Behavior Modeling Essential In Followership

Older  daughter: “Please may I have your sharpener”

Younger daughter: “No, you can’t have it, you never share your stuff with me”

Daddy (me in a stern voice): “Remember girls, sharing is caring, so go ahead and share the sharpener now”

God speaking in heart: ” Why so stern with your daughters, they are only acting out what they see you do with their mum when she asks you for a piece of meat from your plate”( Ouch!!!!)

The conversation is all too familiar and extremely applicable not just to family affairs but also within the leadership-followership dynamic. Many times leaders and parents are too quick to correct, too quick to offer solutions that the leaders are not willing to practice themselves. This lack of positive modeling creates followers who act in the same way. Modeling positive character and behavior in leadership no matter how significant it is,  influences the corresponding response by followers. For example, research on authentic leadership has shown that leaders who show altruistic behavior, sharing, love, transparency, and empowerment often develop followers who in turn show similar characteristics. Being that the leader-follower dynamic involves an influence relationship, it goes without saying that what you see your followers, especially within an organizational setting, do, is often a reflection of the organization’s culture that is created by the behavior, beliefs, and values of the leader. The same is applicable within the family system as well. So if we want to experience the “sharing is caring” philosophy within our organizations, businesses and families, then modeling sharing , especially our meat with our spouses (only kidding) is a none negotiable.

God bless.

Understanding Followership

“So what does it mean to understand followership? In essence to understand followership, we must conduct a deep analysis of the subject without perceived notions or bias. Although culture, context and experiences frame our biases or perceptions, we must engage the topic of followership with openness.

Openness to the true meaning of followership, openness to how it applies to us, openness to the different perspectives that consist of the construct and the multidisciplinary application of it. For example, social scientists have opined that followership studies have often times been viewed from a leader centric perspective, in other words, from the perspective of the leader and not the follower. This approach leads to a one-sided view of the topic thus limiting the objectivity with which we examine it. For us to fully understand followership, we must be open to how followership influences our lives and then use that information to  develop our understanding.

For me, the openness and the courage to explore this construct without bias began the process of my understanding, I stripped down my preconceived notions about followership and basically allowed myself to think things through practically and objectively. I can’t claim to fully understand the concept but I am getting there.  Another important factor necessary for understanding followership is humility. Sometimes, its difficult to explain the impact a construct has until we humbly accept the true implications of what a construct is. Level 5 leaders as espoused in Jim Collins book Good to Great, exhibit humility in their leadership. Bruce Winstons book “Be a Leader for God’s sake,” opined that leaders who are rich in humility do not have a-know- it -all attitude but seek to drill deeper by downplaying their significance in the overall leadership construct and learning.

To understand followership, therefore means to humbly remove bias and seek understanding by learning through an objective assessment of the subject and asking the right questions about the matter.  

In addition, to understand a subject means to look at the lens with which you are viewing the matter. There are several lenses or approaches or worldviews in life and our acceptance of phenomenon depends on our worldview and perceptions. Our world view also influences the way we think about a subject, which also influence the extent to which we understand.

Note: We limit our understanding of leadership, when we do not show adequate understanding of followership.

Except from my forthcoming second book on Followership

Blessing.

Followership is about Stewardship

Sorry its been a while, had to get some things done this past week, however, i wanted to drop off a few lines on followership.  I am often surprised when people assume that success is a microwaved event.  This is a no brainer because success just like followership is not an overnight event but a process that occurs overtime that occurs within the confines of stewardship. Following is like managing what is calling on you to act or respond. It is your response to an influence, action, person and how that response culminates to an outcome. Within that space lies how we handle that call, influence or action which calls for stewardship. Simply put stewardship is managing what is entrusted to you, your followership is your stewardship of what you have. For example, Twitter followers are stewards of their time who make sure that their time flows in the direction of  those they follow. Regardless of the type of follower  you are whether die-hard or casual, your followership is dependent on how well you manage what has been given you about what you follow. In the business world and even within organizations, your followership of organizational goals, visions, cultures etc is dependent on how you manage your time, resources etc to meet those goals. In other words, your success as a follower is dependent on your stewardship. While this may sound conceptual and extremely basic, the reality is that the better  you manage what you have and how you use what you have, impacts the type of follower that you are, the type of follower you are, determines the type of leader you are, the type of leader you are, determines the type of influence you have, the type of influence you have, determines the impact you have.  So lets proactive find what we have in our trust and manage those resources effectively  as we follow the call, visions and goals of our lives.

