These seminar papers are always used to train CCEM Students or to equip Value Teachers and Resource Persons who are always required to re-prepare their own papers to be delivered to others.
INTRODUCTION: The education sector is the brain development part of the nation. Thus, if there is any deficiency in this sector, the nation may be deformed intellectually or through one way or the other. This paper, therefore, is specially and specifically prepared for teachers who are manning or going to man the brain development aspect of the nation - the education sector.
INTRODUCTION: The education sector is the brain development part of the nation. Thus, if there is any deficiency in this sector, the nation may be deformed intellectually or through one way or the other. This paper, therefore, is specially and specifically prepared for teachers who are manning or going to man the brain development aspect of the nation - the education sector.
In one of the courses that are designed for CEMS Value Teachers; Resource Persons and others, titled: Education Methodology, a teacher is considered by various schools of thoughts as a Leader, Classroom Doctor, Adviser, Priest, Counsellor, Judge and others. The emphasis of this paper is “Teacher As A Counsellor And A Leader”. Hence teaching is more of a calling of a counsellor and a leader than a profession.
If it is a calling, the following characteristics must be apparent in a teacher:
Since teachers are considered leaders by the virtue of their professions in the lives of students, it is essential to study the guiding principles of leadership in relation to their attitudes.
The attitudes of teachers are characterized as follows:
1. Positive thoughts: For anyone to impact anything positive into others, he or she must be full of positive thoughts. Through that, teachers would not believe in failures of any of their students. The failures of students are also failures of their teachers while their successes are also their successes. Positive thoughts make teachers visionary and determined to do all they can do to help their students succeed in gaining knowledge. If teachers need to create extra lessons for students who require them they would create them.
2. The teachers as leaders are guided by teaching and other principles such as preparations of lesson notes, leading others to follow the school regulations and policies, building their integrity as dedicated and committed teachers. Note that every teacher is a leader but not every leader is a teacher. What distinguish the leadership of teachers from other leaders are their skills and abilities to teach the subjects they have mastered inside out.
3. Professional teachers know they need to be disciplined before they can discipline their students. If they are not, they will be regarded as hypocrites who teach others what they do not do. Leadership discipline is the ability of the teachers to control their desires and impulses, concentrating their minds on the things to be achieved. Just as there are always tests for everybody, teachers do face trials and temptations. It is in time of crisis that the character of a leader is usually tested. There are many things teachers must not compromise with. The consequences may not be immediate but very grievous enough to affect generations. It is discipline that makes teachers stand their ground in spite of crisis and temptation to compromise.
4. Professional teachers are principled and cultured. They must always follow laid down rules, principles and policies. They also need to follow ethics of teaching.
TEACHING ETHICS
Ethics can be defined as the moral and acceptable rules or standard of behaviour or operation is a society or within a profession or a group of people. Just as most of other professions like doctors; lawyers; engineers and others have their ethics, teachers also have theirs. Unfortunately most teaching ethics are violated in Nigeria either because they are on the verge of extinction or most people in teaching profession are neither teachers nor informed about teaching ethics.
If teaching ethics are not followed, teachers may not be effective in their jobs. If they are not effective they will not be relevant. The reason is that their students would be better of reading textbooks on their own or study them in groups.
Teaching ethics which are being brought back into Nigerian schools must be religiously followed. The list of ethics which are inexhaustible is broadly categorized into three. They are:
1. School Authority And Teacher Relationship: This relationship is based on contract between the two or more parties. There are often terms and conditions in contracts, which parties involved are obliged to follow. Since every school has its policies and even tradition though there are some that are general in education sector, teachers are obliged to follow school policies. The representation of the school owner if it is private or government authority if it is public like the principal or head teacher exercise control over the teachers. Failure to carry out their responsibilities or to follow rules and regulations is always punished. If an offence is not discouraged through punishment, it can lead to break-down of rules which regulate the conduct of teachers and other things.
