Dearly loved family member, welcome to another Tuesday of the month, and the last one at that. It’s been a great ride this month, and I’m so happy we get to see the end together. In case you don’t know about it, let me use this chance to tell you that you are on my gratitude list for April.
Yes, I’ll repeat myself, and loudly this time. Thank you for being a great support system for The Mirror and Reflections in April. It’s been 6months since this ride started, and it has been a wonderful one with you in it.
Thanks for being involved every step of the way, I am indeed grateful. I believe we’ll do more together in the coming months. Speaking of which, I have a very important announcement at the end of today’s post. So, I hope you read the last letter so you get the announcement.
Yeah, a quick back-story about what inspired today’s blog! A beloved cousin of mine shared some thoughts on his WhatsApp status about the movie “Enoch”. The movie has been widely viewed by millions of people, but in case it’s your first time hearing about it, it’s my joy to tell you that you can watch it on YouTube. But before you head over, let me quickly inform you that you are about to see the biopic of a father of faith, in person of Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
I mentioned earlier that my cousin shared some thoughts about the movie, and his points took me through a train of thoughts and lessons which I shared with him and which I’d like to do the same with you in this post. As you read on, you will see me make reference to some scenes and draw out quite a few important lessons. Kindly stay with me.
For a start, our prior or general perception of a Servant-Leader is often concerning someone in a position of authority but on whom is placed an expectation to serve and not lord over the people placed in his care.
While that is a correct perception, I have a different face to that same term which I’ll have you hold on to as of today. The additional definition is this; a Servant-Leader is someone who is not directly in authority or not even close to being in power but is yet relevant to the power process and can bring about a remarkable change in the system through his words and actions.
Let’s take a deeper look at this. If you have seen the movie before, I’d like you to try recollecting a few scenes. If you haven’t, I’ll try not to be too much of a spoiler, but I can at least give you a peek into what you will go ahead to watch.
Do you remember Pastor Olukowajo? I sense someone has forgotten, but I’ll remind you. From what we saw, we didn’t get to know who he was until Pa. Akindayomi (the General Overseer) that was about to take his transit from the earth told his wife on his deathbed to tell the said Pastor not to forget about certain things they had both discussed before. You remember him now, right?
Pa told his wife to tell the Pastor not to forget their discussion about Church Affairs, one important agenda being the open, official announcement of the new General Overseer (Pastor Adeboye). The Pastor was not there at the time, and Baba’s transit eventually came. This is based on what we watched in the movie o. We’re still going somewhere, let’s keep moving.
As we all know or watched, Pastor Olukowajo kept Pa’s word, made an official announcement, and handed over the Church Affairs to the new General Overseer. Recollect that some elders of the Church were shocked and angry at the revelation and resolved that they were leaving. Now, we are about to hit the point: our focus in this post is on the relationship between Pa Akindayomi, Pastor Olukowajo, and the newly-appointed young G.O.
I saw Pastor Olukowajo as a servant leader in the context of the definition I gave earlier, the second definition. I saw a man who was a faithful and trustworthy co-labourer in the service and earned the position of a confidant. Like some of the Church elders, the appointment of a young and ‘inexperienced’ G.O. as the elders claim should have got him disturbed.
But instead, we see a man that was able to hold the fort and keep the work moving despite the Overseer not being there to witness what had become of the ministry. He might not have been the G.O., but I feel he must have been a father figure giving wise counsel. It’s safe to say that he must have been an instrumental voice of wisdom to the new leader.
Not everyone can be at the forefront where they are easily seen and applauded, but your place at the backstage can be so important that you cannot be ignored. Pastor Olukowajo’s relevance came more to light at that point of Pa going to rest.
The old man could trust him enough that he was not going to pull down what he has built after he had gone to rest. You might not be at the helm of power, yet you can hold so much relevance, gain trust, and command respect and authority with your words and actions.
But, it all begins from the heart! As you serve in whatever capacity, what is the state of your heart? Are you acting to be seen or known, or are you a faithful servant who just wants to bring out the best results from his or her labour, all for the good of the system? Take time to think about that.
Your leadership does not start at the point you were officially announced to the organization, it started the very minute you took up that little and perceived insignificant role. Even if you have the least responsibility, you are a leader.
You may ask why, it’s because you are in a system where your boss or superior can be inspired by your delivery. It’s not just a top-to-bottom relationship, it goes both ways. A significant aspect of the whole success story lies in your seemingly insignificant role, never forget that.
I want to believe that Pa must have been checking Pastor Olukowajo’s dedication to the ministry. Likewise, let me inform you that you are also being watched, you just haven’t realized it yet.
The fact that you are not in direct authority does not give you the chance to be carefree or put in an average performance. Don’t be the “After all, no one sees me” kind of person. See, all eyes are on you, and there will soon be a vacant position to be filled. It’s going to dawn on you in due time that you were actually being monitored, but it would be a nice discovery if you put in your best from now.
Let me add a very important point. The main reason your best is going into the process is not just because someone is on the lookout, but it’s more because you are for growth; your growth, and the growth of the organization.
Let the desire to see the best results being revealed stir your performance. As the best results are being turned in, the best version of you is also being unveiled. You are building the capacity you need for the better days you have ahead.
Let your time at backstage prepare you for the main stage. If you fail when you have the least of responsibilities or you show little dedication, there is a higher possibility of failure if bigger tasks come staring at you. This is because you have not built the capacity you need to get the job done.
I understand, there is a place for learning on the job sometimes. After all, there will be some duties that are bigger than what you’ve been used to. However, look at that point closely. You have been used to playing those roles or you have foreknowledge, but they just appear in the expanded version this time. So, the assignment is not strange to you, and you can use your previous experience to your advantage.
The bottom line is this; stay dedicated to your learning process and be diligent in all you do. As you do so, you develop yourself and you build a firm foundation for the big opportunities that will soon come your way.
This is definitely a long read, but I’m so glad you pushed it to the end. Now, I’ll make my announcement. I appreciate how dedicated you have been to this course, and I am so grateful for your commitment. However, there is going to be a slight adjustment to the order in which the posts have been coming.
If you’ve observed the trend so far, the posts have been coming every Tuesday. But starting from May and till further notice, we will be having the posts on alternate Tuesdays. There will be a post on every first Tuesday of the month, and the next will be in a fortnight (14 days) from the first post. Thank you for being a part of the family.
Once again, thank you for reading this to the end. I hope you had a wonderful time reading it as I had a good time writing it. I look forward to reading your comments, so kindly drop them. I’ll see you on the first Tuesday in May by God’s grace. A happy new month in advance, love ya!
