Lesson I learned on what it really means to be a Leader.

12.05. 21 

Today was the induction ceremony of the first year students into the department. Incidentally, I was privileged to have joined the department as a member of the academic staff shortly before the time under the leadership of one of the most amazing and finest humane woman I’ve ever come across….one of a kind!

The time was scheduled for 11am. At the said time, nothing was close to happening, fellow colleagues were already seated and waiting but only very few of the students were in sight. Time was fast passing by…12, 1, 2pm…yet the student president and MC were yet to show up for an event that was scheduled 3 hours earlier and it wouldn't start without them being present.

Understandably, members of staff were already agitated and feeling disrespected at the ‘nonchalant’ behaviour of the students towards the event, after all the students were the ones to be seated first before us….not the other way round. At the heat of this tense situation, the Head of the Department made a remarkable statement that stood out for me. She said, ‘Allow, them to take their time, it’s their day’.

That remark struck a chord inside of me for a few reasons, because it was an action that went completely against the grid of what is obtainable as the norm :

First, she was the Head of department, as such, could have wielded the authority wand as she liked, called the students to order and kicked off with or without them in their numbers….but she waited.

Secondly, she could have pulled the ‘respect’ stunt and decided the students were not cognizant enough to notice that the staff was waiting for them, which was not a mark of respect…but she was graceful, calm, and patiently waiting the whole time.

Thirdly, she could have scolded the students and put them on edge for making the rest of the staff to wait for so long. But, au contraire, she made the students feel safe and at ease when the ceremony eventually began, assuring them that it was their day and they were free to take all day…and true to her words she stay all through the event despite the behavior of the overbearing final year student MC!

This was just a passing act of kindness (for her), but this left a lasting positive impression on me. It was not a behaviour that is easily seen among superiors and subordinates, so for me, it was huge deal and amazing example worth emulating.

Lately, following my new appointment, I have been asking the Lord to give me the wisdom on how best to carry out my duties in my new role. This won’t be my first role, but since my contact with Jesus and my new understanding of my stake in the kingdom, I have decided to live intentionally and make an impact in wherever or whatever role I find my self in, knowing that I am wherever I am on a Kingdom assignment (and could change roles at anytime). Then, I saw that….Wow!

I got home still heavily blown away with the impact of our HOD’s kind action. Later that evening, I took my bible to do my usual study where I have been reading, but I flipped the pages open and my eyes caught a different passage. It was a familiar portion of the scriptures that has always been attributed to Pastors, priests, church elders and religious leaders alike, but this time, it hit differently, and took a whole new meaning for me. It is taken from 1 Peter 5 : 2-4 and read thus:

Take care of the group of people you are responsible for. They are God’s flock. Watch over that flock because you want to, not because you are forced to do it. That is how God wants it. Do it because you are happy to serve, not because you want money. Don’t be like a ruler over those you are responsible for. But be good examples to them. Then when Christ the Ruling Shepherd comes, you will get a crown—one that will be glorious and never lose its beauty. (ERV).

This was very amazing as it came as answer to the prayer I made to God concerning my new role : the wisdom to know how to carry out my tasks. Coupled with the impact I already had earlier, I was ready to jump right in fully equipped with the required wisdom I needed and with a whole new dimension of definition of what it truly means to be a leader : called to patiently serve, not to be served…as taught by Abba himself!

 

Yours truly, 

Ormah.

Greatly helped by Abba.