CRISIS AND LEADERSHIP

• While Crisis makes managers bitter, it makes leaders better. Crisis distinguish between managers and leaders.

• Leadership is not all about how you hold on without adversity, any manager can do that. Instead, it is all about how you turn up and respond amidst  Crisis and adversities.

One of the things  we have  to know about crisis situations is that they are not peculiar to anybody. As a matter of fact, from the moment any individual is born the person starts getting exposed to various degrees of crisis and adversities. What we turn out to be, after a certain period of time, is determined by how we handle all the crisis and difficulties and challenges and adversities and ups and downs that we have been facing from childhood and through our developmental processes.

Crisis does the following to us:

1. It brings to the fore the hidden characters and unspoken attitudes: There are always some hidden characters, attitudes and capabilities individuals that have been "developing well" have within them. Many of these are not readily apparent until they're exposed and brought to the fore by crisis situations. At times, the individuals are compelled by situations to call them up. And when they're not there, adversities reveal their absence as well.
2. It reveals our levels of preparedness for unforeseen circumstances and life. And this does not always mean that the leader particularly anticipates those particular crisis situations and so got prepared for them. Rather, there's a hidden attitude of preparedness in the leader that gets his mind continually ready to brace up to any adversity and crisis that might surface at any time.
3. It reveals the adaptability of our minds: God actually created us to be adaptable, and not to be comformable. He wants us to change and adapt as necessary, and not to be swallowed up and overwhelmed by situations and circumstances.
4. It reveals our resilience. An ability to bounce back, and stronger: There's a general inertia in every individual. They would rather stay the way they are than change. Some people are more resilient than others. Crisis and adversities reveal how resilient a leader's mind is.
5. Crisis reveals our choices. Actually the tenets for making of choices in life are already there within us even before we make them. What crisis do is that it reveals what we have within us whether we have the capability to make good choices or not. We can pretend when there is no crisis but once crisis hits, there will be no more hiding place for us.
6. Crisis also reveals the leaders willingness to learn: This means that it shows his depth of understanding of situations and his mental capabilities to absorb new knowledge and embrace new and better ways of doing things.

These all show that crisis distinguishes between a leader and a manager. This shows that leadership is not for the rigid, is not for the lazy, is not for the unadaptable, is not for the week, is not for those who are emotionally and mentally immature and unstable.

• Crisis makes the leader to start asking the necessary questions to review his stance and to concentrate his energy and resources on what is really important and not on frivolities. 

• He eliminates some bottlenecks, which a manager would rather hold on tenaciously to, in order to effect the needed change in his organisation. 

While the manager comes out of crisis battered and wounded and impoverished the leader comes comes through crisis better and enriched and wiser and more sophisticated.

In conclusion it is up to you as an individual to decide what you would rather develop: the manager in you or the leader in you. If you want to be a great manager, you can; it does not involve much risk to be one. It only demands your ability to conform to the status quo to be a great manager. 

However if you want to be a great leader, you can as well decide; only that you must embrace a different paradigm: a paradigm of positive change as against dogmatic status quo, a paradigm of adaptability as against conformity, a paradigm of innovation as against renovation, a paradigm of positivity and seeing possibilities in every adversity and crisis situation. This is a choice everyone has to make, but the latter pays better.

THERE IS A NAME

                                   THERE IS A NAME

  There is a NAME. I have found IT- Yes, that NAME. It works.....like magic? No, magic is not the word. Magic is a negative word. I am talking of  a positive word. Magic has a limit but what I am talking about is limitless. There is every tendency to lose a key otherwise a key could have described the NAME more appropriately.
       
       Costly, precious, priceless, and yet available to both the poor and the rich. Come and buy yet without money. Silver and gold is not the answer because the entire World Bank cannot purchase the precious ornament. Yet I tell you it is available to whoever wills. I am not kidding! Have you not read the sure words of Isaiah the prophet?

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
² Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
³ Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David.(Is. 55:1-3)

   All you need to do is to take a decision that you need what is genuine and precious. That is all you need-decision and decision for what is genuine but precious, costly, priceless and yet can be purchased without money...Yes, there is a NAME. That is what is in that name. Are you willing to make the decision? If God tells you something, will you believe? If you cannot believe what God says, then you need not bother yourself. But if you do, listen to this:

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
¹⁰ I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings(Jer 17:9-10)

¹³ And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.....(Jer 29:13-14)

    Listen now! God has given us a name that opens closed doors permanently-never to shut again, if you hold lightly to that name. I don't care how closed that door is. it is my sincere experience that I am sharing with you. It is not an academic exercise----- A name that opens all closed doors, whether by the devil or by the human being, it does not matter. This is my experience and the experience of a host of witnesses. It shall be your own experience if you care.

