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Are You A F.A.S.T Leader?
“Too many leaders are like travel agents. They are sending people to places they’ve never been” – John C. Maxwell

The mechanism of the entire universe cannot be complete without leadership. It is applicable in
virtually all jurisdictions; Schools, organisations, family, etc. On a lighter mood, even the animal
kingdom has a form of hierarchy.
At creation, God gave man the commandment to rule and dominate. This shows that there is an innate character of leadership in every man that needs to be harnessed.
When it comes to leadership, John Maxwell is a really an authority and I follow him hard. I have
learnt a lot from Him and still learning.




For the past 10 years of my life, I have occupied several leadership position; house reps, class reps, youth coordinator etc. But the most interesting part started four years ago. That’s was when I
understood real leadership.

Keyword – Leadership is not about position but about responsibility.

About 3 years ago in school (Lagos State University), I was appointed the publicity secretary and the
next year I was elected president of the school’s fellowship (Lasu Christian fellowship).

Presently, I’m serving as the ex-officio.
During this period, I learnt many things that someone summarized in the acronym “F.A.S.T”

Thus, every leader must be;

Faithful
This is a very fundamental attribute of a leader. How faithful you are will determine how faithful people will be to you. If not for anything, it is written in the bible that “it is required of stewards that a man is found faithful”.
For a while, I worked with this principle unconsciously because I have the natural inclination to always be honest in whatever I’m being given to do. I didn’t know that people were watching me
from a far. My being faithful in little things earned me some respect that made people follow me. I ask someone to do something and they do it right away.
A faithful leader will often times get the “what can I do for you?” question. Though, there are few exceptions where people ask with a wrong motive.
I realized that once you are faithful, God takes you from one level of leadership to another. You can’t hide, no matter how hard you try. Are you faithful in those seemingly little things God has placed in hands? Do you say things confidently in public and do otherwise?


Available
What makes you a leader is your availability for service. I’m not referring to availability to do your
job but how much of yourself you can give to your followers.
I learnt this one the hard way. I use to keep to myself a lot. I saw no importance in checking up on people.
It’s not about getting the job done but about influencing others to get the job done with you. It’s important to commit yourself to your followers. When a good relationship is established, you will find your leadership easier.


Sacrificial
There are some things that you will need to sacrifice in other to meet up with leading people effectively. These things are peculiar to different persons. I was a hard core introvert. Imagine a pastor of a campus fellowship that talked to nobody. It took me time to crack up. Though, I’m still cracking.
I had to let go of some of my introvert nature that will not allow effective leadership. I had to let go of being too serious all the time. These brought people closer to me and I had the opportunity to influence them with the right words.
Find that attitude that works against you as a leader and get rid of it.


Teachable
Naturally, no boss wants to be told what to do. That’s the point. You are not to act bossy but be a leader.
There is a lot of learning to do than teaching as a leader. You must be able to observe your followers. Ask questions from them. If you've built a good relationship with them, some will be honest with you. When you are being corrected, let it go in. Don’t reject it.
There are those moments when we allow our ego level to rise. It’s humanly normal but allowing it to
cloud our judgments and the leading of the Holy Spirit will only lead us to a dead end.


I could write a long epistle of my leadership experience but I would like you to use this little I've
given to examine yourself.

As a head of department, are you F.A.S.T?

As a father/mother, are you F.A.S.T with or to your children?

The truth is that if you have not mastered the above, you will not get it from anyone. They may
follow you reluctantly but you will never get the best out of them. Whatever a man sows, he shall
reap.

P.S. I recommend this video by John C. Maxwell- the 5 levels of leadership (https://youtu.be/aPwXeg8ThWI).

Written by:

Abraham Ologundudu

www.seasonedlifejournal.com