

• sustained physical or mental effort to achieve a result, activities that afford one’s accustomed means of livelihood, and specific task, duty, function or assignment.

The appropriate attitude towards work by God’s standard is as follows:-

Joseph in Gen. 39:1-6; Moses in Heb. 3:5; Daniel in Dan. 6:4 and Paul in Acts 20:17-35.

Success

This is accomplishment of goals in life. It should be seen as a process rather than a destination.

• Put God First - Matt. 6:32-34
• Seek The Goal - Phil. 3:13, 14 - high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
• Never Give Up - Gal. 6:9.
• Follow the Book - Jos. 1:5-9; Deut. 6:3-5; Matt. 22:37-39.
• Develop an Excellent Spirit - Dan. 6:3 & 4.

Many people think success is based on power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead. But the strategy for success that God taught Joshua goes against such criteria. To be all out for God is the unfailing prerequisite of eternal success. God told Joshua that to succeed he must:-
• be strong and brave because the task ahead would not be easy,
• obey God’s Law, and
• constantly read and study God’s Word
We may not succeed by world’s standards, but we will be a success in God’s eyes, and his opinion is eternal. Success for many people is controlling others but it should be being controlled by God.

When we are not certain what to do, obedience to what God has revealed in the Scriptures is the only sure step we can take. Act today on what we know God has said, and He will assure our success in carrying out his purposes.

If we obey God we will refuse to listen to those who discredit or ridicule God. Our friends and associates can have a profound influence on us, often in very subtle ways. If we insist on friendships with those who scoff at what God considers important, we sin by becoming indifferent to God’s will. This attitude is the same as scoffing. Do your friends build up or tear down your faith? Influence of true friends should draw you closer to God.

Meditating means spending time reading and thinking about what was read. It means asking how we should change so we are living as God wants. The more we delight in God’s presence, the more fruitful we are. We must be in contact with non-Christians if we are to witness to them, but we must not be influenced to join in or imitate their behaviour that leads to a compromise our faith, commitment, and integrity. Being a Christian is not immunity from failure or difficulty but God assures Christians of his presence, power, provision and prosperity. Prosperity here refers to application of God’s wisdom to our lives to bear good fruit and receive God’s approval.

Hindrances of Success

• Unbelief - Heb. 4: 6, 11
  For us to enter God’s rest (prosperity, joy, peace, righteousness, health etc.) we must believe God has this relationship in mind for us. We must cease from our own efforts to create it and trust Jesus to bring us into God’s rest. We must determine to follow Him in obedience.
• Enemies - Neh. 4:1-23.
  There are people who desire to be in our position and are not, some of them will definitely not wish us well. They will attempt to scare you away or at least discourage you by scorn (vs. 2), threats (vs. 8) and bluffs (Neh. 6:7). Ridicule can cut deeply, causing discouragement and despair but we should refuse to respond in the same way or become discouraged. We should go to God in prayer. We must be determined to complete whatever task/work God has called us to. We should focus on God’s purpose for our life and the special purpose of present task. We need team members to be united for mutual support and defence (vs. 16).
• Sluggishness - Prov. 24:30-34.
• Love of the World - Matt. 16:26
  If we have the love of the world, we will make choices as though this life were all we have. We need to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective, and we will find our values and decisions changing.

MAJOR PROBLEM OF MANY CHRISTIANS

Majority of us view success and prosperity from the view point of the world. We have grown up in a society where reliance on one’s effort, cunningness/craftiness, brilliance, intelligence and zeal; family background and connections as well as other physical factors are thought to be criteria for a successful life. For many of us acquisition of material things and increased consumption indicate successful living and individuals are treated with respect based on possessions.

In the process of measuring up or seeking to be accepted, many of us have left the proclamation of our Christian faith between the church walls instead of living it out in our businesses. Some of us drop our “faith” at the door before we enter our workplaces and business meetings. Some Christians have concluded that you cannot be successful or prosperous if you are “obviously” a Christian and proclaim that you do business based on biblical principles. This is not so.

We will examine the lives of three men in the Bible to show that what they faced then is similar to our situation today, yet they overcame. We will then propose a model that can be put to use to rectify our errors.

When we do what the three men did, we can expect God to back us up. We will also find out that our success or prosperity may not have eternal perspective so we might remain earth-bound instead of heaven-bound. The fact that we have material possessions does not indicate God’s approval and acceptance of us and our way of doing things. The absence of material possessions does not mean God’s disapproval and rejection of us. We need to be aware of deception and deceitfulness of riches (Matt. 13:22).

