A STORY THAT CHANGED THE ENTIRE WORLD

THE ANTECEDENT OF EASTER 

According to the Bible, God created the world and everything that constitutes it. He crowned His creation with human beings at the commanding heights. Our role was to partner with God to rule His kingdom. God wanted us to superintend the physical realm on His behalf. He gave us sufficient authority to dominate the earth as well as maintain and harness all the elements and resources of the earth. Somewhere along the line, we lost our guard and ceded our authority to another force. It then became necessary for God to repossess what man had relinquished. He sent His Son Jesus to carry out that mission.

 

THE MISSION OF EASTER

Jesus came to reclaim and repossess what man had given away. His intention was to restore us to our dignified position in life. Jesus’ operation on earth was to give us dominion over demonic forces and all the storms of life. The birth of Jesus was an announcement of a new dawn in human existence. His death symbolised the end of our bondage to elements of darkness. It marked the end of ignorance and insecurity in the mind and heart of man. It does not end there. Three days after His death, Jesus returned from the dead. He vanquished death; having done that He set the stage for our restoration. All the conditions necessary to put us back to our privileged position had been met.

 

THE OCCASION OF EASTER

Every year, when we celebrate Easter, we try to accentuate the mission of Jesus. We remember what Jesus did to restore our dignity. While we may want to go to the beach, play some games or participate in various church activities during Easter, we should not lose consciousness over its real essence. This year, as we celebrate the occasion, it must not just be a holiday; we should determine to make it a holy day. We must realise that the significance of Easter is to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus. We have to be aware of how His death and resurrection influence our destiny.

 

THE PEOPLE OF EASTER

Somehow, Easter has come to be seen as a festival for Christians. Well, my own view is that Easter is a festival for humanity. At the time Jesus died, there was no Christianity. Christianity evolved only after Jesus had resurrected and ascended to heaven. Christianity as a religion is a creation of man. Easter is for every person who desires to have a meaningful existence. It is for people who are seeking to live a dignified life. Anybody who accepts what Jesus did qualifies to be part of Easter. If you acknowledge that the death and resurrection of Jesus was to give you a meaningful and dignified life, then you are the person of Easter; you have cause to celebrate and give thanks to God.

 

EVERYDAY IS EASTER

What Jesus did for us has daily significance. It is not exclusively useful to us during Easter. It benefits us every time; even when we are dead. It stands to reason that each day of our lives we acknowledge what He did for us. We must always walk in the consciousness that we have been redeemed by God through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Easter is not just an occasion, it’s a daily celebration.

THE LEADER'S GENEROSITY

 "Generosity is the leader’s refreshing oil. It stirs up the leader’s gifts and potential while aligning their paradigm" - Terry Mante

THERE IS something I’ve come to appreciate about the candle. When you light a piece of candle, its flame can serve as a source of light for other candles. My admiration is rooted in the reality that the candle that gives light to other candles does not lose its light thereafter. Rather, together with the others, they shine brighter and provide clearer vision to people located within the precincts of the light’s field. One candle brightens a little corner but many candles, if well-arranged provide light for a wider domain.

Leaders are people of light. They have a remarkable depth of enlightenment, insight and paradigm. Nevertheless, all that they have is limited in scope and significance if they don’t light other candles. That is the spirit of generosity. The spirit of generosity is a noble attitude that harbours a willingness to give advice, help, money, knowledge, time or other resources freely. The spirit of generosity operates purely on altruistic and unconditional bases. Leaders light other people’s candles; they give freely.

Generous people make impact on others. When you give a timely advice, you make a noteworthy contribution to a person’s life. You could guide a person to accomplish their purpose by a sheer act of generosity. You could contribute to a person’s well-being by giving money or some other material gift. The leader’s impact is real and it is measured by the extent of their generosity. Do you consider yourself a leader? If you do, then you have to be a giver. Leadership is about the contributions we make to people’s lives. We have to be conscious about giving. That is true leadership.

People who do not give get rusty. Generosity is the leader’s refreshing oil. It stirs up the leader’s gifts and potential while aligning their paradigm. It’s like how it works in aerobics. When you exercise, you improve fitness and muscle tone. The more you exercise, the more vivacious you become. It has been said that those who don’t exercise stand a higher risk of cardiac attacks, cancer, diabetes and other diseases. Similarly, when leaders give to their followers they are keeping themselves fit. Releasing what you have keeps your spirit and mind alert and active. Those who are stingy with what they have end up stale.

In my book Winning with Confidence, I emphasise that, “There is great reward in giving. Giving gives you a living; if you empty your hands, you make space to receive new things.” If your hands are full, there will be no room for new things. If you give out what you have, you can receive new things into your life. If you want life to fill you with bliss, you must develop a generous spirit.

