http://righteousoaksblog.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/samantha-waki-the-lead-consultant/

Righteous Oaks Consultants, 4th Floor Westcom Point, Mahiga Mairu Road, Nairobi (2026)

31/12/2020

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
John 14:2

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greater
/ɡreɪt/ of ability, quality, or eminence considerably above average.; remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness; markedly superior in character or quality

26/12/2020

Under His Authority

authority
/ɔːˈθɒrɪti/ power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior; freedom granted by one in authority; a person or organization having political or administrative power and control.

Jesus left us with a cryptic statement when He left the earth. Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12) Before He walked the earth there had been no man who was greater. And as He leaves He tells that we will be greater still. "Because I am going to the Father."

During His life on earth Jesus did what He saw the Father do. The works that He did were the works of His Father working through Him. The works of a Son working in full and complete obedience and submission to the One who sent Him. His great authority on earth came from His willingness to acknowledge the power and authority of the One who was in heaven. The One who is the source of all power and authority.

The bible tell us that all authority is God given. All authorities that exist are established by God. It is from this understanding that we tap into our own God given authority. There is no power and authority in rebellion. Only in submission to the authority of He who is greater. Setting aside our own claims to fame and relinquishing them in favour of He who is greater.

"Because I am going to the Father." Hidden in these words was the true source of our power. In going to the Father Jesus takes His seat of authority and uses it to stand in intercession for us. To draw us closer to Him and closer to the Father. There is no authority in rebellion. Only in the daily submission to the One upon whom all authority rests.

Leaders lay down their crowns in favour of the One who rules over it all.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

23/12/2020

True Greatness

greatness
/ˈɡreɪtnəs/ the quality or state of being important, notable, or distinguished; eminence or distinction

Who is the greatest? A dispute rose among the disciples of Jesus as they shared the meal which is described as the Last Supper. After they had broken bread together and drank from the same cup. You would think that after this show of unity their conversation would be about something else.

Who is the greatest? It was a strange question coming from that company of friends. But not too strange if we take time to think of them as people just like us. Greatness is something that we all aspire to, compete for and define our worth by. We are taught that it is a good thing to show strength. And more than one individual has even gone ahead as to describe themselves as The Greatest. From Muhammed Ali to Kanye West men have sought to own the title of the G.O.A.T.

Who is the greatest? A strange argument that brought about an even stranger answer from the One they looked up to as their leader. “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves." Luke 22:25-26

Love based leadership as an act of service requires a different perspective from the one in the world around us. It is about being a net giver rather than a net receiver. From this posture of service, greatness becomes not just a title that you give yourself, but a manifestation. The fruit of a life lived in service. The result of a multitude of choices to love, to give, to honour, to serve.

In this posture of leadership greatness is no longer a title to claim. It is seen, felt and understood by those who have reaped its fruit.

Love serves.

For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the One who serves.
Luke 22:27

17/12/2020

Strength for the Weak

least
/liːst/ smallest in amount, extent, or significance; lowest in importance or position; smallest in size or degree

We all have to admit that even if we may be limited in various degrees few of us can honestly say that we are the least. We all have something to give. Leadership is a function of the strong giving of themselves to support the weak. Leaders acknowledge that they have something to give by their presence which will benefit those who are weaker. Those who are not able to do it for themselves.

And those who are led, choose to follow because they know that the leader is going to use his or her strength to alleviate their weakness. And yet, sadly, this is not always the case. Fear-based leadership often preys on the weak. Those who are weak are seen as fodder to feed the plans of the leader at best or pitiful victims of circumstance to be set aside and rejected. Fear-based leadership focuses on taking from the weak to feed themselves.

Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. (Ezekiel 34:2-4)

As novel as it seems, this form of fear-based leadership has been around for generations. And yet leaders do not seem to be able to do any better. One generation teaches it to the next. Those who endure it and survive impart the same burden on those who are entrusted to them for guidance and protection. Love-based leadership seeks to address this gap. But it is always an inside job. Drawing strength to love the unlovable, starting with the unlovable aspects of ourselves and of our communities. The least of these.