2. Teacher And Students Relationship: Since the essence of being a teacher is to impact the students, teachers are mandated to find the most effective way to take their students from one level of literacy to another and one level of knowledge to another until the student can be considered educated or informed. In order to achieve this, there are guidelines and principles to follow. First, the teachers need to recognize that the ability of each student to acquire knowledge varies from one to another. Sometimes teachers may need to categorize the students the best way they can understand them. For instance, some teachers categorize students as slow, average and fast learners while some categorize them according to their temperaments like sanguine, melancholy, phlegmatic and choleric. In whichever way teachers may decide to categorize their students, it is essential to note the followings: (I) Level of student's assimilation varies. Thus it is the duty of the teacher to customize their teachings according to this level. (II) Student's interest in education also varies from one to another. It is the job of the teachers to encourage and inspire them to learn as much as their abilities can accommodate. They need to give them good reasons they need to be educated. (III) And lastly, student's background which matters also varies. More often than not, the teachers may need to interfere in the family issues, especially if they are adversely affecting the student or other students in the same class or school.
3. Parents' And Teachers' Relationship: As indicated above, teachers often times have to play the role of Counsellors to both students and their parents. Some of the reasons Parents Teachers Associations (PTA) are established in both Primary and Secondary Schools are as follows: (I) To discuss the problems or challenges the schools are facing and proffer solutions. Sometimes it may be of the interest of the PTA members, especially in public schools to hire teachers who would handle subjects which for whatever reason are not available in the school. (II) To discuss the observations of parents or teachers in relation to the attitudes of individual students. Take for instance the case that was handled by CEMS Value Teacher few years ago. It has to do with a teenager who planned to join a secret cult outside a Secondary School as a result of domestic violence. If the boy had joined the secret cult, there is no way he would not take it to school. (III) The PTA members are also required to go through light papers on how to handle the students in schools and at home. It is in the interest of the nation since the students are the future in different walks of life. (IV) PTA members need to be exchanging ideas in relation to adding or boosting moral and other values of the students, creating conducive environment for living. There are some people that are not expected to be in teaching profession due to their lack of moral values. If the students are able to tell their parents about any problem like sexual molestations or assaults, it is the duty of the school authority to handle the issue, based on their gravities. During the meeting, the PTA members can come up with ideas or visions that will positively make impact on the students.
ASSESSMENT
1. Explain reasons teaching is more of a calling than a profession.
2. Explain the basic principles of leadership of a teacher.
3. Explain the basic teaching ethics.
All of the ingredients in good leadership can be broadly categorized into the followings and treated separately: Attitude, Experience, Efficiency and Communication.
It is hoped that after these ingredients had been treated as detailed as possible, vital areas of leadership would have been covered.
This is also referred to as character. It is the attributes of a person or his personality and disposition. Attitude is one of, if not, the most vital asset in the success of a leader. It can also be the major cause of failure in leadership if it is not positive.
Your attitude has a lot to do with the way you think, what you say and what you do. Since people are the reflection of what we are in the inside, some people will seem surrounded by nice people if they are nice to them. The attitude of a leader must be characterized by the followings: (A) Positive thoughts (B) Integrity (C) Discipline (D) Compassion.
Positive Thoughts: For a leader to lead his team to great heights, he must be full of positive thoughts. He must be so full of enthusiasm that obviously big problems should not be seen as hindrances to achieve his vision for his team or organization.
Since no one can give what he does not have, no leader can raise the morale or courage of his team beyond his own; no matter how much he tried. A typical example can be seen in the life of Winston Churchill. Adolph Hitler who had the mission to conquer the world through war was leading the Germans against Britain whose Prime Minister was Churchill. When it was getting obvious that the Germans would crush Britain, Churchill told his people; “we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans… We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Churchill sounded as if he had all the troops to fight the war but his positive thoughts kept the war on until the Germans were eventually brought down.