   The greatest you need to know is that the NAME opens the doors to eternity. Temporary doors usher you to things that have to do with this world but eternal doors to that of eternity. Yes, that is the greatest this NAME can give you. |come and buy without money--Just your whole hearted decision. God said:

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.(Is 9:6-7)

 God was making a sure promise about an extra-ordinary child with an extra-ordinary authority and power that will be made available to us. He eventually sent an angel to a man called Joseph and said of him:

 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.(Matt 1:20-21)

JESUS! is that great name. God says : "Give him the name, Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" Sin has been a barrier to man from getting anything from God-- a terrible barrier for ages which God cannot compromise with, for he said:

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.

¹² “When you come to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
¹³ Bring no more futile sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
¹⁴ Your New Moons and your appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
¹⁵ When you spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood(Is 1:11-15)

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
² But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.(Is 59:1-2)

  This great hindrance --Sin --had been a great problem, a great barrier for us to obtain from God, and now, God Himself has provided a solution in a name--Jesus, "His name shall be called Jesus because, he will save his people from their sins.” But what says the scriptures":

  "He came to that which was his own; but his own did not receive him" (John 1:11)

That is another problem-"His own did not receive him". That name has been given, but the deceitful heart of man has many deceitful arguments that hinder him from accessing the name. There comes the question of individuality and choices. Individuals have the right to choose what they want to do. Your decision for whatever reason matters but God has given a name that can change our eternal and temporary situations. Thank God that the scriptures also records that:

¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.(John 1:12-13)

                                                                               

Great! Here comes your decision--to receive or not to receive, to believe or not to believe. Precious, costly, priceless but free. Bill? Only to be obtained by faith at the expense of Him who has paid all with His precious blood--the blood of Jesus. And what says the scripture:

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(Phil 2:8-11)

There is a name given, the name of Jesus. It is above every name. When mentioned all knees in heaven and on earth and under the earth bow. Can you imagine that! Why not accept God's testimony now. All you need to do is to receive him and believe in Him. Invite Him now into your life. Ask Him in as you pray this prayer:

"Jesus, You died for my sins to set me free. I am sorry I have been running my own life in sin and ignorance. Please forgive my disobedience, wash my sins away with your precious blood. I open my heart to you in all sincerity. Come in my Lord and savour. Amen.” Period! You are a child of God. Believe that he has come in. Begin now to trust him in every detail of your life. Ask for the booklet --"Now that I have received Christ" from:

Rooted In The Word Ministry

Box 143, Nnobi

Idemili south. Anambra State

Nigeria

Email: integrity3rdtim@yahoo.com, integrity3rdtim@gmail.com

Phone: +2349094782199

About Me

Timothy Integrity

Life's all about making advancements by advancing and helping others move forward and get better.

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Nuggets to Thriving in Adversities

• "We align to light today for a brighter tomorrow; and we do that deliberately."

The challenges and obstacles in your life may increase arithmetically, just make sure you're constantly improving yourself geometrically.
That's the only guarantee that you'll remain relevant in the days to come.

• We align to light today for a brighter tomorrow; and we do that deliberately.

• The future belongs to those who dared to buy it TODAY, even amidst adversities.

• In times of adversities, one of the best things you'd do for yourself is to calm down; and calming down, to rethink yourself.

• It's an unpleasant truth that there may come a time you'd need to lose your job in order to find yourself.

In summary, you have to rise above the prevalent circumstances you find yourself in in, particularly when they look bleak, in order to see the ray of hope in the horizon. 

Expose yourself to a higher principle, see the brighter tomorrow even amidst the gloomy circumstances of today, and you see yourself pushing your way to the light.

#ThinkPossibility

#RemainPositive

Wading Through Adversity

• John C. Maxwell said: "You can't manage your way through crisis, you have to lead your way through." 

    This is so because during adversities, those who come through and bettered are those who don't allow the situations to have the better of them. They're those who show great resilience and who stand up from the overwhelming situation to think beyond just maintaining the status quo.

    If all you do is to merely copy what others have done or have been doing, I'm afraid to inform you that adversities are sure to leave you so impoverished and bitter. No matter how much you desire to thrive, such a dominant thought pattern during adversities will NEVER help your ventures in any way.  If your dominant thinking during adversities is on how to survive it and maintain your head above waters until the adversities are over, then you've got the wrong mindset.

