Pastor (Dr.) D.O Alabi
By 'Gbenga Bankole
The scarcity of real men who are imitators of Christ have been identified as one of the problems facing the world.
The Director of Academic Planning Office at Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), Pastor (Dr.) D.O Alabi who shared this thought while ministering on Wednesday June 14, 2023 on the topic "The Man as a Leader" at 2023 CACMA National Conference in Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State implored men to lead like Jesus Christ.
He said anyone who lives and breathes Jesus will surely have the capacity to lead like Him, little by little as a man grows into maturity and knowledge of God, adding that his definition of leadership will be aligned to how God defines it.
According to him, the world longs for leaders who will lead its people in the right path of life, a man, a leader who looks up to Jesus Christ and takes the lead as Jesus leads him through.
While explaining accountability as one of the leadership qualities, Pastor Alabi said leaders must hold themselves and their teams responsible for the work each is responsible for, ownership, is a vital part of leadership.
Other leadership qualities are below:
#.Courageous: Leaders must have courage in various instances, such as correcting behavior (He who wants to catch a monkey) on making unpopular decisions.
#.Effective communication: communicating in a clear, positive way creates a path for the rest of the team, project, or meeting you are leading
#. Empathetic: Leaders need to understand how the people around them feel about projects decisions, morale, and many more.
#. Flexible: Working with a team of people means tasks, goals and responsibilities will shift. An adaptable leader can adjust and maintain ownership of the group project or money at hand.
#. Focused: Being clear on goals will help the rest of the team be efficient and focused
#. Humble: Great leaders admit their mistakes and elevate those around them. Humility is essential when leading a team- Not holier than thou
#. Leaders should be able to develop ideas, filter the opinions of others, solve problems and complete many other tasks that require innovation and creativity
#. Passionate: Teams are motivated by a drive towards a common goal - The leader should be passionate about a plan creating unity among their team to work
#. Patience: Mistakes, miscommunications and failures are inevitable. Leaders need to be patient through these times.
#. Problem solver: problem: Solving skills allows teams to move fast and work with minimal disruption
#. Resilient: Leaders must also bear the burden of pushing through to improve what they own.This might mean creating new processes, hiring new people or changing the status quo.
#. Respectful: Great leaders treat their teams with respect.
#. Transparent: Being open and honest makes works more efficient and enjoyable
#. Trusting: Leadership requires delegating - trusting their team to complete what they are assigned with, excellence produces morale and mutual respect