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We all want to be in-charge of someone or something because that is human nature. We also know that in order to do so requires leadership. Those who have the skills and ability will, at some point in their life, get into a position of leadership to lead others. The problem with all of this is that before they can lead others, they must first learn to lead self.
You must lead self in such a way, that when it is all said and done, even others will know that you have a special place in heaven because, you would have done the right thing for the right reasons to facilitate your walk into eternal life. Even God will say that this person whom you see here today, displayed self-leadership to join my team and help others to do likewise. One reason for this is because you went above and beyond the call of duty by letting God be your CEO.
The Bible teaches us that there are certain requirements to have eternal life in that if we confess with thy mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10: 9). Now this is not complicated at all because based on the statement above, salvation is as close as your mouth and heart. So this takes care of the eternal life part. However, the Bible also teaches us how to behave, to take personal responsibility for self; not only are we to give ourselves as a living sacrifice to Christ, we must obey the rules, love everyone and take special care of those who are weak in the faith. Therefore, my premise then is simple, we cannot do this without self-leadership.
What is Self-leadership?
I have been in leadership positions for over 28 years and I have never really sat down and said that I am going to lead self. Individuals just don't do that; however, self must recognize early on that in order for he/she to be successful in leadership, as well as other things in their life, self has to secure a relationship with God and get a well-rounded education. I also think that self must understand that leadership as a concept is very complex.
It is studied in many different ways and that is one reason why it is so complex. Leadership is hard to define and since it is complex, you will find various definitions out there among various scholars. So I do not want to add to the confusion except to say that when it comes to the concept of leadership in conversations, no one seems to think of it in terms of self-leadership. It is always about leading others or displaying a certain type of leadership to lead a group of people. Well I say lead self so that you can get into a position to lead others.
Self-leadership for eternal life is in your long-term best interest. You need to have the power of self-leadership so that you will be able to secure eternal life. So for me, leadership is simply about leading something or someone. Therefore, self-leadership is about leading self and I want you to see yourself as capable of leading self. This would be the first step toward that success. Self-leadership is about setting the example for self, developing that self-image that others would, not only want to see, but want to emulate. It is about letting God be your CEO and being a role model for self.
Be a Role Model for Self
I teach a course called Leadership Ethics, Culture and Politics. One of the discussions centered on role models. In that course, it is always interesting to review the types of questions and answers that appear in the discussions forums from my students. They all have role models; someone that they look up to. When reading and posting my comments to the discussion, I always ask one or two of the students in the class, are you a role model and the reply has always been no. They state that "I have never looked at myself as being a role model."
I was intrigued by the no answer. So I wanted to make sure that they understood what I was talking about and I clarified my question in that I asked why aren't you a role model for self. Again the reply would be something like this: I never thought about it that way. I went on to say that you must be disciplined enough to be a role model to self; to do what it takes to be seen in the eyes of God and others as a role model in such a way that there will be no reason to explain why you do the things that you do for the betterment of self. God and others who observe you will already know.
It is knowing that you have faith in God to lead self in good times and in bad times as you lead yourself. You may recall that Paul stated that because of his imprisonment, many of the Christians there had gained confidence and become more bold in telling others about Christ. Seize opportunities to do good, even when you are experiencing personal hardship (Philippians 1:14). God must be your CEO. Why? Because it is about courage to do the right thing when there is pressure to do otherwise. You cannot be a role model to self if you have no courage to do the right thing; it just doesn't work in this life. Self-leadership places emphasis on courage in that you need to have the strength and ability to lead self first so that you can get into a position to lead others so that all will have eternal life. Step-up and lead self so that you can get into a position to meet those needs and remember God, being your CEO, is right there helping to guide self in the right direction.
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