Before I begin I would like to explain two concepts that would help build a background into what I would discuss in this article. The concepts are; relevance and capacity. So, what is relevance? Relevance according to Cambridge Dictionary, is the degree to which something is related or useful to what is happening or being talked about. It could also be described as the quality or state of being closely connected or appropriate. So, two words that came so strong from these definitions are usefulness and appropriateness. So, this article aims at addressing the problem of why you are not useful or resourceful, and how you can become resourceful to the society, to your organization, or in wherever space you find yourself. 

The second word is capacity. What is capacity? Capacity talks about the maximum amount that something can contain or produce. It is often used in measurement in terms of amount, number or volume. So, in this article we would consider the relationship between relevance and capacity. Relevance is tied to capacity, and if only your capacity can increase or grow then you can become more relevant. So, the more your capacity increases, the more your relevance increases. The two are closely knitted together as far as the subject of leadership is concerned. There is no leader that really wants to be ignored or despised, but the reason why leaders are being ignored or treated with contempt across different industries and spheres of life is because there is a limitation in capacity that needs to be stretched in order to achieve the status or state of relevance.

So, this article was inspired to expose us to certain principles that will make for our excellence and high flying performance in leadership irrespective of the location of your institution, business or ministry. Going into the discussion properly, I would be using Isaiah 54:2 as my reference point. It says; “Enlarge the site of your tent [to make room for more children]; Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them; Lengthen your tent ropes and make your pegs (stakes) firm [in the ground]. (Amp.) I would be sharing three principles from this verse because it will help to build a background into what God wants to show us and expects us to step into. I would also like to enjoin you to read with an open heart, and I believe you will be blessed tremendously. Perhaps you have been wondering and asking how do I grow my leadership capacity? How do I step into relevance? The insight you need are written here. 

This verse began to reveal to us, showing us the necessity for expansion and growth in leadership; and why it is relevant for helping us maximize and grow our leadership. It is one thing to be placed, it is another thing to be functional in the sphere that God has placed you, but what is most important is that your functioning, result, or success is to the degree of how much capacity you have built over time. Let’s take a close look at this Scripture to see the principles God was trying to communicate through prophet Isaiah. It says; “enlarge the site of your tent” the question is; for what reason? Why should a man, a leader enlarge the site of his tent? What does it mean exactly? Before I begin to give insight into these questions, there are three things I want us to take note from this verse; number one is territory which is premised on vision, number two is virtues, beauty and character, number three is foundations, discipline and decisiveness. And I will explain these for clarity as you read down. 

So, the verse began by saying enlarge, extend, increase, broaden and widen the site of your tent” why is this necessary? The reason is because enlargement creates room for more. One of the first principle we are going to learn here is that the reason why you don’t have more is because you have not created room for more. Creating room for more is the precondition for having more. The first wisdom to glean from this verse is that in order to have more there is a need to create room for more. God is particular about smallness of thinking; whether in business, ministry, education, career or any other thing. God does not want wastage and so if abundance will come it must come to find a space that is empty. See what it says; enlarge the place of your dwelling so that there can be room for the fruits of wisdom, the blessings, the clients, the members, the children etc. On the other hand, this talks about readiness and openness to receive and contain every resources and deposit God intents to pour out into you.

In the fourth paragraph, I mentioned three things to note from this verse for expansion to be possible. If Gods intention for us is to grow capacity, how then does He want us to achieve it? The first point I noted was Territory and influence. It says “expand the site of your dwelling”

How does one expand territories and influence? This is where vision comes in. If you cannot see far, you won’t be able to go far or influence much, because the farther you see, the better you prepare and the better you prepare the farther your influence. Leaders go far, expand or cover distance to the degree of how far they can see. There is no man with a vision that can be despised. So, your relevance or influence is tied to how much you can see. The first instrument for expansion is the instrument of vision; how did I know that? Imagine that God wanted to give Abraham a particular territory or influence over a people, as long as he refuses to lift up his head to see, such won’t be a reality. God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 13:14 saying; lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are-northward, southward, eastward, and westward. God didn’t stop there; having lifted up his head to see as instructed, then verse 15 says; “for all the land which you see I will give to you and your descendants forever.” So, every man is bounded by the law of sight, he will either expand, influence, have or receive to the degree of what he sees.

The second capacity to build, develop or expand is character, beauty and virtues; It says; “stretch out the curtains of your dwellings” what is a curtain and what is it used for? A curtain is a hanging piece of fabric used to shut out the light from a window, adorn a room or increase privacy. So, this definition is making us to realize that one of the many things a curtain does is adornment, beautification or decoration. There is no need to lead if you lack a curtain i.e. character, inner beauty or virtues. There must be some virtues in you that should attract people to you. See what 1 Peter 1:3 says; “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the ^[a]incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” Just as you pay attention to your home or your outward beauty, you must also pay attention to what is likely going to flow out of you. You must be able to handle situations, you must become a man, a woman of a noble character. There is no need to look all classy and flashy when there is a character flaw. Whatever people complain about must be worked upon. You stretch out your curtain by allowing the fruits of the Spirit find expression in you. What are these fruits? They are Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, according to Galatians 5:22.

See what was written about Christ Jesus in Matthew 22:16; “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you [Jesus] are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.” (NIV) Did we see that? Integrity of character is very important. Titus 2:7-8 also emphasized this, it says; In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. This is the secret to relevance, it is by building the capacity of your inner man.

The third capacity or skill to build is accurate decision making and the discipline to be disciplined enough to go through it. It talks about your anchor. (that verse says make your pegs firm.) This becomes possible when you adhere to what I termed the law of foundational principles. It talks about the ability and capacity of a leader to make right decisions based on already existing wisdom, strategies and principles that are infallible and have been tested and proven over a period of time to be true and cannot be broken. You must discipline yourself to prepare for what you have seen or what you have been shown by adhering to the laws that guarantees the success you desire. That Scripture says; “Lengthen your tent ropes and make your pegs (stakes) firm [in the ground].” I want us to note that word “make your pegs firm in the ground.” This talks about the principles that govern your decisions and actions. What are your belief systems? What are they standing on? What are you building your life on?

If your foundations can go deep into the ground, your standing will be solid and formidable. If the foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous do? Make your pegs strong in the ground so that when the storms, rain and floods come, you will not be swayed. The rope and the peg will provide stability. Jesus said if any one hears this words of mine and does them will be likened to be a wise man who has built his house on the rock. So, principles found in the word of Jesus are like rocks, it provides a solid base; meaning that it has the capacity to sustain and root you firmly to the ground.

So, it is important that you value the kind of knowledge you feed on, value the words you give your attention to, value the words of Christ, pay attention to the truth and do according to what you have heard. By so doing your capacity is being increased and it ultimately cumulates into relevance. So, in conclusion; pay attention to your sight/vision, your character, your principles and belief systems. This is how to step into relevance.