Positive thoughts of a leader are always the driving force that moves a team or an organization from one level to the next. Napoleon Hill said, “no one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it.” If a leader is discouraged, the entire team members either lose out or a lose hope of achieving their desire. More often than not, a leader is always faced with all sorts of problems within and outside the group. His attitude towards them is one of the things that distinguish him as a leader.
Positive thoughts make a leader visionary. What especially gives positive thoughts to a leader are:
(I) His faith in God which would boosts his efforts.
(II) His convictions that his vision can be carried out in spite of all hindrances and limitations.
(III) His ability to lead others to achieve the desired goal.
A leader who is positive in his thinking knows how to motivate and navigate his group. Although this is done through effective communications which will be discussed later, his actions in most cases speak louder than his voice. Since positive thinking influences action, the acts of a leader indicate what is going on in his mind like the case of Winston Churchill. John C Maxwell said, “being able to navigate others requires a leader to possess a positive attitude.”
Integrity: This is the name or reputation that is built with character. It is a life of consistency. A leader needs to build on integrity which can be attributed to his principles, values or what he stands for even if it is unpopular or viewed to be rigid. People love dealing with people they can predict. That probably explains the reason a proverb says, “the devil we know is preferable to the angel we do not know.”
A leader must be known for something, especially positive things. He may have his weakness just like every other human being but he needs to build the integrity that will distinguish him as a leader. General H. Norman Schwarzkopf said: “leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy.” It is a pity a lot of people do not bother about integrity. Whatever a man does in life – whether little or great thing goes into his records. Someone somewhere is keeping the record. That person will readily relate it to others when you are not there. You have probably heard the saying about both good and bad attitude have their rewards.
There is a story in an old magazine about a boy who bought a donkey from an old man at $40.00. When it was not delivered to him, he went to the old man and asked for the donkey. “The donkey is dead,” the old man said. The boy asked for his money or the dead donkey. The dead donkey was eventually delivered to the boy. Months later, the old man asked what he did with the dead donkey. “I raffled it off,” he told the old man who was shocked to hear that. He asked, “no one complained?” The boy told him no one complained except the winner. So he gave him back his $5.00. He made lot of money from a dead donkey.
To a hard-nosed business man, that may sound like a good business trick but to someone who wants to build integrity, it is a fraud. Supposing the old man or the winner of the donkey told people that the boy raffled out a dead donkey. The people would see the boy as a crook. No one wants a crook as a leader except if the followers are a team of crooks.
Building integrity takes lots of efforts and time. It is easier to make bad name than to build the integrity of a leader. It is hard to win the trust and confidence of people except your integrity speaks for you. Arthur Friedman said, “men of genius are admired, men of wealth are envied, men of power are feared, but only men of character are trusted.” Robespierre added, “No man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character.”
Discipline: is a watchword for every leader who wants to be successful. Discipline is the ability to control the one’s desires and impulses, concentrating the mind on a particular thing. It also makes the body perform certain task which may not be convenient for it. Anyone who is not disciplined cannot lead others because he or she wont be able to lead by example.
As success is also attributed to discipline, the followings can also be attributed to discipline: (1) determination (2) dedication (3) preparation for the mission in spite of obstructions.
Determination: Determined people are not easily frustrated. Just like every other works, leadership is always faced with all sorts of problems that can make the leader give up. It is up to the leader to discipline himself enough to take his stand. Jack Welch said, “a good leader remains focused … controlling your direction is better than being controlled by it.” Crisis, opinions of people or circumstances may tempt him to shift his stand. If he does not allow them to move him, he will sail through. It is necessary to listen to the counsels or opinions of others that may help you make the right decisions but if such opinions see only the negative side or lack objective, it is better to disregard it. Deal with the facts and make use of it while taking decisions. Determination is making up one’s mind to do a thing, putting everything in place to ensure success.
