Building ExcellenceLeaders do not command excellence, they build excellence. Excellence is "being all you can be" within the bounds of doing what is right for your organization. To reach excellence you must first be a leader of good character. You must do everything you are supposed to do. Organizations will not achieve excellence by figuring out where it wants to go, then having leaders do whatever they have to in order to get the job done, and then hope their leaders acted with good character. This type of thinking is backwards. Pursuing excellence should not be confused with accomplishing a job or task. When you do planning, you do it by backwards planning. But you do not achieve excellence by backwards planning. Excellence starts with leaders of good and strong character who engage in the entire process of leadership. And the first process is being a person of honorable character.
Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one. - Marcus AureliusCharacter develops over time. Many think that much of a person's character is formed early in life. However, we do not know exactly how much or how early character develops. But, it is safe to claim that character does not change quickly. A person's observable behavior is an indication of her character. This behavior can be strong or weak, good or bad. A person with strong character shows drive, energy, determination, self-discipline, willpower, and nerve. She sees what she wants and goes after it. She attracts followers. On the other hand, a person with weak character shows none of these traits. She does not know what she wants. Her traits are disorganized, she vacillates and is inconsistent. She will attract no followers.
A strong person can be good or bad. A gang leader is an example of a strong person with a bad character, while an outstanding community leader is one with both strong and good characteristics. An organization needs leaders with both strong and good characteristics, people who will guide them to the future and show that they can be trusted.
Courage - not complacency - is our need today. Leadership not salesmanship. - John F. KennedyTo be an effective leader, your followers must have trust in you and they need to be sold on your vision. Korn-Ferry International, an executive search company, performed a survey on what organizations want from their leaders. The respondents said they wanted people who were both ethical and who convey a strong vision of the future. In any organization, a leader's actions set the pace. This behavior wins trust, loyalty, and ensures the organization's continued vitality. One of the ways to build trust is to display a good sense of character composed of beliefs, values, skills, and traits:
Beliefs are what we hold dear to us and are rooted deeply within us. They could be assumptions or convictions that you hold true regarding people, concepts, or things. They could be the beliefs about life, death, religion, what is good, what is bad, what is human nature, etc.
Values are attitudes about the worth of people, concepts, or things. For example, you might value a good car, home, friendship, personal comfort, or relatives. Values are important as they influence a person's behavior to weigh the importance of alternatives. For example, you might value friends more than privacy, while others might be the opposite.
Skills are the knowledge and abilities that a person gains throughout life. The ability to learn a new skill varies with each individual. Some skills come almost naturally, while others come only by complete devotion to study and practice.
Traits are distinguishing qualities or characteristics of a person, while character is the sum total of these traits. There are hundreds of personality traits, far too many to be discussed here. Instead, we will focus on a few that are crucial for a leader. The more of these you display as a leader, the more your followers will believe and trust in you.
Traits of a Good LeaderCompiled by the Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group:
Honest - Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive behavior will not inspire trust.
Competent - Base your actions on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike emotional desires or feelings.
Forward-looking - Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic values.
Inspiring - Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental, physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take charge when necessary.
Intelligent - Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.
Fair-minded - Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well-being of others.
Broad-minded - Seek out diversity.
Courageous - Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.
Straightforward - Use sound judgment to make a good decisions at the right time.
Imaginative - Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods. Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to problems. Be innovative!

conference pix cont'd

t

DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP

Often I have heard that leaders are born, not made. Do you think this is true? How many times did you read a biography of a great leader, and discovered that as a child, he has been quiet, reserved and rather shy? Are those natural qualities of a leader? Of course not! These people have developed their leadership qualities later in life.
Would you like your child to be a leader? What are the qualities of a leader? Here are some of the qualities required to be a leader, and how you can encourage the development of these qualities in your child...
Integrity - remember to be a good example, a role model for your child. Parents teach by example, and integrity is a quality kids learn from their parents. Talk with your child about integrity. One tool that is very helpful is story telling. Look for books that tell about the value of integrity. I found an e-book that has several stories that promote values in kids. You can find it at Inspirational Kids Stories. You can also make up your own stories, that tell about the value of integrity.
Courage - always praise courage. When your child shows courage, notice it and praise it. Praise courage wherever you see an expression of it. Story telling is also very effective in this case.
Creative, independent thinking. In order to develop this quality, it is very helpful to ask questions. When you talk with your child about any subject at all, always ask open questions, that encourage creative thinking. Use the "One Step Farther" principle. After you have gotten all the obvious answers, ask one more question, to come up with a deeper, more creative idea. Questions like "Why", "What would happen if...", "How do you think did it feel...", encourage your child to think creatively. Talk to your child, encourage independent thinking.
Confidence - this is one of the most important qualities required for success in general. To develop confidence in your child, avoid criticizing your child, praise your child sincerely and often, develop a habit to talk about your child's strengths and achievements with him every day. Remember to make it a point to bring up at least one good quality of your child every day. If you adopt it as a routine, over time it will do wonders for your child. It takes only a few minutes to mention an achievement or a strength (a good quality). Encourage your child, repeat the phrase "you can do it" often.
A leader takes responsibility. When something goes wrong, sometimes it makes us feel better if we can blame something else or someone else. A leader takes responsibility. Make sure your child knows that he is the "boss" in his life. His success is his responsibility. We are not victims of our environment, we have control over our life. Teach your child to "come from a place of power". When your child blames someone else or something else for a mishap, or comes up with excuses, you have an opportunity to encourage your child to assume responsibility. Make sure that your child knows that it is Ok to make mistakes. Mistakes are an opportunity to learn. You can help your child draw conclusions, without 'making him wrong,' by asking: "What did you learn from this?", "What do you think went wrong?", "Why do you think this happened?", "How could you avoid this?" and again, "What do you think would happen if...?" Your child should understand that he has no control over other people, and is not expected to have control over other people's actions, but he has full control over his own reaction. This will give your child the feeling of power, as opposed to 'being a victim.'
The conversations that you hold with your child have a profound effect on your child's future. Make sure you take the time to talk with your child every day, to be involved with what is happening in your child's life. To support, encourage and inspire. By doing that, you are being a leader, and you are developing your child's leadership skills. Esther Andrews has grown 2 highly gifted children, and managed the 'School of Gifted Education' for many years. In her newsletter, 'Develop Your Child's Genius' she shares her experiences and provides information about fun and easy activities you can do with your children, to develop their intelligence in a few minutes a day.

conference pix

• The President walking with delegates
• 
  President in a conference held in Voice of Watchman Ministry.
• 
  The president Prof. C.I. Ohiku delivering speech during Chaplaincy training programme