     May I inform you that every adversity that you face in life always comes with it opportunities for you to improve yourself and rise to the next level. Adversities, as unpleasant as they may seem, carry with them the driving force for excellence. Excellence, of course, is not what you actualize through management, it goes beyond management; excellence is what you attain through clear leadership.

     You take the following steps towards wading through adversities, in order to come out on a higher pedestal:

1. Acknowledge that there's a Crisis: One of the things you won't want to do, and can't afford, as a leader is to live in denial. Before every other person sees it fully, you should see it yourself. That's not being negative minded;  rather it's part of having a clear foresight.
2. Determine and Define the Challenges: This doesn't mean that you must see the whole situation clearly from the beginning; however, a good leader should be well ahead of the led in defining the extent and possible impacts of an adversity on the organization.
3. Strengthen yourself: This is very important. The people you're leading may be thrown off as they begin to see the unfolding challenges. That's why you should recover or receive inner strength ahead of them, so as to be able to extend strength to them.
4. Cut Down on Dersonal and Organizational Excesses: You should be quick to restructure yourself and your organization in line with the unfolding challenges. You should, however, avoid pressing the panic button or taking steps that would weaken the system (especially the human assets).
5. Remain Flexible: If there's a more appropriate time to be flexible with organizational processes, it's during crisis. Being flexible helps the organization to more readily adjust to the unfolding realities.
6. Communicate More: Communicate more with the organization's personnels and clients. If there's any time to be open with "essential" information as an organization, it's during crisis period. (Essential, because there are some pieces of information you have to guard or protect the more during adversities; these will be required for your thriving through it all.) Communicate the challenges, but Communicate detailed strategies and solutions more. Give hope through appropriate and adequate communication.
7. Brainstorm Within the Organization, Improvise, Look Within, Source for Solutions: This is the period to do the do. It's the period to take prompt actions. Some actions must be taken so quickly, as quickly as the ideas are crystallized, during crisis to avert greater dangers. Don't rely on your own opinions during crisis, extend to those you're leading and you'll be surprised at how solutions would flow in. It's left to you to sieve and galvanize them into workable information.
8. Reach Out without Selling Out: Adversities afford us the opportunities to reach out to other organizations, especially if they're as well going through similar challenges. It's time to build alliance with others. Know what they're doing and also think of how to adopt and/or improve on their approaches. It even gives you the opportunity to build stronger networks. However, be very careful not to sell out your vital strategies that need to be treasured.
9. Diversify: Adversities give us the opportunities to learn new things, try different perspectives and spread our tentacles to many other areas. There are times you just have to diversify in order to remain viable during adversities. Don't ever be caught rigid during adversities. Try new things, discard what doesn't work and what's obsolete. Remain relevant through creativity.
10. Reach Out: You can't afford to be full of yourself and your organization during adversities. Reach out to others and you'll even get more strength and learn more through that. Try helping out. Just make sure you go beyond the four walls of your organization to reach out to others. This way you might be buying the needed security for your thriving through the adversities.

May I summarize with two quotes:

• "In the middle of difficulties lies opportunity."

Albert Einstein

• "Crisis bumps us out of our comfort zone into the creative zone." 

John C. Maxwell

GREAT GRACE!

GREAT GRACE!

Grace: God's Commitment To You!I want to kick off this Series by stating categorically that, "God did not only create man to be successful in all good things He appointed him, He is fully committed to seeing it through: He has from the eternity past plunged Himself and His Divine resources into seeing it come through - and this commitment of His is called GRACE!"

The climax of His commitment is this - and who can beat that - that He gave His own life, in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, that through His success or triumph over death ( every facet of failure) and it's powers, we might all live successful lives - and a successful life is that which brings God glory.Threfore, in Christ we have triumph over death, failures and all their facets. Is this not the triumph the Bible is proclaiming in 2Cor.2:14 in this wise:"Thanks be to God who ALWAYS leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge everywhere."You know what this is? - GREAT GRACE! Once you grasp this grace - its weight - in your spirit, you give a shout in thanksgiving. 

Embracing  this grace - by no other means but faith - turns your daily struggles into daily TRIUMPHAL PROCESSIONS; and this is not a function of what you see, but of what you carry and who you are in.Next to this is that you radiate Grace wherever you go - now I know that Grace is higly infectious. We diffuse the frangrance of Christ and His knowledge wherever we go; and what is this fragrance of Christ if not GRACE?GREAT GRACE!