Dedication: To be dedicated means to be committed to a course, taking necessary steps towards it. Anyone who is not dedicated to a course is unlikely to make progress. Dedication has to do with both mental and physical inputs. The mental input is the vision of what is to be achieved while the physical input is the implementation of the vision. Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors in history said, “I never did anything worth done by accident, nor did any of my inventions came by accident. They came by work.” Someone said, “opportunity often goes around disguised as hard work. That’s why so many people fail to find it.” Before there is reasonable dedication, the activities must be in line with the implementation of the vision, setting the priority right for the maximum use of the available resources in terms of manpower, money and materials. Not setting priority right will lead to waste of any or all of the three resources. If there is waste of any of these, there would be no progress even though there may be a lot of activities. In that wise, one cannot say, the leader or the people are dedicated.
Preparation: Preparing to become a leader is a continuous process. It is not limited to what he knows but also in what he does with what he knows and with the people he meets everyday. What a person knows now will sometimes determine if he will occupy a leadership position in future or not. His preparation for leadership through acquisitions of knowledge will determine if he would get to the position or retain or lose it. Even if his experience gets him the position of leadership, he would still need to enhance himself. He does this through daily activities which often add to his experience. Naturally, every leader makes mistakes. As he grows, he learns to take calculated risk which gives him more confidence in his position. The other way a leader gets prepared for his position is through meeting other leaders whom he learns from. It saves him a lot of risks and time if a leader learns from others who are more experienced than him. He gets more experience by reading books on leadership, attends seminars and experiments the things he has learned. The more a leader is ready to learn, the more leadership skills he acquires. It must be emphasized that what a person does everyday is a preparation for tomorrow. As the present history was made yesterday, the history of tomorrow is being made today. You need to make the best of your time to enhance or prepare you to become a leader. Zig Ziglar said, “the present day is important to you as this reason: you can waste it or use it but no matter how you spent it, you have traded a day of your life for it.”
Ron Edmondson listed ten characteristics of good leadership which are as follow:
1. Good leaders recognizes the value in other people: So they continually invests in others Good leaders see a large part of their role as developing other leaders. Leadership development takes place in an organization as good leaders begin to share their experiences, good and bad, with others.
2. Good leadership shares information with those in the organization: There is a tendency of some leaders to hold information, because information is power, but a good leader knows that the more information the team has that collectively the team is better, which directly benefits the leader.
3. Good leadership has above average character: There are no perfect people, but for a leader to be considered good, they must have a character that is unquestioned within the organization. Leadership always draws criticism from someone, so a leader may not be able to get everyone to believe in him or her, but the people who know the leader best should trust the leader’s character.
4. Good leadership uses its influence for the good of others: Good leaders are as interested in making a positive difference in people’s lives as they are in creating a healthy profit margin. This doesn’t mean that balance sheets and income statements aren’t important. In fact, they are vital for the success of an organization (even non-profits), but a good leader doesn’t separate a desire for helping others from the desire for financial success. Good leaders find ways to leverage financial health to strengthen the well-being of others.
5. Good leadership is skillful and competent: Good leaders can be depended on for their professionalism and follow-through. You don’t question whether a good leader is going to be able to complete a task. If they don’t know how to do something, they will find someone who does, but they will ensure that a job is done the best way it can be done.
6. Not afraid for others to succeed: (even greater than their own success) Good leaders realize that some followers will outgrow the leader’s ability to develop them any further. Good leaders, however, aren’t threatened by another’s success. They are willing to celebrate as those around them succeed.
7. Serves others expecting nothing in return: Good leaders have a heart of service. They truly love and value people and want to help others for the good of the one being helped, not necessarily for personal gain.
8. Continues to learn: Good leaders are always learning and implementing those learnings into the betterment of the organization. That could be through reading, conferences, Web-based learnings, or through other leaders, but also through people who report to the leader.
9. Good leadership remains accessible, approachable, and accountable to others. Good leaders don’t isolate themselves from people regardless of the amount of responsibility or power he or she attains. Good leaders willingly seek the input of other people into their professional and personal lives.
