Are you a leader leading at any level or department in your organization, whether at a very high level or at the lowest of positions, and you are wondering how your organization will be placed at a very high pedestal in terms of comparative advantage, become profitable, leading per excellence and continuing on the path of relevance? The Holy Spirit has inspired, taught and has brought me to a place of understanding about something I find very instructive, and I would like to share this with you also. I will enjoin you to read this piece with an open mind and I believe you will learn and also be blessed tremendously.

Before I would begin to talk about the secrets of cutting-edge Leadership, I would like to start by building a background into what cutting edge Leadership really means. Cutting edge talks about the latest or most advanced stage in the development of something. It refers to sharpness and not bluntness. It talks about being highly advanced, innovative or pioneering. The Cambridge dictionary defines cutting edge as something that gives someone or something an advantage. And this definition amplifies the reason why this article has been inspired. I began to ask; How can I become a leader that would give my organization an advantage or make my organization stand out among many? How can my advantage as a leader give or lead to the advantage of my organization? These are rhetorical questions that if answered correctly could motivate and steer the heart of a leader to shift his organization beyond lips and bounds. So, cutting edge places emphasis on sharpness, advancement and innovation.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastics 10 verse 10; “If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.” I would like us to look at this Scripture very closely, it says; “if the axe head is dull and its edge unsharpened.” The problem is not that the axe head is dull, it may be dull as a result of consistent use, but the problem is that if the axe head is dull and remains unsharpened of what use will it be? And this could be the problem of many leaders and organizations. The reason why our Leadership is stagnant and unproductive is because most times we refuse to refill even though we have depleted strength, ideas, or resources. And this is the focus of this article.  It is not enough to be an axe, it is not enough to be a leader, what kind of axe are you? What kind of leader are you? Why should one who falls a tree continue to use a blunt axe? Such a leader must take the initiative to first sharpen his or her axe otherwise it will be difficult for a blunt axe to deliver results. So, initiative must be deployed; but the leader must be sensitive to know when his or axe head has become dull or blunt, where to sharpen the axe and who is best qualified to sharpen the axe. This is very important to note as we move on.

So, if God has given you skill or grace, you must be sensitive or discerning to know when grace is getting exhausted or depleted and you must go back to God for a refilling. The Bible says; “The labor of a fool wearies them all because he does not know how to go into the city.” So, for every success needed or required by any leader or Leadership, there is a commensurate skill or grace that is required. So, when there is bluntness or lack of innovation, the pace at which an organization would grow would either be slow or at a stagnant position. It means the leader is lacking the skill or grace necessary to get the job done. Hence, every leader or Leadership is required to sharpen his or herself periodically for all that is required for a job to be well done so as to achieve effectiveness.  It is often said that you can’t give what you do not have, in order to be able to pour out, you must be able to take in. so, you must first become a leader per excellence in order to lead an organization to excellence.

Having talked about taking initiative, the second thing I want to talk about is selflessness. And what is selflessness? Selflessness talks about giving or putting all of your effort both mental and physical to see that your organization is growing from one level of strength to another. In order to become a result driven leader, and to set your organization on the path of excellence, you must begin to become concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with your own. Selflessness also talks about the quality of caring more about what other people need and want than about what you yourself need and want. It can also be explained as a lack of preoccupation with one’s own interests, advancement, desires, etc., and attentiveness to those of others. And when you become conscious of this, you will become such a leader that has deployed a very powerful principle that will set your organization or department at a growth rate that would be exponential in nature. So, having become a leader who is conscious of the importance of initiative and selflessness, what then are the secrets to cutting edge Leadership?

#. Number One: Your Leadership must be prognostic, predictive or projective in nature. What do I mean by this?  It means you must lead with the consciousness of been able to unsettle the status quo in order to bring a shift in perspective.

This talks about the capacity to predict or explain cause and effect and whether something will develop or tilt towards a particular direction or not. It talks about forecasting or foretelling. Leaders must be able to be fore armed with information and knowledge about where the organization is heading, the economy or how, where and at what pace the society is evolving. It talks about the ability and capacity of Leadership to look into the future as a result of a trend or pattern and proffer solutions.  

