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Ever since God created the world and put man in charge of it, man has never stopped looking for ways and means to progress, especially outside of God. There was a time certain group of people decided to build a tower that would get to heaven. In Genesis 11:1-9, the Bible gave us an account of that story and this story was the genesis of the many cultures that will have across the world today. The Bible says:
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“Now the whole earth had one language and one speech…” This presupposes that the whole earth at the time was united under one voice, under one leadership, under one cause and under one goal. Verse 2-4 says: “And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
Now, if you take a look at how the world is so fragmented and divided today, it was not actually so from the beginning. In this modern-day, you find it very hard for you to see nations and people unite for a common goal and a common cause, even though we have a world body that is called United Nations, it is very difficult for you to see nations across the globe being really united. You see nations stand on the way of other nations and prevent them from making progress. United States for example wouldn’t ratify the appointment of Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from becoming the next World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General. This is what we find in our world today and it has so much to do with leadership.
Let us continue the reading. From verse 5-6 says: “But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.” Come to think of it, how do you think this present world would have look like if there is unity among nations, among cultures, among people? Do you think there will be chaos? Although, it sounds much more like an ideal situation, right?
But what this people intend to do at the time was not God’s plan for them. God wanted them to spread across the face of the earth and not remain in one place. So, from verse 7-9, the Lord said: “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”
So, what God did from that verse 7-9 was the genesis of all the cultures that we have in the world today. People with different languages spreading on the face of the earth, creating for themselves their own ways and systems that is suitable for their existence per time, and so, we have what is known as cultures in our world today.
But this is where I am going really: How can leaders across the globe lead effectively within their own sphere of influence despite changing cultures and traditions? The truth we must understand as leaders is that what works in one part of the world does not necessarily work in other parts. For example, what works in the United States of America may be less successful in Ghana, and what works for Nigeria may not necessarily work in Canada. How can leaders lead effectively within their own sphere of influence despite changing cultures and traditions?
– Lead through it. To be an effective leader, you must be able to lead through whatever cultural change that is taking place, either in your organization or in your nation. What an ineffective leader would try to do in this situation would be to try and stiffen the change. For example, in Nigeria just some weeks ago, some young Nigerians by the name #EndSARS rose up and protested against the government. It was kind of a cultural shift, but instead of the leaders of the nation to try and engage the young people, they try to disperse them using force through military means. This is not how to approach a cultural shift! But effective leaders would lead through cultural change.
Jesus met a woman in Samaria by the well of Jacob who believed Jerusalem is the ideal place to worship God. That was the custom at the time. But Jesus said to her “Now you would worship God in spirit and truth in your heart” (John 4:22-24). There was a time the people wanted to stone a woman to death because she was caught in adultery. That was what their law says and their culture supported it. But Jesus didn’t say they were wrong, He simply said to them “if you are without sin, be the first to throw the first stone.” And each one of them left the scene (John 8:7). So, any leader in this modern day should be able to lead through cultural shift and not try to ridicule or stiffen it.
– Communicate. We live in a time when leaders must communicate more than ever before. If there is anything we learn in the leadership of Jesus, it is the fact that Jesus was a master communicator. Jesus communicated something profound in this regard of cultural shift. It says in Matthew 5:17 (AMPC): “Do not think that I have come to do away with or undo the law or the prophets; I have come not to do away with or undo but to complete and fulfill them.” Whatever the laws and traditions was at the time, Jesus was still able to model that perfect example of leadership for the people at the time, by communicating it.
In summary, to be an effective leader in a constantly changing cultural world, you must be able to first and foremost, lead through that change, irrespective of where it is coming from or the magnitude, and secondly, communicate. Let your followers understand the fact that you as the leader understands what is going on and that you are able to effectively communicate with them without raising any fight against the cultural change.
I believe you have learnt something!
[Centre for New Dimension Leadership]
