What stage of leadership are you in?

Have you ever had a conversation that changed the course of your life? Years ago, I had a conversation with my leadership mentor (yes, I have several mentors). I remarked on his being appointed CEO of a financial institution at the tender age of 35 when he startled me by saying he only intended to be in that position for ten years.

He went on to say that afterwards, he intended to retire and run the company’s charitable trust for the next decade.

I was pretty impressed! In a continent where many aspire to be ‘leader for life’, here was a young leader thinking differently. Perhaps what gets so many people stuck in one position is that they don’t understand the stages of leadership.

A child’s first ten years should really be the decade of formation. At this point, the parent’s focus should not be on grades but on teaching a value system so they can make wise choices in the future. If they one day become very rich and yet don’t have a good value system, that money will destroy them.

The next 15 or so years are the season of education. By the time you graduate from university, you should have learnt how to think and reason, as well as to how to make positive friendships and manage money wisely. Sadly, our education system doesn’t prioritise on producing these three critical building blocks for future success.

Your first working decade needs to be your decade of preparation. Rather than look for the job or hustle that will make you the most money, it’s important to first figure out what you really want to invest the rest of your life doing.

Figuring out what you were uniquely gifted at and passionate about is a great place to start. What is it that you would joyfully do for free the rest of your life? Having older mentors who can speak into your life at this point is a huge advantage. Don’t be afraid to serve in someone else’s vision or company during this stage. It’s the easiest way to find mentors!

By the time you’re around 35, you should have entered the decade of production. The key emphasis here is focusing on your unique contribution and building a career or business out of it. A key difference between those who have greatly impacted the world and those who haven’t is the power of focus.

The former eliminated the many things they could do and focused on their unique contribution. As a result, they lived out their purpose and left a huge impact.

The next stage, the decade of propagation is what my mentor was looking forward to. Having created your unique solution, you move from builder to mentor and spreader of influence.

Following that comes the decade of representation where your credibility allows you to become a resource mobiliser for your vision’s successors.

 Pastor M is a leadership coach, author and senior pastor at Mavuno Church.

Photo: cpslpa.com