Bishop Dag Heward Mills
As for my people, CHILDREN ARE THEIR OPPRESSORS, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
-Isaiah 3:12
The tone of this Scripture leads us to believe that it is a curse or a punishment for a group of people to be led by children. Let us continue to reflect and meditate on the meaning of this scripture and relate it to our abilities to lead.
4. THE LEADERSHIP OF A CHILD IS CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING FUN AND CELEBRATING.
To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another; and they say, ‘WE PLAYED the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.
-Luke 7:31-32 (NASB)
Study leadership, understand leadership, and practice appropriate principles of leadership otherwise you may lead people with the mind of a child because a child loves to play, play, play! The leadership of a child is dominated by a lack of understanding of the financial costs and their implications. You must understand leadership because in the absence of good leadership abilities you have people who are called leaders but who waste their resources on ceremonies, parties, anniversaries and clothing rather than permanent things.
Children talk about things they cannot and will not do. Children declare that they will become singers, astronauts and doctors but they do not become any of these things. A person with the leadership mind of a child loves to attend numerous meaningless conferences, make statements and declare lofty goals without implementing any of them.
5. THE LEADERSHIP OF A CHILD IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE DESIRE TO ACQUIRE MANY TOYS.
Woe to thee, O land, when THY KING IS A CHILD, and thy princes eat in the morning!
-Ecclesiastes 10:16
You must study leadership, understand leadership, and practice appropriate principles of leadership otherwise you may lead people with the mind of a child. The leadership style of a child is characterized by the desire to acquire many toys.
A child wants toys and playthings and does not care whether no one else has a toy. In some nations it looks like there are children (politicians) fighting over toys, which are the people of the nation.
This desire of a child to acquire toys is reason why the first items that are purchased by this type of leader are usually cars, jets and personal mansions. This type of leader greedily acquires the things he has admired in his childhood dreams. Once upon a time, a new government came into power in a poor developing nation. Believe it or not, the news was dominated for weeks by arguments about official cars that they were using. Like children who had found a new toy, their main concern was the cars that everyone was using. Such leaders have their eyes on the money, the cars, the women (the dolls) and the mansions. Indeed, woe to the land whose king, leader, president, pastor, prime minister, commander is a child!
6. THE LEADERSHIP OF A CHILD IS CHARACTERIZED BY A LACK OF CONCENTRATION.
That we henceforth be no more children, TOSSED TO AND FRO, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
-Ephesians 4:14
You must study leadership, understand leadership, and practice appropriate principles of leadership otherwise you may lead people with the mind of a child because the leadership of a child is marked by a lack of concentration. Children have a short attention span. When a leader does not concentrate on his core functions, he achieves nothing.
One of the key principles of warfare is to bring all your forces to bear on one point, in order to overcome it. This is why when a bridge is a target of an army all the air, land and sea forces focus on destroying it. All forces must be made to bear on the target at hand.
It is no wonder that third world leaders are unable to achieve much because they have no time or concentration for the work they have been elected to do. Instead of focusing on the problems of the nation they constantly receive delegations of inconsequential visitors to their offices.
In many developing countries, government offices are inundated by relatives, friends and passers-by, seeking favours, jobs and help of all sorts. It is therefore not a strange sight to see a head of state welcoming countless delegations of all sorts – ranging from religious leaders to singers, footballers, announcers of funerals, directors of newly established NGOs and even people seeking photographs with a president to build up their own prestigious collection.
This is a type of leadership to avoid! Lord, deliver us from the leadership of a child!
theaol@ymail.com
The Art of Leadership
By Dag Heward-Mills