Having proper strategy is paramount in producing real and
lasting change. Whether it’s an environment, nation, or a culture, there must
be implementation that comes forth from a blueprint that channels us towards
the expected end.
We can be more in love with the idea of changing the world
than of actually changing it. A philosophy or theology of world change without
a strategy for doing so does not produce the work of the Kingdom. The first
step in bringing the vision to fruition is what you invest in.
The quality, longevity, and impact of a leader’s legacy
is determined by what he/she invests in. Saddam Hussein invested in buildings,
statues, and himself, and his legacy is being erased every-time a building is
destroyed with his name on it. Nelson Mandela invested in people instead of
himself and he still lives on through the next generation. A visionary must
invest by reproducing what’s in them into others to carry the mission. This
requires the absence of insecurity and losing control phenomenon in the leader.
Expansion happens when leadership defines concisely the mission and expected
end and then invests in the qualified for exceeding themselves generationally.
Jesus invested in people, specifically in twelve.
The Caesars invested in buildings with their names inscribed on them and
invested in themselves in extreme indulgence. 2000 years later people still
name their children Jesus, Peter, and James, while they name their dogs Caesar
and Nero. Christianity boasts of two billion followers while Rome no longer
exists. The difference? One invested in people while the others invested in
material things and themselves.
Leadership should concentrate on developing people
instead of managing them. Managing maintains status quo but developing them
creates a better future filled with greater opportunities and lasting
achievement.
Leadership must think generational – vision always
outlasts the person. Leaving a legacy is not my name on a building but leaving
my experience deposited in someone for the next generation to build upon.
Buildings can collapse overnight and has no ability to produce another
building. However, a generation can produce another generation with your
vision at their core and your impact lives on. When we as leaders leave this world, the greatest memory
should not be the eulogy spoken at our funeral or the epitaph inscribed on our
tombstone. Rather, it should be the lives that continue to speak and produce
what we started.
Jack Welch said “Before you are a leader, success
is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about
growing others.” Leadership must always remember that people and not position,
power, and agenda, are what is more important.
Dr. Reuben Egolf
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