The generosity of a leader enlists the goodwill and continuous cooperation of followers. When you give to people, you secure their loyalty; you set the scene for mutual reliance. While you expect them to cooperate with you, they have an assurance that they can count on your support should they require it. Leadership is about three things: giving, giving and giving.

WHAT LEADERS GIVE

1.  Guidance. Leaders know and show the way. They help their people to know where to go. They clarify mind-boggling issues to their followers and help them to unravel complex and challenging situations. Leaders offer wise counsel to help their people grapple with the issues of their life. Every one of us can offer guidance in one way or another. There is a solution we can proffer to help others navigate their lives.

2.  Knowledge. Francis Bacon wrote in 1597 that “Knowledge is power.” Leaders empower their people when they impart knowledge unto them. You empower them with ideas and concepts that help them to manage their lives from an informed perspective. Knowledge is the integration of information, insight and experiences accumulated by the leader. True leaders allow others to tap their knowledge. They use their knowledge to help others construct their lives. They contribute their knowledge to nation-building. Leaders are givers of information. They transfuse insight and share their experiences.

3.  Time: Time is an irredeemable resource. Because of that, leaders guard the use of their time strictly. How much time do you spend with people? Do you spend time to meet the needs of others? The sacrifice of time for others is what leadership is about. Leaders spend time to think about their followers and develop initiatives that add value to the lives of their people. As leaders, we must devote quality time for the people we seek to influence.

4.  Encouragement: Encouragement raises people above their inhibitions and challenges. It also beefs up people’s confidence. Encouragement is the fuel that leaders give to their followers. People who are encouraged keep their focus intact and see light in the midst of darkness. True leaders lift their people above emotions, challenges as well as tasks. When leaders encourage their followers, they help them recognise their own capabilities and competencies. Encouragement is the leader’s main task because it is the main tool they use to galvanise people towards the attainment of a desired objective.

My question to you is, “What are you giving to the people around you?”

By Terry Mante

All rights reserved

2009

The Spirit of Influence

I HAVE a deep conviction that leadership derives from influence and contribution, not merely from titles and positions. An influential person is one who is able to affect the course of events or somebody’s thinking and conduct. If you have any such effect on a person, then you are leading them. Although having a position will enhance your capacity to exert influence, position does not necessarily make you an influential person. Influential people make substantial contributions to the people around them and the organisations they belong to. In essence, influence is first personal before it becomes positional. If you are not a person of influence, you can’t be an effective leader even when you have the position.

One way to become a person of influence is to develop a sense of purpose. Having a sense of purpose implies that you have grasped an understanding of a certain role that you can play in life. Everybody has a role to play in life. An understanding of our role and an honest commitment to play this role will make us influential people. A discovery of our purpose places an imperative on us to pursue actions that impact people’s lives. A sense of purpose also helps us to channel our strengths and contributions in a manner that is productive.

A true leader is one who is able to enlist the trust and confidence of people. A surest way to gain people’s trust is to be a person of integrity and credibility. A person with integrity is whole and has a character that can be trusted. They say what they mean and mean what they say. Their words and actions are inseparable. They don’t operate by the “do what I say but don’t do what I do” mantra. Are your words in line with our actions? If that is the case, it makes you a trustworthy person hence people find it safe and reasonable to follow your leadership. Integrity offers a moral legitimacy for leadership. If people can trust you, they will follow you.

A person of influence knows what others do not know. They have insights others do not have. They understand concepts their followers do not understand. People will follow you for what they do not have. People will follow you for the value you add to their lives. I believe that leaders must necessarily make their followers better. But for you to make another person better, you must know that you can’t give what you don’t have. Those of us who follow Jesus Christ do so because He has eternal life and we believe that if we follow him, we shall experience this eternal life. And truly, He gives it to us. If you want to be a person of influence, you must have something that your followers won’t get from anywhere. It may not be anything spectacular but definitely, there is something you have that someone doesn’t have. As a leader, you have to devise a means to release it in a way that adds enduring value to the lives of your followers.

Finally, leadership requires initiative. The initiative of a person manifests when they are able to take decisions and pursue actions without the prompting of others. Leaders don’t wait to be told what to do. They do what they consider to be right. They do what they believe must be done. People who have a strong sense of initiative have the propensity to become effective leaders. When you occupy a high position, your subordinates look up to you for instructions and inspiration. They expect you to offer guidance and direction. At that level, you have to demonstrate initiative. At your present level, you can certainly show some level of initiative and self-motivation. If you can’t do it now, there is no guarantee that you will do it if you should attain a higher position. Those who already occupy certain positions must necessarily show that they are people of initiative. If they don’t, they would likely lose their position.

To a large extent, I share the view of revered leadership professor and past rector of GIMPA Stephen Adei that “Leadership is cause, everything else is effect.” Things happen because of leadership. Wherever you are, you can make things happen by deploying your leadership prowess. You can lead from the bottom up or the top-down, but of course in the spirit of influence.

Terry Mante