Case A: Joseph in Gen. 39:7-12 - “Lie with me”

Joseph knew of God’s designs on his life. This self-assurance, moulded with pain and combined with a personal knowledge of God, allowed him to survive and prosper where most would have failed. He was betrayed and deserted by his family, exposed to sexual temptation, and punished for doing the right thing; he endured a long imprisonment and was forgotten by those he helped. Joseph was faithful to his master, Potiphar (Gen. 39:8-10) and refused to compromise his faith in God even when no third party would have known about it (Gen. 39:9).

Do you see yourself in the mould of Joseph? Have you have suffered for a long time and suddenly there is a seemingly breakthrough and you are on the road to abundance. Then there is an offer that “seems” quite good and will consolidate your position and hold in the organisation you are or doing business with. But this offer will require a compromise that will be known only to you and the person offering you the opportunity, what do you do? For example, you are asked to mark-up your price just with about 10% which will be paid to your contact and it seems that it will not hurt the Company since previous and other contractors’ quotations are higher than yours inclusive of the 10% mark-up that will go to your contact.

Things to Note:

Case B: Daniel in Dan. 1:5-20 - “King’s Meat vs. Pulse”

Daniel and his friends were taken from their homes in Judah and exiled. Their futures were in doubt, but they all had personal traits that qualified them for jobs as servants in the King’s palace. They took advantage of the opportunity without letting the opportunity take advantage of them. Daniel was a righteous man serving an unrighteous king in an unrighteous land.

Do you see yourself in mould of Daniel? Have you experience a loss of all you accumulated in life through a disaster? Then have an opportunity to be in the gathering of the shakers and movers in business or political circle. You then discover that you can make it big once again by not being too fanatical about certain Christian beliefs e.g. having to take on an unethical lead partner that offers bribes to contacts who have tremendous networking power that can attract the patronage of “big players” in business or government. The alternative is being restricted to the small jobs that the dealmakers will not look at. Are you willing to consider having the business relationship with the unethical lead partner and reasoning that you will use the opportunity to convert the person or will you settle for the “crumbs” that fall off the table and are not noticed even if it will take you ten years to build up your company again to the level of the “big players”?

Things to Note:

Case C: Mordecai in Esther 3: 1 - 6, 5: 9 - 14, 6: 1 - 10 & 10: 3 - “Bow to Me”

Mordecai was willing to serve the King but refused to worship Haman, the King’s representative. So Haman’s plan to exterminate Jews became a law and looked as though the Jews were doomed. Mordecai willing to be God’ s servant where ever he was, responded by contacting Esther and a spiritual warfare strategy was agreed upon . God’s effective counter strategy dealt a vital blow to Haman’s plan and Haman was hanged in the same gallows he built for Mordecai.

Do you see yourself in the mould of Mordecai? Are you close to the corridors of power in an organisation but the top individual or a couple of top individuals desire worship and adoration that goes beyond call of duty? Belonging to a particular camp within the organisation offers you the opportunity to become well-recognised and aspire to position of wealth and influence. Do you begin to bow and tremble before the individual or individuals so that you can have access to the benefits? Or are you willing to play game so that the benefits desired by you can be given to you?

Things to Note:

MODEL

This model cannot be said to be a perfect model that will bring 100% success all the time in our lives because God is sovereign and can do whatever He wants with our lives e.g. Job’s trials in spite of his lifestyle and obedience to God.

1. Eternal Perspective

We need to have an eternal perspective of our thoughts, actions, activities and responses to issues, persons and situations. This means examine things from view point of how God would want them and what Jesus Christ would do if in that situation. It is assumed that you are a committed Christian and standing firm in the faith.

2. Hearing From God Clearly

Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world (1 Jn. 5:4). To be successful in life we have to do whatever God says to us. So the need to hear God clearly is paramount. It is not a once and for all experience but a continuing one for every sphere of our life. In Jer. 33:3 the Bible says “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvellous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” and Jer. 29:12-14a - “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.”

It is clear from the scriptural verses quoted above that God desires to communicate with us. Prayer should not be a monologue and stacking up of hours, days and intensity of struggle. That is why Habakkuk said in Hab. 2:1 - “What’s God going to say to my questions? I’m braced for the worst. I’ll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I’ll wait to see what God says, how he’ll answer my complaint.” The critical point of any relationship is communication between the parties. When communication breaks down, chaos reigns absolutely.

