Leaders don’t wait for others to create a path for them to follow, they strive to create a path for others to follow. An amazing leadership quality possessed by God. “He makes a way where there seems to be no way.” And when the way is crocked, He makes it straight. So, Influence  in leadership begins when you create a path that will lead to an experience that is ideal. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said; "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."  

I would like to consider a Scripture in 1 Samuel 17 verse 22 as I begin to build a background into what the Holy Spirit has inspired me to share with you. It says; “And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.” I would like you to note that word; “he ran into the army.” I am sure you would say what does this verse have to do with leadership and Influence ? But I would like you read this verse in the amplified version, perhaps it will make more sense. It says; “Then David left his provisions in the care of the supply keeper, and ran to the ranks and came and greeted his brothers.” The amplified classic version also puts it this way. It says; “he ran into the rank.” This translation substituted the word ‘army’ we saw in the NKJV for rank. I noticed that in this translation, the word rank was used repeatedly in this chapter. What is a rank? And how relevant is it to this discussion? A definition I came across defines rank as a row or line of people especially soldiers or police standing abreast of one another.

This means that in order to stand in the rank or row you have to be a recruited soldier, a worrier or a person belonging to a particular force unit. Another definition of rank I find so interesting describes it as to give someone or something a rank or place within a grading system. So, this gives us a vivid picture of what leadership should look like. It means David was neither trained professionally, nor was he recruited, nor was he a soldier. He does not belong to the rank in the real sense of it. So, according to the grading system of soldiers he was not qualified or recognized as a soldier but a shepherd boy. No wonder his brothers asked him; “With whom have you left those few sheep?” Verse 38 says; Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” Showing that he was inexperienced and untrained. But there was somewhere he was trained; it is called the back side of the wilderness, the secret place. This means that God’s criteria for choosing a leader is not dependent on human grading system.   

Moses a man who returned to Egypt with power and signs shutting down Egypt and its magicians was trained in the wilderness where it was only God that was doing the grading and determining whether he was qualified or not. What about John the Baptist? What about Jesus Christ? For 30 years He secretly prepared for an open ministry of 3 and a half years.    

So, the text we began with says; He ran into the rank. The nkjv version says he ran into the army. Was it to recruit himself? No! but to accomplish the task that was given to him by his father Jesse. No wonder his response to his brothers was that is there not a cause? What did He do when He got into the rank? To greet his brothers and to know how they are faring. This is leadership here. Those who joined the rank to fight couldn’t fight, because they were afraid, but the one who joined the rank to serve became the leader. What is the lesson to learn to learn from this? Courage and boldness. Influence  and exploits in leadership begin when you have the thoughts and the welfare of the people at heart. And you are bold to rise to the challenge when the occasion demands. He began to practice that with few sheep, until a bigger responsibility came. So, having done that, He began to preoccupy himself with the problems at hand. There is always a difference between conventional or circular training and the God kind of training. When those in the rank were dreadfully afraid, running to hide in holes the one whom God had fashioned as a warrior didn’t fret neither was he afraid. He can’t afford to let danger happen to the people, so the thief that comes not but to steal, kill and destroy could not have his way. This is the consciousness that informs Influence  that cannot be denied.

So, what is Influence ? Influence  could be described as the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or a people. It can also be described as an ability to create or form a change. This means that in order to get a people into a new experience, the leader necessarily need to affect the behavior, development, and ideologies or mindset of the people. See what David said in verse 32; “Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” This means that Influence  and leadership are inseparable. I say so because, while leadership could be seen as the process of taking a people from where they are to where they ought to be, the vehicle or channel through which that experience becomes a possibility is being carried out is boldness and courage.

While it is true that Influence  is required by the leader to change the experience of a people, an organization, a nation or a territory, it is also true that not all leaders possess this characteristic quality.  Leadership Influence  becomes a struggle firstly when there is a misconstrued idea of leadership. And what are those ideas? It is when the leader gives credence to tittle rather than responsibility, it is when leadership is thought to be about position and not about innovation or problem solving and when the leadership is taught to be about being served and not about serving others.  

