A secret of great leaders.
Great leaders make it a habit to spend much of their precious time in getting a helicopter view of their lives. I love Apostle Paul’s word in Galatians 2:1-2 (KJVA) – “Then fourteen years after … I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain”.
This is interesting! At a time in Paul’s ministry, he took a break and evaluated his message and ministry. He was also led to request the help of some other brethren to assist him in this checkup so that he would not be running in vain.
Observe also that some of the greatest changes that transformed the lives of many great leaders happened while they were standing back from the field of play. Moses, for a long time was a wanderer in the forest after having so many issues in Israel, but when the normal course of his life was interrupted and he spent time with God on the mount, he came down as the deliverer of Israel. You don’t have to become a wanderer before you have the time to stand back from the field of play.
I once saw the title of a book that interested me: We Got Fired! And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us. Although I could not read the book then, I understand that it featured the business life stories of about 30 renowned CEO’s who discovered something else they should move to when they were ‘out of job’, … or should I say ‘out of the field of play’. Many of us who now cling to our jobs and claim never to have time for what I want to discuss in this write-up may invoke the blessing of getting fired!
The book of Luke gives an account of how Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where he fasted for forty days. Before Jesus left his normal routine, he was popularly known as a Carpenter or Joseph’s son. But after the wilderness experience, he spoke boldly in the synagogue saying “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor …” When he finished his speech, those in the synagogue said “Is this not Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22).
That’s the kind of experience you get when you stand back from the field of play and allow God show you the helicopter view of your life. People should see a different ‘you’. You may have received the best employee award before you had the helicopter view, but do not be surprised if you leave the scene seeing yourself as the owner of the biggest corporation in Africa. You may look chicken-hearted and lily-livered, not able to preach the gospel to anyone, but an encounter with God while getting the helicopter view can make you become one of the greatest evangelists of our time.
Many leaders today are really not growing or progressing in the right route because they are so busy attending to others, and do not spend time to do a check-up on their lives. Please don’t let that happen to you.
In the next edition of this series, we will discuss how you get a helicopter view of your life?
– Tope S. Aladenusi