True leadership comes from the confidence and assurance that the leader has something to give. A vision for the future, hope, guidance, direction. Light in the darkness. To be able to share this as a leader you must first find it in yourself.

Leaders have something to give.

And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
Matt 25:40

15/12/2020

Our Limitations Are Not the End

grace
/ɡreɪs/ unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. : a virtue coming from God. : a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance.

One of the reasons we prefer not to face our limitations is the sense of hopeless that comes from admitting that we don't always have everything figured out. And yet one of the things that characterise righteous leadership is falling and getting up again. This is the process of learning. This is the process of refinement. The righteous man falls seven times and rises up again, but the wicked stumble in the face of calamity. (Prov 24:16)

The key reason our limitations need not be so frightening is because they are not the end of the story. Knowing that we are limited allows us to reach out for the unlimited. The unlimited help that is available for us in our time of need. Love-based leadership is not about perfection but about being perfected in love by One who is perfect in every way. Our limited humanity meeting the unlimited power of His grace.

Those who are daily recipients of grace also become daily givers of grace. And herein is the miracle. Limited human beings achieving the impossible because they have access daily to help that meets them at their every point of need.

In love-based leadership, leaders know that they are recipients of grace and are therefore quick to extend it. Knowing where their true power comes from allows them to go beyond their limited sources of power to the unlimited source of grace.

Leaders give and receive God's divine grace.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Heb 4:16

14/12/2020

Fear as a Boundary

'boundary
/ˈbaʊnd(ə)ri/ a line which marks the limits of an area; a dividing line; a point or limit that indicates where two things become different.

A lot of teaching on leadership talks about living a life with no limits. And yet the real and practical work of leadership; creating, building, impacting, guiding and fundraising makes you very aware of your limits. Leaders who think they are unlimited just do not know themselves very well. Or if they are honest are not portraying an accurate picture of what true leadership means.

In fear-based leadership people are treated as pawns. The goal or the vision of the project consumes the leader and the people working on it are expendable. When they drop out because of burnout or are let go because of their failure to achieve the goals set for them, we just get new ones. We don't question the process. We question the person. We don't reject the concepts that are not serving us. We reject the people.

Jesus worked with those rejects to create something beautiful. He challenged the system that used and rejected them and introduced a model of leading with greater love than fear. Love based leadership is not afraid of limits, but it also does not work without limits. Fear rather that being the fuel that drives the vision is instead the boundary that shows us how far we are to go.

The bible adjures us not to fear those who want to kill our bodies but cannot touch our souls. Only God is to be feared who can destroy both body and soul in hell. (Matt 10:28) Limitless leadership driven by fear of men has disastrous effects in any context. And yet many modern day leaders find themselves adapting elements of this type of leadership into their daily lives. This is not God’s way.

Leaders know their limits. And honour them.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.I will bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my conscience instructs me.

Psalm 16:5-7

11/12/2020

Conquering Fear

fear
/fɪə/ a feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, etc.; timidity; dread; terror; fright

Fear is a powerful motivator. We may not know it, or be willing to admit it, but for many leaders, fear is a constant companion. It is the reason we get up early in the morning. It is the reason we stay up late at night working on a document or a proposal. It is the reason we think up strategies to grow our business, to get out of debt. Fear is our constant companion.

Fear however also has a powerful crippling effect. Many of us who have experienced depression or anxiety attacks know exactly what I mean. Fear has the power to take over our thoughts and paint frightful scenarios of our future that cause us to give up our hope for living. Fear takes a hold of our imagination and feeds our paranoia, we see enemies everywhere and failure looms in the distance. The same emotion. The same fear.

The positive effects of fear can quickly slip into the negative without our being aware of it. And so this fear that was our tool can quickly become a weapon trained against us. I am learning that difference is not what we choose to fear, but whom. The bible tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Fear in its rightful place, directed at the right person has an edifying effect.