Blessings. Col 3:23-24

Keep Digging Till You Find Your Treasure

I remember an experience I had when I was in grade school. It was customary to take exams to qualify for entry into High school. Like every student, I studied and got ready for the exams, I took the exams but failed to make the cut off point for entry. This naturally made me sad as I watched other class mates leave me behind to attend High school. Some how I got over the hump and began to look ahead at my future. My parents signed me up for after school lessons and I got a private tutor to help me. What surprised me after that and a year later was that the questions I found very difficult to answer before became so easy for me. I literally breezed through my exams the following year and got admitted to High school with national merit. I would continue to experience similar situations in my life as time went by.

For example, the journey would begin tough and then with just a little persistence, just a little more practice, just a little  more digging, the revelation, the answer, the progress, the believe, the relief would come. Those who continue to dig and not give up usually find their treasure, those who are committed to seeking and those who will not quit, end up experiencing the victory.

Understanding, grace and advancement come to those who continue to dig deeper into God, dig deeper into their personal development, dig deeper into their calling, dig deeper into their desires. Get a shovel, roll up your sleeves and keep digging, your treasure is there for you to discover. God bless.

Gal 6:9——–

High Stakes

Ever wondered whether your life amounted to anything? The reality is that your life does matter and you have something to offer the world. You may say, “i am too old”, ” i am too poor”, “i am depressed”,”i am too tired”, “i am too drenched”, “i am so sad”. We all have reasons why we think we can’t make a difference to our world. However the stakes are very high, you not being yourself deprives others from enjoying your gifts. I prevents you from enjoying the greatest fulfillment in life which is using what you are to help others. I have heard many say that the greatest investments anyone can make is in other people. The rewards far exceed the efforts put in. Every time you spend investing in yourself, your family, your friends, your neighborhood and your spheres, you create a legacy for the next generation. The stakes are really high because the absence of your voice, your presence, your resources, your time affects us all. So let’s get out there and let our voices be heard, let our lights shine, let our actions impact the next person because the stakes are very high. Today, i am spending time with my girls, your contribution doesn’t have to be huge or expensive, it just has to be sincere and consistent. We are waiting for you. God bless.

Let’s Finish

“I saw a big cat that looked like a small bat
sitting on a wide mat looking at a brown rat.”
I read to my wife with a smile on my face.
“What is that?” she asked with a smile on her face.
I was trying to write at ten o clock at night.
Still didn’t know what the poem was about.I was determined to write without a doubt.
As i typed one letter after the next, i gave a shout
“Wow” I was all out, no time to back out
Like the pen of a ready writer, God’s inspiration made the rhymes brighter.
The horizon of the contents clearer and the expression of the night shinier.

Back to the cat, it chased after the brown rat, under the horizons that came from the rays of the moon light”

The moral of this poem, is finish what you start. It took me more than five years (2013-2018) to complete the above written poem. Even though the poem may not make sense to the readers, my consolation is that the poem is finished period.

Completed mediocrity is better than unfinished perfection. Finish what you start.

Heb 12:2———

 

Let’s Practice

“Draw draw draw, practice, practice, practice” were words from a TV show I watched as a young boy growing up in Nigeria. I loved  and still love drawing, it brings me joy and relaxes me anytime i have to do it. However, i remember when i almost lost the ability to draw. To be honest, i am not as good as i was when i was a teenager. The reason is because i stopped practicing, for some odd reason i thought i could always quip up the skill anytime i wanted. The reality is that to be the best at anything, one must constantly hone in and practice. This truth is so apt and necessary that i believe i have written and spoken about this several times. Sometimes we envy those whose hard work and lives reflect this principle, we somehow think that they suddenly arrived at their expertise suddenly. The reality is that they spent time following after their goals by constantly practicing, developing and growing their skills. There are no exceptions, from Oprah Winfrey to Quincy Jones, Jerry Seinfeld to Mother Theresa all engaged life  with a mentality that required constant practice. Get good at what you do, engage your life after all life is a dress rehearsal for eternity.

