There’s no questioning the fact that leadership can only thrive on influence.

For a leader to impact anyone following, they must exercise some influence over such people.

The greater the influence a leader commands, the easier it will be to influence the follower, and the stronger the impact will be.

That’s why it is stated clearly in the Scriptures that if you receive a prophet (leader) as a prophet (leader), you will receive what the leader has to offer.

To receive a leader as one is to give the leader permission to influence you.

No leader can influence you or anyone without your direct (or indirect) permission.

Just in case you didn’t realize it, that’s the extent of the leader’s power over you.

The follower who receives the leader makes the leader relevant.

True leaders are aware of their limitations.

They know that they require the cooperation of their followers to make any impact.

Leaders who don’t ‘know their onions’ want to force their followers to submit and commit to them.

It doesn’t work that way. No amount of power or authority can put a leader in the place to influence any follower!

That’s why the ‘greatest’ heart cry of a true leader to every follower is (and should be), ‘Give me your heart!’

Solomon understood that and expressed it in Proverbs 23:26.

To ‘give your heart’ to a leader is to surrender it in faith, positioning yourself to embrace every word the leader is willing to deposit therein.

To ‘give your heart’ to a leader, you have to make perhaps the most important decision in your life.

Why is that the case?

You are giving away your most prized asset!

All that you are and the outcomes you will experience in life are determined by the state of your heart.

Yet, the leader is asking to take full control of that asset!

Therefore, whoever you surrender your heart to has received a license to shape you into whoever they desire.

They have secured the license to influence you however they desire.

So, you willingly gave your life over to your leader in that case.

And you had better be happy with whatever they make you into.

When you give your heart to a leader, please don’t go to bed. Ensure that you pay attention to the leader’s words just in case the access you have given needs to be revoked.

Your heart is the gateway to your life.

Whoever captures it has captured you, and taken the driver’s seat of your journey to destiny fulfillment.

Certainly, your future will be shaped by that person.

It’s that serious and it explains why Solomon counseled that we must guard our hearts with ALL DILIGENCE!

So, the way it is, we cannot benefit from a leader without giving our heart and we must be careful whom we give our heart to.

We need the leader’s influence to shape our lives but we must be careful which leader we open ourselves up to.

If leadership was just about influence, this dilemma would not arise.

When Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” He was seeking influence with every person He called.

“Follow me” in that phrase was another way of asking for the follower’s heart.

He asked for full commitment from each follower - unhindered, top-priority access to the follower’s heart.

He also knew that He could not make the impact required of His leadership without having the highest quality of influence - full access to their heart.

But His request wasn’t without a premise.

He had to answer the question, “Why did he want access?”

To what end was He going to use the access given?

In essence, He had to make His purpose clear.

If any follower was to let go of their ‘heart,’ they had to be sure of what He was going to shape them into.

In His case, He promised to use the access to transform them into “fishers of men.”

He justified the influence He requested by stating His purpose.

Everyone who made up their mind to follow Him knew what they were getting themselves into.

Against the backdrop of the foregoing, therefore, it is an act of irresponsibility for a leader to seek influence without laying out the purpose to which that privilege will be applied.

Never trust such a leader. Never!

Leadership is a huge responsibility.

The leader takes responsibility for the future of every follower at some point in their relationship.

If the leader is given ‘access,’ it means the follower is depending on the leader to make the best use of the ‘privilege’ in the interest of both parties.

Every leader must understand what it means to be saddled with shaping the future of the follower.

Access to the heart is a privilege extended to the leader by the follower, and it must be responsibly utilized.

If a leader is not capable, it is better to stay away from embracing the responsibility.

You must know what to do with the heart you are given.

You must know what ‘ways’ you will direct the heart of the follower to observe.

They must be the ways that lead the follower to a higher quality of life.

Notice that when Solomon requested the heart of his son, he then said, “And let your eyes observe my ways.”

What ‘ways’ do you intend to show the follower who commits her heart into your hands?

That should preoccupy the mind of the leader more than the desire for influence.

When talking about a leader’s influence, it should be noted as a means to an end. The real deal is what the leader intends to do with the influence being sought.

A True leader will place greater emphasis on the purpose and promise of their leadership instead of seeing leadership as just access to influence.

Leaders must always focus on what’s-in-it for the follower.

END.

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