Fear of the LORD means acknowledging God, putting Him in His rightful place and giving Him the reverence and honour that He deserves. However, this is not so much an act of fear, as an act of love. Because we love Him and understand His love for us, then we choose to revere Him. Because we know He loves us then we choose to honour and obey Him.

The fear of God is our acceptance that He is greater, that He is mightier, that He is all powerful and that He and only He desires nothing but the best for us, and for those He has appointed us to lead. And because we know this, we choose to willing serve Him and live according to His ways. Resting on His promises and trusting in His plan.

Leaders know whom to fear.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, in this I will be confident.
Psalm 127:1-3

08/12/2020

The Fruits of Peace

harvest
/ˈhɑːvɪst/ the process or period of gathering in crops; the season when the crop is ripe

The word peace is mentioned 429 times in the bible. The word war is mentioned 225 times. The Hebrew word translated as peace is shalom. It does not just mean peace as the absence of war, but also harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity and welfare. While the word war brings about pain and destruction, even to the winning side. The word peace yields a bountiful harvest. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:8)

And yet with all the good press peace receives many of us knowingly and unknowingly still choose the path of war; and reap the fruits thereof. The bitter fruits of war are deemed as inevitable. The price of doing business. Broken relationships. Broken friendships. Broken families. Broken promises. Casualties in the path for dominance. And still we teach leaders to war.

I cannot remember when I started fighting but I can tell you why I stopped. War is not sustainable. And the same weapons that we used to direct outwards at others as we wage our war, we inevitably find turned against ourselves in moments of trial and weakness. War does not discriminate. The same weapons we use to attack others we also use against ourselves.

Leaders who choose the path of love are tired of reaping the fruits of war. Often this change comes towards the end of their lives when they have no more strength to give. However the impact of their warpath can still be felt and often cannot be undone. At the end of their lives leaders do not regret the times that they failed to fight but the times they failed to make peace.

Love based leadership chooses the path of peace. And bring in a harvest of righteousness.

He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
Isaiah 2:4

06/12/2020

The Discipline of Celebration

celebration
/sɛlɪˈbreɪʃ(ə)n/ an act or event designed to commemorate something or make something special and enjoyable.

Ever been to a playground full of children? There is such vibrance and energy. And for those who were blessed to have a happy childhood, we can remember moments like these in our own lives. When we were just like them; loud, joyful and completely lost in the moment in the midst of our play. Those memories bring a smile to our faces and fill our hearts with joy.

As we get older, however, we forget to play. Adulting is serious business and leadership even more so. Mistakes have consequences. Serious consequences and deep losses that slowly diminish our capacity for joy. And it is not always our mistakes. Many of us are left scarred by the mistakes and choices of others.

While children are known for their joy, which they practice every minute that they get the chance. Leaders are known for their stress. And in a fear-based leadership environment stress comes with the territory. Rather than practice joy as we did as children, we practice worry, and fear, and manipulation looking for ways to get ahead or just simply get by.

Joy is intentional. Joy is a practice. And most importantly in love based leadership, joy is the source of your strength. But often the joy we experience as leaders is fleeting. As soon as you overcome one challenge, the next beckons. As soon as you pay one bill, the next one shows up. Leaders can find themselves unwitting signing up for a joyless existence as they allow the sense of foreboding gloom to rob them of the daily reasons they have to celebrate.

Joy is intentional. It is a discipline and a practice which, put in place in our lives, increases our capacity to enjoy the challenges and the wins that we encounter every day. And also gives us the strength to face another day.

Leaders practice joy

Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our LORD. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10

04/12/2020

Choose Your War

consolation
/ˌkɒnsəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ the comfort received by a person after a loss or disappointment; a person or thing providing consolation.

If you are doing it right, leadership feels like you're constantly at war. You are at war with yourself, as you grapple with your limitations as a leader. You are at war with the forces that seem to oppose you and you are at war with those that you seek to lead as you seek to impact them and influence them to move towards the vision.