10. Good leadership is visionary: Leaders thinks for the organization beyond today. Good leaders are always thinking beyond today. “What’s next?” is a common question asked by good leaders, knowing that someone must continually encourage change, growth, and strategic thinking for an organization to remain healthy
LEADERSHIP DISEASES
It is observed that many leaders in all walks of life seem to have mastered the principles of leadership which probably give them confidence and even success, influencing lots of other people to follow the same principles but considering the present day leadership on the face value, so many of them may appear to have succeeded but if their achievements are juxtaposed with principles of values, they are far from being successful. The reason is that most of the leaders take too many things for granted, making some of them to end up in jail for fraud or one wrong thing or the other. Thus issues relating to leadership diseases need to be treated though in Christian perspectives.
In an article by Jack Dunigan, the author referred to 15 diseases of Christian leadership identified by Francis, he states:
The leadership team is called constantly to improve and to grow in rapport and wisdom, in order to carry out fully its mission. And yet, like anybody, like any human body, it is also exposed to diseases, malfunctioning, infirmity. Here I would like to mention some of these “[leadership] diseases.” They are diseases and temptations which can dangerously weaken the effectiveness of any organization.
The disease of thinking we are immortal, immune, or downright indispensable, [and therefore] neglecting the need for regular check-ups. A leadership team which is not self-critical, which does not keep up with things, which does not seek to be more fit, is a sick body. A simple visit to the cemetery might help us see the names of many people who thought they were immortal, immune, and indispensable! It is the disease of those who turn into lords and masters, who think of themselves as above others and not at their service. It is the pathology of power and comes from superiority complex, from a narcissism which passionately gazes at its own image and does not see the face of others, especially the weakest and those most in need. The antidote to this plague is humility; to say heartily, “I am merely a servant. I have only done what was my duty.”
Another disease is excessive busyness. It is found in those who immerse themselves in work and inevitably neglect to “rest a while.” Neglecting needed rest leads to stress and agitation. A time of rest, for those who have completed their work, is necessary, obligatory and should be taken seriously: by spending time with one’s family and respecting holidays as moments for recharging.
Then there is the disease of mental and [emotional] “petrifaction.” It is found in leaders who have a heart of stone, the “stiff-necked;” in those who in the course of time lose their interior serenity, alertness and daring, and hide under a pile of papers, turning into paper pushers and not men and women of compassion. It is dangerous to lose the human sensitivity that enables us to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice! Because as time goes on, our hearts grow hard and become incapable of loving all those around us. Being a humane leader means having the sentiments of humility and unselfishness, of detachment and generosity.
The disease of excessive planning and of functionalism. When a leader plans everything down to the last detail and believes that with perfect planning things will fall into place, he or she becomes an accountant or an office manager. Things need to be prepared well, but without ever falling into the temptation of trying to eliminate spontaneity and serendipity, which is always more flexible than any human planning. We contract this disease because it is easy and comfortable to settle in our own sedentary and unchanging ways.
The disease of poor coordination. Once leaders lose a sense of community among themselves, the body loses its harmonious functioning and its equilibrium; it then becomes an orchestra that produces noise: its members do not work together and lose the spirit of camaraderie and teamwork. When the foot says to the arm: ‘I don’t need you,’ or the hand says to the head, ‘I’m in charge,’ they create discomfort and parochialism.
There is also a sort of “leadership Alzheimer’s disease.” It consists in losing the memory of those who nurtured, mentored and supported us in our own journeys. We see this in those who have lost the memory of their encounters with the great leaders who inspired them; in those who are completely caught up in the present moment, in their passions, whims and obsessions; in those who build walls and routines around themselves, and thus become more the slaves of idols carved by their own hands.
The disease of rivalry and vainglory. When appearances, our perks, and our titles become the primary object in life, we forget our fundamental duty as leaders to “do nothing from selfishness or conceit but in humility count others better than ourselves.” [As leaders, we must] look not only to [our] own interests, but also to the interests of others.