2 Tim 2:15—————

It’s Not Too Late

It is not too late to make a come back. Not too late to take a stab at a forgotten project. Sometimes all you have to do is put your name in the pool and see where the game takes you. To get a shot at winning, you must be willing to play the game, willing to get down and dirty no matter how late. Its not how long you been away but whether or not you are unwilling to play. Do you have a dream, a goal, a desire? then remember that it is not to late to get the ball rolling, not too late to engage, not too late to dust off the old note pad, gloves, piano, the old purpose or initiative. You will be surprised that when you get back, you will hear people say ” well its about time,” “we have been waiting” “welcome back” “we missed you.” It will make all the sense in the world then, however if you hold back, delay, fear or stay away, you deny the world of your gift, your laugh, your voice, your skill, your love. So get in the game of life, make a difference because its better late than never.

Jeremiah 29:11—–

Musings from a PhD Student- Move To Second Base

Ok, I know what you are thinking,  “Second Base?” what are you trying to imply ? Trust me, there are no sexual inferences here at all. Let me explain, in the game of baseball, the hitter begins at home plate and then tries to hit the ball thrown by a pitcher as far as possible with the intension of scoring runs by going clockwise around the 3 bases to home plate. The idea is all about advancement, movement, progress.

This baseball analogy came to me after I decided to get back to exercising again. I got ready to do my push ups and then after only 5, I dusted my hands, adjusted myself and with a wry smile and a sense of accomplishment of someone who  just finished a simple 5-year old Lego puzzle, I got up and sat down. Yep,  exercising was over; I was done for the day. However, that attitude did not get me anywhere. Then it dawned on me that I was still at “home plate” with no movement or progress. It seemed like I was just there basking in my immobility and brief activity. The reality is that if we are to make any progress , we need to move beyond where we are and make some progress beyond where we are today. Jesus even encouraged us to go and do beyond what is necessary. It will take commitment, desire, intrinsic motivation and a reliance of God to get you moving but just keep on moving.

In conclusion and in light of the events in Vegas, I want to say that our country needs to move beyond first base, we seem stuck in the past while thinking we are in the future, love seeks to advance the course of others and not end it. We need to make progress nationally, however for that to occur we all need to make progress ourselves. So look out today for good inspiring people who would push you to make a difference and not hurt others, look out to God for help in areas of stagnation, be open about your weaknesses and then focus on helping others as well for in helping beyond the norm we not only go to second base, heck we get a home run.

Matthew 5:41
If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. (NIV)
(PRAYING FOR VEGAS)

Musings From A PhD Student – We Don’t Know It All

I remember an image of an illustration sent to me by a mentor that showed the impact of starting a PhD program on the brain of the PhD student. The picture showed the brains of people at various academic levels. The picture for the PhD brain humorously showed the brain extend beyond the point of elasticity. A little red dot appropriately named “thinking”  located well outside a dotted circle around the extended brain of the PhD student,  signified that a PhD student must always think outside the boundaries of conventional thinking. The elasticity of the PhD brain  on the other hand, referenced how flexibility with which the PhD student must engage in critical thinking .

As I examined this image, I immediately could relate as I was then, beginning to feel the stress of my brain extend figuratively as I studied books, write ups and journals.  I can definitely attest that in my PhD journey, my thinking and my general approach to life has changed, however as George Huber said in his book ” The Necessary Nature Of Future Firms” , “knowledge begets knowledge.” The more knowledge one has and no matter how extensive you think you know,  the more your knowledge becomes fodder for more knowledge according to Huber. That is why the great Albert Einstein said, “the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”

This was my gut check reality punch if I can call it that. Sometimes I felt I was swimming in a pool with a never-ending finish line of opinions, ideals and ideas.  I thought I knew stuff due to this so-called “brain extension” but I was so wrong to make that assertion. Throughout this noise of knowledge assimilation and flexibility of thinking, it hit me that all knowledge begins and ends in Christ. That realization helped me to wade through this pool, examining content under the guidance and help of Christ, the master of all knowledge.

In the book of Proverbs in the old testament of the Bible, the author admonishes us to trust or put the weight of our quest for knowledge on the Lord, lean on God and not on our own understanding. The reality as mentioned earlier is that we don’t know it all, so lets humble ourselves before the God of all knowledge, surrender what we already know to Him and allow Him to make straight our paths as we continue to seek knowledge for the benefit of humanity.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.