When leaders settle for the fear-based route it is not for lack of trying to do it some other way. Many great leaders have become disillusioned along the way. Opting to make small concessions for the sake of peace. Choosing their battles, saving their energy for the things that matter the most to them.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? (James 4:1). The bible takes a different perspective when addressing the conflicts that arise around us as leaders. Their root is not outside of us but within. From desires that battle within us. Every leader has faced those moments that bring that inner battle to light. When you discover inner conflicts and emotions that threaten to overwhelm you.

Often it is easier to lash out. To find some helpless person or situation to suffer your wrath. It's easier to be angrier with the government, an incompetent staff member, a bad review. It is easier to apportion blame. However all these offer fleeting consolation. In our silent moments of reflection we know where the true battle is.

True consolation is a Person. Leaders who learn to face themselves when they are challenged and to draw strength from a Higher Power are able to tap into that power within themselves. It begins with a choice. We all get to choose our war. Will you choose fight the obscure "them" or will you retreat and still the battle within.

Leaders know when to get help. And they know where to find it.

When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
Your unfailing love, LORD, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
Your consolation brought me joy.
Psalm 94:18 -19

02/12/2020

Re-evaluating Conflict

keeper
/ˈkiːpə/ a person who manages or looks after something or someone; a protector

Leaders protect others. And sometimes this means protecting others from yourself.

This has been a difficult lesson for me to learn. The qualities that others celebrated in me as a leader were also the same qualities that caused others pain. Society looks for leaders who are driven, who are passionate and who are able to impose their will on others. Able to influence them to do what the leader thinks is right.

But as I evaluated the past few years I discovered that leadership involved one key role, which was absent in the leaders I served. The need to protect me from their personal failings and weaknesses. And it hurt me enough to open my own eyes to the way that I was doing the same thing to those who looked up to me for leadership.

The good news is everyone has failings. And being able to see my own failings allowed me to be more compassionate about the failings of others. The beauty is that what is my strength may be another's weakness, and my weaknesses may be another's strength. Leaders are not forged in isolation. Leaders are forged in community.

In fear based environments we seek to conceal our failings. In love based leadership we seek to learn from them. By being intentional and evaluating my performance, and being vulnerable to others with more experience in leading with greater love than fear, I have found strength in confronting my weakness.

Conflicts arise when no-one is willing to accept responsibility for their actions. Leaders need to protect others from themselves. Instead we take firm positions against one other. And we weaken ourselves in the process, diminishing our impact as leaders.

As we learn to deal with the barriers to true unity and community within ourselves we can draw strength from each other. We can understand that we are our brother's keeper.

Leadership is forged in community.

What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you? You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.
James 4:1-3

01/12/2020

The Principal Thing

wisdom
/ˈwɪzdəm/ the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement; the quality of being wise; the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight

They say wisdom comes with age. Maybe it did. Once. When knowledge and information was the preserve of those who had lived longer. In the information age, information that was once held by a select few is now available at the touch of a button. But it is arguable though if the proliferation of information has made us wiser.

The bible tells us that wisdom begins with the fear of the LORD. The wisest man in the bible puts it this way. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding. (Prov 4:7) The principal thing. While I might have scoffed at this statement in my younger years the older I get the more I see this to be true. Get wisdom. Get understanding. Wisdom is the principal thing.

Wisdom is my quiet strength. It allows me to venture into impossible situations knowing that I will come out on the other side. Wisdom gives my voice power. It allows me to look challenges in the eye, wisdom guides my steps and keeps me from slipping. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! Prov 16:16

Wisdom is a lifestyle. It begins with the understanding that there is One who gives wisdom to those who seek it. It is choosing to believe that there is a better way and living as if this were true. It is walking away from destructive patterns, destructive habits and destructive friends. It may begin as a lonely walk, but eventually you find others walking beside you. The essence of wisdom attracts favour. Wisdom invites true friendship and lights up the path to a hope-filled future.

Leaders pursue wisdom and choose to walk in it.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.
James 3:13-18

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