The disease of existential schizophrenia. This is the disease of those who live a double life, the fruit of that hypocrisy typical of the mediocre and of a progressive emotional emptiness which no [accomplishment or] title can fill. It is a disease which often strikes those who are no longer directly in touch with customers and “ordinary” employees, and restrict themselves to bureaucratic matters, thus losing contact with reality, with concrete people.
The disease of gossiping, grumbling, and back-biting. This is a grave illness which begins simply, perhaps even in small talk, and takes over a person, making him become a “sower of weeds” and in many cases, a cold-blooded killer of the good name of colleagues. It is the disease of cowardly persons who lack the courage to speak out directly, but instead speak behind other people’s backs. Let us be on our guard against the terrorism of gossip!
The disease of idolizing superiors. This is the disease of those who court their superiors in the hope of gaining their favor. They are victims of careerism and opportunism; they honor persons [rather than the larger mission of the organization]. They think only of what they can get and not of what they should give; small-minded persons, unhappy and inspired only by their own lethal selfishness. Superiors themselves can be affected by this disease, when they try to obtain the submission, loyalty and psychological dependency of their subordinates, but the end result is unhealthy complicity.
The disease of indifference to others. This is where each leader thinks only of himself or herself, and loses the sincerity and warmth of [genuine] human relationships. This can happen in many ways: When the most knowledgeable person does not put that knowledge at the service of less knowledgeable colleagues, when you learn something and then keep it to yourself rather than sharing it in a helpful way with others; when out of jealousy or deceit you take joy in seeing others fall instead of helping them up and encouraging them.
The disease of a downcast face. You see this disease in those glum and dour persons who think that to be serious you have to put on a face of melancholy and severity, and treat others especially those we consider our inferiors with rigor, brusqueness and arrogance. In fact, a show of severity and sterile pessimism are frequently symptoms of fear and insecurity. A leader must make an effort to be courteous, serene, enthusiastic and joyful, a person who transmits joy everywhere he goes. A happy heart radiates an infectious joy: it is immediately evident! So a leader should never lose that joyful, humorous and even self-deprecating spirit which makes people amiable even in difficult situations. How beneficial is a good dose of humor!
The disease of hoarding. This occurs when a leader tries to fill an existential void in his or her heart by accumulating material goods, not out of need but only in order to feel secure. The fact is that we are not able to bring material goods with us when we leave this life, since “the winding sheet does not have pockets” and all our treasures will never be able to fill that void; instead, they will only make it deeper and more demanding. Accumulating goods only burdens and inexorably slows down the journey!
The disease of closed circles, where belonging to a clique becomes more powerful than our shared identity. This disease too always begins with good intentions, but with the passing of time it enslaves its members and becomes a cancer which threatens the harmony of the organization and causes immense evil, especially to those we treat as outsiders. “Friendly fire” from our fellow soldiers, is the most insidious danger. It is the evil which strikes from within. As it says in the bible, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.”
Lastly: the disease of extravagance and self-exhibition. This happens when a leader turns his or her service into power, and uses that power for material gain, or to acquire even greater power. This is the disease of persons who insatiably try to accumulate power and to this end are ready to slander, defame and discredit others; who put themselves on display to show that they are more capable than others. This disease does great harm because it leads people to justify the use of any means whatsoever to attain their goal, often in the name of justice and transparency! Here I remember a leader who used to call journalists to tell and invent private and confidential matters involving his colleagues. The only thing he was concerned about was being able to see himself on the front page, since this made him feel powerful and glamorous, while causing great harm to others and to the organization.
Friends, these diseases are a danger for every leader and every organization, and they can strike at the individual and the community levels.
Since this part of this course addresses the diseases of Christian Leadership, it follows, therefore, that the treatment must be taken from the scriptures which treats virtually all kinds of diseases that are characterized by temptations of all Christians, being a leader or a follower. The list of these diseases cannot be all treated in this course but the commonest ones that are detected in all the cases that studied are: Pride, Lust and Love Of Money. We shall treat each of these.