As Christians we need to get to a point of knowing the mind and will of God concerning a certain situation, issue or person before going further. It will save us a lot of heartaches and groaning. Business is a call to warfare and a place of rest because the battle is the Lord’s and Is. 30:15 says “This is what the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says: “If you come back to me and trust me, you will be saved. If you will be calm and trust me, you will be strong.” If you don’t return to the Lord the scripture says in Is. 30:16 & 17 that your self-will will lead to powerlessness, faint heartedness and terror.

God communicates with us in various ways including the following:

• Vision: This can be at different levels, e.g., trance for Peter and open vision for Cornelius in Acts 10.
• Dream: God speaks to believers and unbelievers alike through it e.g. Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Joseph, Daniel and Joseph (Jesus’ earthly father)
• Impression: Inner conviction can be a bit physical or emotional, simple divine process of something coming out of your spirit into your mind. For example when praying, e.g. Apostle Paul in Acts 27:10.
• Still Small Voice: 1 Kgs. 19:11-13 - Whisper of the Holy Spirit. Do not expect spectacular manifestation always. You can access the still small voice when you are quiet.
• Audible Voice - 1 Sam. 3 - Can be ordinary and sound like a voice of a person you know. The devil can also use this, so be careful.
• Scripture - Holy Spirit coming right inside of you to quicken a particular verse or passage.

Experiencing continual communication with God requires:

• Prayer – Prayer is required to inspire and it is vital to keep the communication channel open. Thanksgiving Prayers are very important because it keeps God’s presence fresh in our hearts.
• Meditation - deep consideration or reflection on Jesus’ goodness
• Waiting on God - taking pleasure in Him
• Desire to receive from and hear the Lord
• Expectation
• Stepping out in faith on what you have received.

We need to always go to God for every step in prayer, obey God’s instructions and yield to God’s directions and unction (Neh. 4:1-23).

3.Desire and Purpose not to Defile Yourself

This concerns our entire life at home, work and church. There may be trials and difficulties so that God can prove us first. You must purpose to keep away from the evil system by giving a deep consideration to the following suggestions:-

• People must always be more important than products.
• Keep away from pride in your own programs, plans and successes.
• Remember that God’s will and Word must never be compromised
• People must always be considered above the making of money.
• Do what is right, no matter what the cost.
• Be involved in businesses that provide worthwhile products or services - not just things that feed the world’s desires.

4. Trusting God Fully to Meet Your Needs

Trusting God will help to conquer anxiety, worry and fear. We need divine guidance, assistance, information, favour, promotion and honour to be a success. On our part, we need to be patient and bear our temporary ‘suffering’. We will go through a time of testing.

5. Small is Beautiful

A gradual growth and development is a divine idea (Ex. 23:29 & 31). A humble, definite and strong beginning is important to weather the storms of life.

6. “Dangerous” Prayers

The Bible states in 2Cor. 10:3-6 that we can only revenge all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled. We cannot engage in dangerous prayers unless we have removed all spots, blemishes and wrinkles in your life. This is so that the enemy does not find a hole in our armour. We cannot cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God if we do not keep to Joshua 1:8 –“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” We cannot succeed if we are not humble and yielded to divine correction through the Bible and pronouncements of anointed servants of God concerning our situation. We cannot bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ when we are not fully yielded to the same Christ in our dealings.

It is after we are obedient like Elijah that we can stop the rain and command it to fall also at our word that is based on what God has told us. We should spend time reading, studying and meditating on Hab. 2:1-4 and Nehemiah to see the power of prayer at work.

7.Paying Tithes, Offerings and Vows when blessed

We should engage in sacrificial offerings as Solomon did in 1 Kgs. 8:63 as seed time and harvest time will never fail (Gen. 8:22).

Mal. 3:8-12 is a commandment with a promise. It says, “Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you rob me day after day. “You ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’ “The tithe and the offering—that’s how! And now you’re under a curse—the whole lot of you—because you’re robbing me. Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams. For my part, I will defend you against marauders, protect your wheat fields and vegetable gardens against plunderers.” The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. “You’ll be voted ‘Happiest Nation.’ You’ll experience what it’s like to be a country of grace.” God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.”

When we withhold your offerings and tithes we are putting ourselves under the curse. Remember the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-10, we should not keep back whatever belongs to God. If we keep back whatever belongs to God we will experience spiritual, physical and/or material poverty. We must not also delay in paying your tithes and offerings - Ex. 22:29 - “Do not hold back your offering from the first of your harvest and the first wine that you make.”

Concerning our vows, Eccl. 5:4 & 5 says that “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.”

8. Repeat 1 to 7 over and over again.

May God grant you breakthroughs as you put your faith into action unto His Glory. Amen.