A leader must study and understand leadership in order not to lead people with the mind of a child because the leadership of a child is marked by a lack of concentration, merely fighting over position and also lacking in foresight, analysis and logical reasoning.
9. THE LEADERSHIP OF A CHILD IS CHARACTERIZED BY A LACK OF CONCENTRATION.
That we henceforth be no more children, TOSSED TO AND FRO, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Ephesians 4:14
Children have a short attention span. When a leader does not concentrate on his core functions, he achieves nothing.
In warfare, for instance, one of the key principles is to bring all your forces to bear on one point in order to overcome it. This is why when a bridge is a target of an army, the armed forces bring all their air, land and sea forces to focus on destroying it. All forces are made to bear on the target at hand.
It is no wonder that some leaders are unable to achieve much! This is because they have no time or concentration for the work they have been elected to do. Instead of focusing on the problems of the nation, they constantly receive delegations of inconsequential visitors to their offices.
In many developing countries, government offices are inundated by relatives, friends and passers-by, seeking favours, jobs and help of all sorts. It is therefore not a strange sight to see a head of government welcoming countless delegations of all sorts – ranging from religious leaders to singers, to footballers, to announcers of funerals, to visiting traditional leaders and chiefs, to directors of newly established NGOs and even people seeking photographs with a president to build up their own prestigious collection. Engaging in these activities cannot be a concentration on the business of government.
10. THE LEADERSHIP OF A CHILD IS CHARACTERIZED BY FIGHTING OVER POSITION.
Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to mature Christians. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though YOU WERE INFANTS in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk and not with solid food, because you couldn’t handle anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,
1 Corinthians 3:1-2 (NLT)
It is not a strange sight to see a child very happy about nothing. Children are happy when they are able to sit by the door of the car, have their bath first or last. They enjoy positions that are meaningless to grown-ups. The childlike leader is in charge of dusty villages filled with impoverished people. He fights for the position of leadership and to be the head of something, which is of no consequence. The leader wants the title and the position but will do nothing to help the people. If you are a leader, always take a step back and assess what you are fighting over or for. Are you merely fighting over a position? Are you fighting to do something profitable?
11. THE LEADERSHIP OF A CHILD IS CHARACTERIZED BY A LACK OF FORESIGHT.
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from THE WISE AND PRUDENT, and hast revealed them unto babes.
Matthew 11:25
Only a few children think of the future therefore the leadership of a child is characterized by this trait in a child – not having a thought for tomorrow! A child is a blind and shortsighted person. Imagine a child who has been put in charge of everything! When you are shortsighted you lack prudence. A child does not even understand when he is wasting something that he will need in the future. Counting your pennies today will make you a person of wealth tomorrow.
Foresight makes you focused on putting aside enough today so that you are better off tomorrow. The leadership of a child is the absence of good leadership abilities and a child will not work at increasing his income in the future by fighting little wastes today.
12. THE LEADERSHIP OF A CHILD IS CHARACTERIZED BY LACK OF ANALYSIS AND LOGICAL REASONING.
A child will not use data or science much and therefore he will not know the real state of affairs. The Bible teaches that Christ is not only power. He is also wisdom! A leader needs both the power and the wisdom! Without analysis and logical reasoning there will always be poverty.
Childlike leadership is non-analytical and non-logical in everything. Children are afraid of ghosts. They believe in Santa Claus, Cinderella and cartoons. Leaders who are like children lead more by superstition and govern more by that than by practical and logical reasoning. We need to pray for all our leaders that they do not practice the leadership characteristic of children. May our leadership be characterised by concentration and may our leaders be known for analysis and logical reasoning!
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