Dear Leader,
I trust this meets you in pursuit of wisdom.
Many people start off their leadership journey with a lot of prospects and people believing in their potential to deliver results and impact. But along the way, some leaders blow up the trust people have in them. As a student of leadership, I have made it a personal habit to learn from every leader who started well but lost their way.
No leader plans to fall or fail, but most leaders who fail found themselves in some dangerous zones that destroys their leadership.
One of the greatest warning signs is when your charisma, talents, or gifts outgrow your character.
Most of the failures in leadership can be traced to failure in character. Even the most noble endeavours fail with immoral leadership. Good strategy without good character will fail you. Great conquests must be supported by great character. Great visions must be backed by great character. Whatever gains leaders make, they can lose in a heartbeat unless they simultaneously develop the character to support these gains.
Through reflection and observation, I have identified seven dangers that destroy leadership and if you are young and in your early stages of leadership, it is important to pay attention to them and by all means pick the lessons.
- Pride: Thinking you made it here entirely on your own is the first step toward downfall.
- Possessions: When we begin to chase the perks and privileges that come with leadership, we lose our focus on purpose.
- Popularity: Believing too much in our own publicity blinds us to reality.
- Power: When we use our influence to advance ourselves rather than our mission, we step into danger.
- Prestige: Loving the feeling of being important and irreplaceable breeds arrogance.
- Pleasure: When we think leadership entitles us to special treatment, we lose our sense of service.
- People: The moment we shift from serving people to pleasing or using them, we compromise our calling.
You must realise that your titles are fleeting, your fame and popularity is fleeting. Build your character to live without the glamour attached to leadership.
I am rooting for you,
The Great Owete