Leaders are Intentional
Nelson Mandela was elected Present of the Republic of South
Africa in 1994 and served his nation in that role for five years. His
challenges in assuming office were many. Perhaps, chief among them was
the need to bring together the various ethnic steams of South African life and
unite them as one nation. To do so, he had to surmount South Africa's
long history of segregation which led to its exclusion from many of the normal
forums on international participation for a number of years.
Mr Mandela came to
office with the goodwill of many and the suspicion of a few. Underneath
his disarming smile and disposition, however, was a determined intention to
change the culture of his nation.
Intentionality is a part of the equipment of every successful
leader. Without intentionality, leaders may be reduced to being simply
managers who ensure that what we do is done well. They may not consider
that what we are doing is not necessarily what we should be doing.
Without intentionality, we tend to flirt with this trend and that fad, never
really determining a set course to a preferred outcome.
True leaders recognise that their task is often to take the
first steps to change the organisation's involvement in the world.
Intentionality is the characteristic that describes the levels of commitment
and consistency that leaders bring to the challenge of living in
obedience. It is what holds a leader on course to a goal. Despite
the ups and downs of life and the challenges of leadership, the intentional
leader eventually changes the course of an organisation so that it accomplishes the
purpose for which it was birthed.
Timothy Jack
Editorial
Timothy Jack is a former RYLARIAN and now National Leader of the Apostolic Church Australia. Timothy produces a weekly message to leaders called "Stimulus" and this is the current issue. Used with permission.