The Art of Leadership By Dag Heward-Mills
Every leader has people around him; his family, advisers, friends, his workers, workers of his predecessor, school mates, childhood friends and many others. Imagine what would happen if all the decisions of our leaders were completely based on what was said by those around him.
Mark Anthony and Octavian
Mark Anthony was a famous Roman general who assisted Julius Caesar until his death. After Julius Caesar was assassinated, Mark Anthony fought zealously to bring the killers of Julius Caesar to justice. Unfortunately for Mark Anthony, Julius Caesar did not intend for him to become his successor. Julius Caesar had written a Will and given his wealth, his name and position to his nephew, Octavian.
This surprise in Julius Caesar’s Will, put Mark Anthony in great difficulty. He was the natural successor, having been the right hand man of Julius Caesar. But Julius Caesar’s Will did not give Mark Anthony the right to become his successor.
Mark Anthony had to step aside for this young nephew called Octavian to rule the Roman Empire. This was difficult for Mark Anthony and eventually there was conflict between Mark Anthony and Octavian. After several years and much conflict, the showdown between Mark Anthony and Octavian took place at the battle of Actium. Mark Anthony was defeated in this battle; Octavian became the supreme leader of Rome and his name was changed to Augustus Caesar. This is the Caesar who was alive when Jesus was born.
Mark Anthony Constrained by Cleopatra
Mark Anthony’s defeat and demise is often linked to his association with Cleopatra. Cleopatra was one of the girlfriends of Julius Caesar with whom he even had a child. Mark Anthony, wishing to follow in his leader’s footsteps, had also become involved with Cleopatra and was actually living under her influence in Egypt when the war erupted. Many historians blame Mark Anthony for placing himself under the influence of Cleopatra.
Even though Mark Anthony was an experienced general commanding troops on land, he strangely agreed to fight against Octavian’s forces at sea. This naval battle put Mark Anthony at a disadvantage from the start. It seems the decision to use the navy rather than the land forces was taken in Cleopatra’s tent. It seems Mark Anthony was carried away by Cleopatra, like a boy in play But a good leader must not be constrained by people, just by virtue of being around.
A leader is a man of great authority! And a man of great authority is a man of great importance! If you are God’s leader, you must not be constrained by the voices of the people around you. Saul was a great leader, but he feared the people and was destroyed because of this fear. He no longer listened to God but followed the opinions of the masses. You must be controlled by God alone! Those who lead through the fear of people are often the worst kind of leaders.
A man of authority must follow God’s voice and do what is right. Today, many leaders of nations come into power through democracy. Democracy is the choosing of the most popular person. The fact that you have to be liked by many people before you can be a leader is a very dangerous and unfortunate reality. It makes the leader please the masses and it also makes him please many little groups who are perceived to be important. Good leaders are often too busy with “good leadership” to make themselves popular or liked.
If you watch the decisions of people who are governed by the fear of man, you will sit back in amazement. You may even think that foolish, unlearned and inexperienced men were elected to rule. But that is not the case at all. Leaders who fear men take all the wrong decisions in order to be politically right and politically acceptable. Because everything is decided by the fear of man, such a leader is the worst possible thing that could happen to a nation. Leaders who walk by the fear of man can act as though they do not know what is good and proper. But they do! They are actually very intelligent and very knowledgeable people. But when you fear men, you are unable to use most of the knowledge and intelligence you have. You simply cannot use the wisdom and knowledge you have because you fear the groups of men who surround you.
Dear leader, do not allow the fear of man to dominate you. Do what you know is the right thing to do! Do what God says and do what will help the people! Do not allow the pressures of those around you to lead you into error. Be a good leader! Be a leader who is too busy with “good leadership” to make himself popular or liked!
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