Becoming a great leader.

"Today a reader tomorrow a leader" - W. Fusselman

"The moment you stop learning you stop leading" - Rick Warren.

Becoming a great leader in the nearest future is very interesting considering the fact that hardly does a day passes by without the thought about the need to demand performance from those lead us in different aspects of our daily lives.

As a member of the society, everyone has different roles and relative importance. Our relative importance however depends on our station, vision and focus in life. By virtue of the above, in life, some of us will become leaders while others will be followers. This is indeed the reality of life. And leaders are usually like the chosen few, while the followers are typically in the majority. the good news is that we seem to have a choice which class will wish to belong - be it a leader or a follower? To be a follower only requires being like everyone else, while to be a leader requires doing things a little different from others. So which would you rather prefer to be?

To become a leader and be different from others will begin form the position of knowledge. How much knowledge do we have about issues to be able to distinguish ourselves from the majority and to be able to lead and guide them? The challenge to become leader therefore means that we have to be mentally and academically sound and commit to expanding our knowledge base. To become leader we do not just read to pass examination but to truly possess knowledge and understanding. This therefore brings to the mind the quotation. "Leaders are readers". We cannot lead others from the position of ignorance. The more knowledgeable we are, the better respected and embraced we become.

Leaders also need to be focused on what they want and would like to do. It is an essential part of becoming a leader for us to have vision. Vision is a statement of what we would like to become in future. Everyone that want to become a leader most indeed have a vision of becoming one. To realize this vision now depends on the action we put together. Part of the process of becoming a leader therefore is to have a dream and visualize a desirable point we want to be in life. One therefore need to start to have clear vision and idea of who you would like to become in the nearest future, including your career ambition.

Leadership competence will also be reflected in the career path. To become a leader in our chosen field, we need to be sure that we are really committed to the chosen career part, love the course and derive fun from pursuing it. such a course must provide fulfillment for us to confirm that we are in it for the passion, not because you were forced into it. Nothing could be more frustrating than being in a career in which you feel imprisoned simply because you were cajoled by friends, family or career counselors.

It becomes a lot easier to excel and distinguish ourselves when pursuing something that we love with passion. To become leaders in the future to our career endeavor, therefore requires that we choose our career through proper counseling. We should be properly educated on the implication of our choice of study, and then be convinced that our choice is truly based on flair.

Leadership at any level and in area of human endeavor also the demands personal discipline and self respect. Leaders are like mirrors through which the society is rated. Where leaders exemplary lives with a good examples, then, it provides inspiration for followers to build upon. This means that to become leaders we must be prepared to do the right thing all the time, even when it seem inconvenient in the short term. Being committed to do the right things as a leader involves doing it right even when no one is watching.

After all, nothing is really hidden under the sun. Whatever we do in the secret as a way of coming out like a sore thumb. Therefore, to become a leader, you must be prepared to set good examples, avoid keeping up with the majority just because it is fashionable. Rather you want to be a shining example not just for today but also for the future references.

Leadership also requires being humble. to lead others, we must be prepared to be close to them, and show empathy with them. A great leader is the one who is not arrogant and show the willingness to serve others. It does not matter in which context will lead others; we need to carry them along in whatever will embark upon. After all, without followers there can be a leaders. and when people know that we are humble and approachable, they will be willing to reach out to us and give us the necessary support require to succeed. No man is an island, we shall succeed once people know that we care and feel for them.

I therefore wish to challenge you to ensure that you emerged in life as a part of the chosen few who is assigned to lead others. And the joy of life indeed comes from being counted among not only those who are successful in life, but also those who take charge of shaping the destiny of others.