THE THREE MOST DEADLY DISEASES OF LEADERSHIP
Among the above enumerated diseases, the most deadly among them are (i) Pride (ii) Lust and (iii) Love Of Money
For the purpose of this course, pride can be defined as a feeling of intellectual, spiritual or other superiority of a person to the other. Using some passages in the Bible, these symptoms can be identified and treated.
Pride: The Bible says in Proverb 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride is at the root of every conflict and problem. It is defined as the attitude that oneself is superior to others, even to the extent of regarding others with contempt as if they were unworthy of any relation or interaction with them. Pride shows the basic thinking, “I am better than you are!”
There are basically three identified symptoms in the disease of pride. The first symptoms of pride is the inability to learn from others, according to the book Proverb Chapter 13 verse 10, which says, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.”
The second symptom of disease of pride is stubbornness. This is found in Proverb Chapter 29 Verse 1, which says, “He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy”
The third symptom which is so subtle and unnoticeable is secrecy. Secrecy is often used by leaders with character flaws as defensive mechanism. All the cases that are studied while gathering these course materials are characterized with secrecy. Secrecy is necessary as a cover-up of some leaders’ misdeeds, knowing fully well that if the secrets are made open, it will cause them to lose their pride or the dignities that go along with their positions as Christian leaders. They are aware of the core values of Christianity and Christian leadership. Thus, in other to avoid being questioned of this core value, they have to be secretive. Secrecy often leads to a build-up of caucus of secretive members of the Church. Anyone that is aware of the secret of the leadership is co-opted into the caucus. If he refuses to be part of this deal for whatever reason, he is victimized. The symptoms of secrecy can also lead the caucus to be taking oats among members.
Lust: The disease of lust is another deadly thing that can destroy completely any leader. Once this disease establishes a footstool in anybody, building a stronghold in his or her life is a light thing. Curing this disease is a very hard thing to do, especially if the leader that is affected is seen as a role model. Even if he survives this disease, others who see him as a mentor may not be able to stand again.
No leader that is not tempted. The understanding of how lust operates would indicate this. In the article, titled: “Understanding Lust – Our desires aren’t the problem. It’s what we do with them,” Jim Vander Spek gives this analysis:
Use of pornography and other sexual immoralities are rampant in our culture and in the society. Many have concluded that such behavior or at least the lust that drives them is fundamentally an unsolvable problem, a sin that will not be defeated in the lives of people. But this response is unacceptable in the face of the severe and incalculable damage that lust inflicts upon lives, families, and fellowships.
If we want to overcome lust, we need to recognize what we are dealing with. A good place to start is to understand the “sexual buzz” the electric feeling of pleasure that makes sex so enjoyable. The psychobiologic sexual buzz involves our emotions, our bodies, and our cognitive functions. When we misuse this capacity allowing ourselves an illicit sexual buzz it is sinful lust. Consider the following definition as a way to understand this:
Sexual lust, the illicit sexual buzz is willfully allowing pleasurable gratification of wrongfully directed sexual desire that takes place deep inside. The followings are the break down:
(I) Willfully allowed. It is something we choose to do. It is not forced upon us. Giving in to – it may be driven by habit and undertaken without deliberation but it is a choice on our part.
(II) Pleasurable. We enjoy it. The illicit sexual buzz is intensely enjoyable in a way we cannot fully understand.
(III) Gratification. We recognize when it happens because something clicks into place. We may claim that we are “doing nothing” and may be able to fool others, but we should not try to fool ourselves. God is not fooled.
(IV) Wrongfully directed sexual desire. We are focusing our attention in a way that is not right. The sexual buzz is only proper when it is grounded within a marriage relationship. This is hard to accept when we are in bondage to lust. We look for a way to justify our waywardly pointed gratification of sexual desires to convince ourselves that it is okay to let them roam.
(V) Taking place deep inside. We cannot fully understand how the sexual buzz takes place. Our psychobiologic response is deep-seated and intensely personal. It occurs quickly and unmistakably, long before (and oftentimes without any) externally visible evidence.
