Chapter 9
True Leadership

Above all the talk we hear about leadership, I believe leadership is just one simple thing:

Nelson Mandela made a beautiful exposition; he says:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Nelson Mandela

Becoming a leader is simply that: learning to release the light that is in you. In our community today, there’s just so much pressure for you to become just another person who conforms.

Just another person in the street.

But if you want to become a leader, it’s simply this: release yourself from the fear of people’s opinions and thoughts about you and become fearlessly true to your heart.

Think about some great leaders you know; you’d realized this: they are fearless.

They are true to their hearts; true to their cause even unto death sometimes. They know that there are things in life more important than life itself.

Yes, it takes courage to be true to your heart. It takes courage to accept that maybe, just maybe; you aren’t supposed to be working in that office everyday, maybe you are called to dance, to teach, to sing, to preach, and so much more.

9.1 My Experience with Finding My Heart

I once had a inkling that I was supposed to write to empower people. But my first thought was: but writing doesn’t make me a lot of money.

Maybe I’ll try something else. Maybe I’ll do business. Business makes more money.

But gradually I came to know this: I can’t hide from what my heart is saying.

I must write.

It was when I seriously decided to do writing full time that I began to feel alive.

I began to enjoy doing what I did everyday.

I didn’t wake up with dread. I woke up each day with a desire to build my website by writing; with a desire to finish this book beautifully.

And a lot of my readers have praised my writing. A lot of my peers were inspired by my writing and they encouraged me to continue writing more inspirational notes to them.

9.2 Principles, Frameworks and Methods support your journey to leadership. They are NOT the way to great leadership.

It was then that I also realized that if we choose what kind of leader we want to be based on other people’s standards; yes, we can be good leaders; we can learn how to become a better leader by reading more books, applying principles in our lives, disciplining ourselves to be more productive.

Yes, through that we can become good leaders.

But we will never be great.

But we will never be truly influential leaders that will impact a whole community.

Principles, methods and frameworks support your leadership. They aid someone who has found their calling and are living out their passion. But they will never be a substitute for a man without passion.

You can never be a great leader just by applying principles methods and frameworks.

This is the point I was trying to make about BECOMING instead of DOING. The world today believes that by applying the Top 5 Rules to Great Leadership, or the 7 Ways to Becoming a Person of Influence, one can become a leader of significance.

But if so, why haven’t you become one?

Don’t you already suspect that something is missing?

The truth is, the key to your leadership potential is not in these frameworks nor principles, much as they are important.

The true key to leadership lies in your fearlessly discovering your true self, and living that life out.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

Do you believe that you can be powerful beyond measure? Do you believe that one man can change the world?

Do you believe that YOU can change the world?

When you find your center; when you find the calling in your life; that’s when you begin to shine; that’s when you begin to influence in not just small ways; but in proportions you might have never imagined.

That’s when true leadership begins.

9.3 So what is YOUR passion?

I had asked the question in the first chapter; but I ask it again because it is so important to your life. You WILL become a leader that people follow when you understand this:

What is your passion? What causes your heart to burn?

and ask yourself this: Are you living out that deep passion of yours in your life today? Or is your life simply a drag that you just wish you could get it over and done with?

“This is so irritating. Why can’t there be just a framework or a method for me?”

Sure. They’re all over in the bookstores, seminars and workshops.

If only becoming a good leader is what you want, then your answer lies there.

But if you want to become a leader that will change the world; that will make a mark in this earth because you stepped on it; if you want to become a leader that leaves a legacy,…

Then fearlessly find your heart.

This is true leadership.

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