The Art of Leadership By Dag Heward-Mills
A leader is someone who sees ahead. A leader does not only concern himself with the here and now. A leader has the future in mind. Because he has the future in mind, he plans for the future. As he looks ahead he considers things in the future that others may not have thought about. The leader can see the evil ahead and plan ways of overcoming it. The leader can see growth and expansion ahead and make the necessary preparations for it. What a difference it would make if all leaders saw ahead and prepared for the future!
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
Proverbs 22:3
Three Things a Leader Should See Coming
- A leader should see the evils ahead. There are some evils that will come whether you want them to or not. Jesus promised that temptations would come.
Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
Matthew 18:7
Betrayal will come as the years go by. Temptations will come. Satanic attacks will come. Know that good times and bad times are sure to come. The marriage vows say: “For better or for worse, in prosperity and in adversity.” A real leader can virtually predict the ways things will go. Ask God for wisdom to see ahead. By wisdom, you can predict the future.
For example, a leader of a country planning an election would see ahead and consider that there could be confusion if there was no way of identifying voters. Leaders see the evil that would bring and ensure that there is a way of identifying voters to prevent confusion that could also produce anarchy.
- A leader should see the growth ahead.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, Isaiah 9:7
You must see things that are going to grow. A leader can see growth in populations, necessitating and increase in the facilities of the people. The leader must see that the number of cars in the country is increasing, the number of students is increasing and the number of people is increasing. A true leader knows that the population is going to grow. This means that potential souls are going to increase. This also means that we are going to need larger buildings and facilities. The leader knows that the country will need more workers, more developed areas, more accommodation, more schools and more roads.
Leaders build with the future in mind. Leaders train people with the future in mind. Jesus predicted that His church would grow. He could see it coming!
And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18
Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, saw many years ahead and built a huge hydroelectric dam for the nation. This dam produced electricity many times in excess of the needs of little Ghana. He was seeing ahead. Open your eyes and see ahead. Know that things will get better as the years go by.
- A leader should see the changes ahead.
A leader sees that his population is going to grow and that they will no more be able to do the things they used to do with the same facilities. A leader ought to see the changes coming up and make adequate preparations for the changes.
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Years ago, the Lord directed me to plant churches in different places. I realized that the city was expanding. It was obvious that in the coming years it could take people more than two hours to move from one end of the city to the other. I felt that many of the people who lived far away would soon stop coming to church. So I began what I call the Metropolitan Churches. That was one of the most strategic moves I ever made. This has made it possible to retain many of the people God gave me by establishing several churches in the city.
Businessmen need to see ahead. Some people are engaged in businesses that will soon be unprofitable. They need to detect that and move into other areas. I have often advised businessmen to diversify, because I could see a change coming which would make their current line of business obsolete. I have watched as great businesses deteriorated until there was nothing left. Indeed, a leader is someone who sees ahead!