Becoming A Generational Leader #3 - Courage

Hello great Steemians. I hope you all are having a great time. It's a beautiful day guys and I welcome you all to another interesting episode of your people - building blog and "Becoming a Generational leader series.

In my last two posts, we have been able to define who a generational leader is. We have been able to see some core values and examples of generational leaders both in Biblical and contemporary times.

These two posts actually broke my previous steemit records in rewards and number of upvotes. See post ONE and TWO. I wanna appreciate everyone who made it happen and gladly, you are one of them.

Now, quickly to today's business.

I have established in my last two posts that leadership is all about influence and that good influence is dependent on great values. This is the reason we find some set of values in great leaders.

We have seen the importance of Vision as a value in the making of generational leaders. Now, let's consider another core leadership value- Courage.

Source

WHAT IS COURAGE?
Dictionary.com defines courage as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc without fear.

THE NECESSITY OF COURAGE.
Looking at the the lives of great leaders, many of whom their influences surpassed their generations, one value that stands out is courage.

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently" - Maya Angelou

Everyone who aspires to become a generational leader must be courageous. This is because life is full of countless risks and uncertainties. Courage is greatly needed when we are confronted with tough decisions at home, school or work. Without the virtue of courage, no leader will be able to stand what life sometimes throws. It takes courage to safely navigate through the ocean of life.

Moses had a tough decision to make. Should he disobey God, continue with shepherding some few herds owned by his father in law or return to his country of birth where he has been declared a fugitive with the prospect of leading two million people?

What if he is prosecuted and executed in the process? What if his suicide mission never sailed through? Couldn't he just continue his average lifestyle of absolute mediocrity, at least it put food on the table?

Moses choose to become a generational leader of over two million Jews that till tomorrow, we still reference him. That choice couldn't have been made without courage.

Nelson Mandela is a great leadership figure in Africa. Many reputable Africans respect him a lot even in death for his dugged courage and sacrifice during the apartheid regime in South Africa. The pain, shame, hunger and agony he went through is indescribable although the movie "Sarafina" made an attempt at describing it.

This generational leader refused to be dettered fighting for his dreams even in the face of death and anihilation. He stood his ground even if it meant standing alone.

No wonder he remains relevant in his motherland until now. The history of South Africa can never be completely written without mentioning "Nelson Mandela". For generations yet to come, that name will continue to ring a bell not only in the South but in the entire African sphere.

HOW DO I BECOME A GENERATIONAL LEADER?
The answer is BE COURAGEOUS!!! This is one profound and unforgettable command God gave Joshua at his commissioning as a leader.

In essence, God was saying to Joshua "Do you wanna be a generational leader? You've got to be courageous."

Leadership does not signify lack of challenges. In fact, it signifies the presence of plenty but a great leader must view challenges with the eyes of courage.

“Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity.”- Reed Markham

HOW DO I BUILD COURAGE?
We must take note however that courage is not built in a day. It comes gradually by reasons of experience and practice. David had the courage to confront Goliath of Gath in battle because he had earlier confronted both a bear and a lion. (1Samuel 17)

This list below is not exclusive but hey, we can start from there.

*Discover a reason for living

Hebrews 12:2 says
....... who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

*Set principles that define your personality and agrees with your vision

*Go for adequate knowledge in God's word and your field of specialisation.

Daniel 11:32 says:
..... but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

*Stick to your vision and life principles no matter the storm.

I'll be stopping here for today.

I'll like you to please stay tuned and get ready for more discoveries in my next post.

We shall examine together more leadership core values. More biblical and contemporary examples of generational leaders shall be seen also and, of course, more "HOW TOs" will follow.

Thank you for reading guys. I sincerely appreciate your time.

Your comments and resteems are also appreciated.