Leadership remains the greatest need in business, social, political and spiritual settings. Right through the ages, there has been a continuous search for leaders who effectively represent those that they lead in a selfless manner. Unfortunately, year in year out, disasters of leadership continue to emerge. Books have been written, presentations made and universities built to address this important subject but something continues to elude us. Before one can think of posotions, power, possessions and prestige associated with leadership, self introspection must happen. Without looking at leadership from an inside out perspective, the challenges bedeviling the world will continue to escalate instead of subside. In this leadership masterpiece, the leader points on how anyone aspiring to a position of authority in any field must deal with the biggest follow so difficult to lead- self. Once the self is mastered, nothing else is as difficult.

The author argues that many people are appointed to leadership positions from a totally wrong reasoning altogether, with the resultant effect of the corporate, political and spiritual disasters that we continue to experience. The biblical concept of dominion doesn’t start when someone is assigned a leadership position. Instead, dominion is a function of being on earth. It comes down to influencing one’s space in a positive manner. It is about turning the jungle you find yourself into a garden. If you cannot convert the bundu into an orchard, there is no position you assume that will make you an effective leader.

Leadership goes beyond positions and power in as much as many get into leadership for these. Leadership effectiveness is not even dependent on one’s age- what does one’s number of years on earth have to do with leadership? We have a mistaken notion that those who have high powered qualifications will automatically become great leaders. The results on the ground point otherwise as one moment of leadership madness after another comes from people that the world thinks are informed. It baffles the mind to assume that leadership effectiveness depends on one’s gender or skin colour. The worst one is the thinking that when one assumes certain power, then they will be leaders. In political circles, someone who has just been voted into a leadership position automatically becomes an honourable someone but the question that remains is; what is so honourable about someone who has been voted into office? There are many who have a lot of power bestowed upon them but have gone to make total disasters as leaders. These somehow substantiate the saying that the higher a baboon goes up a tree, the more he exposes his not so pleasant behind.

Anyone who assumes a leadership role but lacking the discipline to lead their own life will be a disaster in the making, sooner or later. Leaders are developed from inside out, not instantaneously but through a lifelong process of self discovery driven by the quest to add value to the world in a selfless manner. A commitment to self discovery, self discipline, sacrifice and a quest towards significance contributes to leadership effectiveness.

A man without an organized life cannot effectively lead an institution. Anyone whose personal life is disjointed cannot lead a country, a church or a community. It doesn’t matter how educated, anointed, talented or connected that person might be, the fact that the self is in disarray is a pointer to the disaster brewing for whatever institution they will preside over.

From the Biblical narrative of creation, Adam was made a leader before he was joined in the garden by Eve. The man was appointed to leadership of his own life before anyone else came aboard. Leadership is therefore an inside out agenda where you must get it right at home before you export it. Self Leadership is a book that explores the different means and ways that one can apply as they develop themselves in leadership from Survival to Significance. We are not on earth for mere survival. Instead, each one has a mandate to add value to the betterment of the human spirit. At the end of one’s earthly pilgrimage, a track record of value addition must be seen that remains as a remembrance of what one would have done on earth.