Leadership is a movement and not a monument. It is not position but purpose. Leaders must move from thinking in terms of power and think positive impact. It is an anomaly when leaders pass through certain spaces and the only record that remains of their existence is the name that appears on their contract of employment they once held a particular position. The moment ants start building an anthill or hauling certain matter to their colony, they leave a positive mark of their presence. As small as the ants are, the impact they make cannot be ignored.

Ants are small insects, normally wingless and with a sting but what they do only points to the fact that size doesn’t matter. Ants subsist in composite collective colonies with one or more breeding queens acting as the figurehead of the colony. When scripture makes mention of a particular animal, bird or insect, it is not done for the sake of making the scripture  more appealing but there is a deeper meaning that ought to be taken seriously. When Solomon wrote about the ants and their exploits, he wanted us to learn something from the little creatures.  There are deep rooted lessons that can be derived by a leader who desires to make a lasting impact to the constituency they are leading. For those leaders who are lazy and not fully committed to driving the cause forward, the visit to the ant can act as a wake-up call for the betterment of civilization.

A sluggard is a person who is habitually lazy and sluggish. This is the type of person who is being admonished to stop over by the ants and obtain some life lessons. Amazingly, some of the people who are lazy to the core happen to be leaders of man or they have titles but fail to live up to the titles that they have. There are consequently countless people the world over who have considerable potential but they are habitually lazy to the extent that they cannot fully maximize what has been deposited upon them. Most people are offering to humanity extremely less than what they are capable of doing.

The ant has two stomachs, the first is for its own food and the second is for others food.  The larvae are fed through the second stomach after regurgitation.  This display of selflessness best exemplifies the order and manner in which Leaders ought to live their lives.  Leadership entails living for other people.  It requires service and taking others as deserving better treatment than oneself. Every leader must move from selfishness to selflessness. They must desist from protecting their positions and quest for power and passionately execute to produce results that stand the test of time.

The world doesn’t require magic to transform it for the better, it requires leaders of steel and velvet who are bent on leaving their spaces better than they would have found them.  If everyone realizes that they don’t live only for themselves but also for others,  then things turn out to be better.  What is required is inside of us already. It is a matter of offloading what we already possess for the benefit of a brother or sister, mother or father. The very essence of progress rests with selfless pursuits.

Throughout the day and all night long, the ants are found at their act- Ever busy either constructing tunnels in their colony or gathering food.  An ant is never idle. They are not active for the sake of activity nor are they busy to be seen to be busy.  One grain of sand at a time, they fulfil their mission. The busyness is worthwhile as it produces visible results. Leadership is about worthwhile pursuits for the good of civilization. It is Action that produces results. Intentions are okay but there is nothing tangible that ever came to life through intentions alone.  It is prudent and recommended to plan but plans alone are not enough.  Many a leader is found to be busy all day long but busyness should count to business sense.

Great leaders have developed the habit of doing knowing fully well that one day, it won’t be possible to do what can be done now. They however do not merely plunge into execution. They take calculated moves as driven and motivated by the vision and set goals to support the vision.

Ants remain a source of leadership inspiration. Anyone who desires to make a lasting contribution and leave a legacy should take a leaf from the order of the ants and apply the lessons thereto.