“Action speaks louder than voice”, a popular saying that is known to everyone.
In between our action and our voice is a chord of discipline that binds them both: our thoughts. Our actions often come as a result of what we have thought about in our mind. No wonder the saying goes that “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.
The fact remains that our actions are connected to our thoughts. And our thought process is a sum total of our lives. We have the ability to make our lives count only if we choose to. Everyone created “was not given a spirit of timidity, but one of power, love, and self-discipline.” We all have self-control in us.
Most great men who have made a remarkable impact over time have been traced to have self-discipline in them. Men are called by nature to go further in service to family, community; co-operate environment and the world at large and thus have been saddled with heavy role of leadership. Such a task amongst other qualities requires faithfulness and self-discipline.
Leadership according to Dr. John R. Mott, “is the ability to furnish a real lead.” It is an art; it forges the man into limitless dimensions where his art is refined as a culture. True leadership is investing one’s life in guiding a group towards worthy ideals and accomplishments, which usually comes when leaders are disciplined and ready to serve.
What this means for leaders is that their leadership must be of superior knowledge, skilled in techniques of impacting, so that just like gravitation, silently the power is felt but the source of the power is unseen. If you will agree with me, having superior knowledge of different techniques of impacting, alongside other qualities, comes with discipline. So, let us look at of discipline and its effect on leadership.
What is discipline?
Discipline is defined as a system of rules of conduct or method of practice. It can also be referred to as the trait of being well behaved or training to improve strength or self-control. When man was created, the plan was to make him have dominion over all things, but dominion also comes with discipline and not by coincidence as many would think.
We can therefore say that a call to a disciplined life is a call to leadership. Lack of discipline in leadership is a challenge today and also the reason why most men are not taking their place in the sphere of dominion.
Impact of discipline on leadership
It is important to be disciplined as a man, if you want your leadership to be effective and if you want to have full dominion as it was planned from the beginning of creation. There are traits or characteristics of a disciplined person, some of which include:
Patience: An old fisherman Simon Peter said “And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.” Leaders who made the greatest impact are those who were patient enough in the discipleship of their followers whether in their family, social circle on in the corporate world. They have patience, believing in their followers despite their flaws, correcting them in love so that their work can be perfected in them.
Labour and time conscious: The labour of today is the fruit of tomorrow’s enjoyment. Disciplined people are those that are very conscious of their today. They know that the time we make use of today is what guarantees us a great and lasting legacy. They obey the law that says “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow faint.”
Vigilance: Most disciplined people are vigilant, they can easily tell what changes have been made, or what changes is about to be made in every process. They don’t just flow with the tide; they are directed by knowledge and the consciousness of their instinct.
The character of a disciplined life can be developed by anyone one who has decided to distinguish himself and also leave a lasting legacy as a leader. Here are some simple steps to build the act of self discipline:
Your life must be effective: A life without effect or impact on others is a life that will not leave a meaningful legacy. To make your life effective, you must make a conscious effort to affect the lives of others positively. Through mentoring or actively playing roles that will transform the lives of your followers for good.
Constant investment in yourself: As I said earlier that leaders are usually equipped with knowledge, and knowledge can only come when you are involved in personal development. You can’t give what you don’t have. Personal development could be daily, monthly, or attending seminars and workshops to equip yourself with skills that are relevant to your role as a father, an entrepreneur or whatever position you have been called to lead.
Have a set of rules: You have to be guided by a set of rules, and these rules must also be connected to your convictions; it must be of positive moral values as it relates to the norms and culture of the society. You are supposed to have a set of rules that will guide you on how you use your finances, how you lead as the man in the family or as a leader in your organisation. These rules are checks that help guide human behaviours and alert them when they tend to miss the mark or probably act wrongly.
Always have a consciousness of your call: A consciousness of your call will also help to align your decisions and remind you what is of outmost importance. A consciousness of what we have been created for will always inform our decisions. And that consciousness can only come when we draw close to our creator. I bid you to draw close to your creator today and you will see him help you live a life of discipline, and also fulfill the desires of you heart.
Leadership is found in this saying of Socrates “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear.”