Love Of Money: The Bible says in 1Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” One of the remedies to love of money, especially the area of cover up is to confess it. Confession is the remedy of deception. Secondly there must be open transparency. This can be done through proper documentation of financial records.
1. Explain how attitude as part of basic ingredients of good leadership.
2. Describe all the characteristics of good leadership
3. Explain various leadership diseases.
There are “reasons” for everything we do as human beings, though it is often difficult for us to understand why we think like we think, feel like we feel, or act like we act in life. Many of the answers for human behavior can be found in people’s temperaments or personalities. The study of the human personality goes all the way back to the famous Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 BC), the “father of medicine” he was born during the prophetic ministries of Nehemiah and Malachi, or some 450 years before the birth of Christ. Hippocrates’ work has been researched extensively and is used as a dynamic diagnostic tool in both psychology and psychiatry to this day. A generic explanation of human “Temperaments” or “Personalities” is that all of us have been born with genetically inherited “behavioral tendencies” that are as much a part of our DNA as is the color of our hair; all of us are made up of DNA combinations passed on to us through our parents and ancestors. This fact is important because it helps us to more fully understand our basic behavioral disposition. Even though much of our human personality is inherited, it should also be noted, much of it has also been influenced and shaped by our unique environments. Most scientific research on human behavior suggests that about 50% of the variations in human personality are determined by genetic factors so our human behavior is shaped equally by our environment and by our DNA. Thus, all of us as human beings have been hard-wired by our Creator (we are not just products of random chance Ps 119:73; 139:13-16; Is 44:24), and we have all been impacted by the world around us. Furthermore, according to the scientific analysis all human personalities are commonly divided up into four major categories (with the exception of those with severe mental disorders), and these four types are further broken down into two categories Extroverts and Introverts:
Extroverted Personalities: The Choleric and Sanguine personality-types are more “out-going,” more sociable, and more comfortable in a crowd, even standing out in a crowd.
Introverted Personalities: The Melancholy and Phlegmatic personality-types are more shy and “reserved” and feel anxious about being in crowd, especially at being singled-out in a crowd.
It should be noted that all human beings have a degree of each of these four personality types within them, though each person will definitely test out higher in one, with another being a close second. No individual only possesses one personality type, and most of us have a very strong secondary temperament. Should you take one of the personality tests available today, you would discover that you possess dominant characteristics in a couple of the temperaments, and each kind of personality has a general characteristic associated with it. It should be noted that there are varying degrees of Extroversion and Introversion in other words, some Phlegmatics and Melancholies “border” on being out-going, and some Cholerics and Sanguines “border” on being shy. Though the characteristics may not be true for everyone with a particular personality, they are generally true for the vast majority of people. All four personality types have general strengths and weaknesses with which people must contend, and no one personality type is better than any other. All four have both good and bad qualities, and all four are needed to make this world a better place. Whatever your temperament or personality, God is the one who has given you the abilities and sensitivities that you possess.
Following is a brief description of each of the four temperaments or personalities at the end of each description I have listed the two primary characteristics for that temperament. By identify-ing the two temperaments that best describe who you are as a person, you should be able to identify your “strongest characteristic” be it predominantly extroversion, introversion, organizational, or relational. Aside from the Extrovert-Introvert continuum that was described above on the pre-vious page, there is the Organizational-Relational continuum Cholerics and Melancholies are more “organizational,” whereas the Sanguines and Phlegmatics are more “relational.” With that said, let’s look at a description of the four temperaments, beginning with the “sanguine”
CONCLUSION
The essence of this study is to identify the personality of each person, including children and youths. Through this, teachers and resource persons may be able to handle and understand everybody. Things responsible for each personality also need to be put into considerations such as genetic factor, environmental factor and situational factor. In any case, the teacher or resource person may need to understand the person in question before knowing how to handle his or her kind of personality