This is how to deploy your cutting edge or sharpness to set the organization you lead on the path of success. The result of taking this kind of posture is what is recorded in Isaiah 60 verse 3, It says; “Gentiles shall come to your light. And kings to the brightness of your rising.” Every organization or Leadership must have the understanding that men, women, kings, nobles, royalties, dignitaries, high and mighty low and average citizens in the society come to a Leadership that has light. Therefore, what determines their coming is the degree of your sharpness, and your sharpness is a function of how often you go for a sharpening or refill. In Esther 1:13, the Bible says; “Then the king consulted the wise men who knew the times, for it was customary for him to confer with the experts in law and justice.” And I began to ask myself what am I an expert in? Because, this verse says; the king consulted the wise men who knew times. Your ignorance of times makes you an obsolete leader either in thinking or execution. Meaning that you have nothing to offer. So, you become an expert by the virtue of what you know. That talks about light. And when you have light you will be consulted. It is a law that has been instituted by God. This verse says it was customary for the king to do so.

In 1 Chronicles 12:32, the Bible says; “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.”  This tribe particularly have understanding of the times and seasons and their brethren were at their command. There must be something your Leadership must understand. At this point, your organization or Leadership will be at a cutting edge.

The first step to cutting edge in Leadership is about the capacity of the leader or Leadership foreseeing from the height of advantage by vision and positioning the organization thereby giving them an edge in terms of competitive advantage. So, predictive, prognostic or projective edge talks about foreseeing. This kind of sight is only possible by the Spirit and not given to logical or mathematical calculations and assumptions.  So, predictive, projective or prognostic edge in Leadership emphasizes 3 questions;

1. How resourceful can you be?
2. Where do you see your organization or the organization you are leading is the next couple of years?
3. How can you imbibe or absorb an organizational culture; transforming those you lead to begin to talk and think in line with what you have seen, and work according to the patterns of what you have seen?

What is the point I have been trying to make? Predictive, projective or prognostic edge in Leadership is about the leader or Leadership not seeing the big picture or vision of the organization very dimly but with clarity and precision. Until it is seen clearly, the people would find it difficult to align. It is easier to communicate what is seen and lead according to what is seen. So, the Bible says where there is no vision the people cast off restraints. The reason why vision is so important is because, an accurate projection is a function of a clear vision. See the answer Joseph gave to Pharoah in Genesis 41 verse 25; “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.” Then it went further to say; “The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream.” It is this foresight that informs the leaders decisions and the kind of life the leader would live.  This is what shapes the philosophies and ideologies of the leader and the organization, this is what brings direction and determines the activities of an organization.

In Genesis 41 verse 15, a very striking statement was used there; The Bible recorded that when Joseph was brought out of the dungeon, Pharaoh’s conversation with him was not based on acquaintance, it was about a problem and who could proffer a solution, and that solution was a demand to make projections. Pharoah simply said; “I have a dream and there is no one who can interpret it.” Joseph having made the projections, he went further to say to Pharoah from verse 32, “The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.”  Since the matter has been firmly decided by God and would come to pass just as I have predicted or projected, he began to address a particular matter which we could call solutions or action plans.

He said in verse 33; “Let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine." And the Bible says in verse 37; “that the plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.”

What was Joseph beginning to address here? He was simply saying there is going to be a change and the right people should be put in charge. So, by seeing the big picture or the vision in this context triggers a consciousness, having seen what is coming ahead, there is a need for change and adjustment. So, what kind of change was Joseph demanding from them? Behavioral or attitudinal change and change in thinking. Because the solutions he proffered was a pointer to what the government of Pharoah had not been doing before.  

So, projective edge in Leadership talks about taking a balance between standing to seeing the vision and all of the fine details and execution. Projective Leadership thinks, talk and foresee all of the opportunities, not just the problems. Egypt became a hub for commerce, attracting all kinds of kings and dignitaries from all over the world. Because joseph to a posture of Leadership. Your organization will also experience this kind of wealth and affluence if such a posture is taken.

So, in order to place your organization at a cutting-edge dimension, you must be a leader who takes and refines abstract thoughts and envision strategic outcomes. You must become one who makes or come up with a plan on how to create opportunities from challenges thereby producing outcomes that will drive an organization to an experience or somewhere ahead of where it is presently.

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Apeh Francis Abah!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!