Though these three seems to be similar and can be linked together, I believe each of these ideas stand independently and distinct from each other. Tittle here talks about leaders believing that there are certain names that must be attached to their name other wise they are not leaders. But the right perspective is that the responsibility you take or respond to is what actually makes you a leader. It is about you running into the rank.  So, you don’t wait until you are given certain titles before you see yourself as a leader. Leadership is not about the title of the office you occupy, it is about the number of functions you respond to as a result of the demand of that office. Secondly, leadership is thought to be a position, but unfortunately it is about the possibility you are able to create that makes you a leader. So, you don’t have to wait to be the CEO before you can become influential, Influence  begins right from where you are. It is about you running into the rank and taking responsibility. Thirdly, leadership is thought to be an opportunity to sit at the high table and be served meanwhile from Jesus’s perspective, it is about you willing to serve and not to be served. He said to His disciples I am one among you who serves. So, this article would be revealing to us three major secrets, as to how our leadership can step up into the realm of Influence  and effectiveness. The Bible in Philippians 2 verse 6 to 7 says; Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant. You have joined the rank to serve. So, having had this background, what then are the secrets of influential leaders?

The first secret of Influence  in leadership is; Don’t consider your rank or position, respond to problems with solutions. Leadership is less about position. It is about servanthood. What makes you a leader is not the position or the title you carry, leadership is more about what you can offer, what you can do and what you are willingly doing. There are three categories of leaders; those who are willing to offer themselves but hesitant because they prefer to preserve themselves, their strength and ego, those who offer themselves willingly and those who offer a part of themselves. These three categories talk about levels of commitments in leadership. And the degree to which you are committed to serving determines the degree and extent of your Influence  or impact.   

Secondly; Influential leaders possess the Capacity to Be creative. To be creative means to deploy the power of imagination or the use of imagination or original ideas to create something. What is imagination? It is the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or the ability of the mind to conceptualize or conceive abstract information and objects not present to the senses. And so, it is the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful, it talks about the ability to think, it talks about inventiveness, it talks about freshness. If you fail to be creative as a leader, there would be limit to the extent to which you can make impact or have Influence . So, inherent in the consciousness of every influential leader is the willingness to be creative and you can’t be creative if you do not have a sound mind. And a sound mind is a function of the quality of Spirit that is inside of you. Bible says for God has not given us the Spirit of fear but of love, of power and of a sound mind. So, creativity is a necessity for effectiveness and Influence . And in order to be creative, you require the following;

• Firstly; You require inspiration. And you don’t just wish to be inspired but also be an inspiration to others just as you also have been inspired. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate source of inspiration. Job 32 verse 8 says; There is a Spirit in man and the breath of the almighty that gives him understanding. So, as you gain understanding and insight into certain things you must also learn to inspire others.

• Secondly; You require positive thoughts and attitude. And the degree of positivity that exudes from you is to the degree of how much of the word of God you meditate on and the degree of diligence you have guarded your heart.  
• Thirdly; You are required to love the people you want to create change for. This is important because there is no limit to how far or to the extent love can make a leader go for the people. Just as you must have love to love a people, you ought also to have God to give God to a people. If love and God are inseparable and God is a creative being, it then means that if you can love a people, you automatically create an atmosphere that brings a change of experience. If you must be influential, you can’t love less. Hundred percent is required.  

The third and final secret of Influence , impact and effectiveness in leadership is, the ability of leaders not to hold themselves back, but to allow the flow; and this begins when the leader consciously strive to master the art and act of communication and human connection. Why do I find this so important? Because effective communication is vital in these three areas of leadership. You require effective communication to;

• Share your dreams and visions.  
• Share your imaginations and possibilities.
• To give instructions and feedbacks.

Paul J. Meyer once said; “Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.” This means that you shouldn’t be silent and you must not stay aloof. Because, your success in leadership, your effectiveness in leadership, and the extent of your leadership Influence  rises and falls on your ability to communicate and to connect with others. Communication is the ability to connect either with the use of language, gestures, and principles. And all these are geared towards having to create the change a leader desire to see in a people. And this is the area I am trusting God to help me. communication is the last secret but very important of them all because your visions, your dreams, your solutions, your ideologies and philosophies must be passed down to the people in a simple way that it would easily be understood. So, leadership is about blowing the right trumpet, it is about making the right sound, and if you as a leader makes an uncertain sound, how then would the people find direction, how would they follow? And if they fail to do any of these you simply haven’t had any Influence  on them. So, don’t consider your rank or position, respond to problems, be creative and communicate effectively don’t hold back, share visions and possibilities and your leadership will keep having Influence.   

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!