Scaling new heights in leadership has to do with understanding the dynamics of the organization and how to manage these dynamics for the benefit of the organization that is being led.  If you examine some of the best leaders leading the fastest growing organizations in the world, one thing you would discover that they have learnt in their leadership quest is how to scale new heights. For instance; what do you do when your organization must evolve by every means? What do you do when external factors are responsible for the dynamics being witnessed in the organization? These are fundamental questions that are germane to scaling new heights and effective leaders must simply know what to do at such times and instances.

Listen to Podcast: Understanding What Leaders Must Do to Scale New Heights

Let us examine the words of apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12-16. It says: “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. ¹⁶ Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.”

To scale new heights in leadership, the apostle Paul showed us a few tips in these verses of the Bible that we just read. The first thing any leader must do is to forget about his or her past glory. Past glories get one carried away if one is not careful. A leader may be tempted and get carried away by the successes of the past and therefore want to plateau. Any leader who has plateaued would find it very hard to make progress or scale new heights.

Paul also said “he pressed forward toward the goal.” Pressing forward is the hallmark of scaling new heights in leadership, irrespective of the opposition or the challenges that may be on the leader’s way. A leader must learn to press forward. I remember when the children of Israel got to the red sea and they stood still, God told Moses to move forward. No one scales new height by standing on the same spot. It takes pressing on, moving forward against every opposition and what have you that may be standing on your way to really scale new heights in leadership. See what the Bible says in that Exodus 14:15-16 concerning the children of Israel. It says: “And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. ¹⁶ But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” Did you see that? God didn’t encourage them to stand on the same spot and be crying about the problem ahead of them. God simply told them to go forward and as they obeyed, instruction came to Moses on what to do. And that was how they overcame that opposition called the red sea.

Many leaders today are complaining about why they are not scaling new heights, instead of them going forward. No matter what the challenge or opposition that you may be facing currently in your leadership, it is simply an opportunity for you to scale new heights. Every opposition on the way of a leader is an opportunity to scale new heights. Leaders don’t run away from challenges or oppositions. Leaders face opposition squarely.

The last thing Paul showed us in that place towards scaling new heights in leadership is to be of the same mind. If you read that verse 16 in The Passion Translation, it says: “and let us all advance together to reach this victory-prize, following one path with one passion.” Leaders can’t scale new heights if there is no cohesiveness and oneness of mind in the organization that they are leading. Everyone within the organization, working towards the same goal must be of the same mind, the same spirit, the same passion and must all be goal-oriented. Under no circumstances should the leader say “this is the way we are going” and the followers say “no, we are going the other way or the other direction.” When this is the case, scaling new heights would become very difficult to attain. There must be what is known as the unity of purpose.

See what Paul said again in 1 Corinthians 1:10 concerning the need to be of the same mind. It says: “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” In any environment where there is no peace and unity, there is no way any new heights would be scaled there. So, apostle Paul admonished that it is pertinent that everyone be of the same mind.

In conclusion, what must leaders do to scale new heights? We have examined three things. Number one, leaders must not plateau on their past glories, number two, leaders must press forward towards attaining the goals, irrespective of the oppositions or challenges that may come their way; number three, both the leader and his team must be of the same mind. There must not be dissension or disunity that would warrant everyone doing their own thing all by themselves. Everyone must be on the same page. I believe you have learnt something on this week’s edition of Leaderview.

This is where we are going to draw the curtains today and please don’t forget to share this podcast with your friends and also drop your comments so that we can get to interact with ourselves. Till next time on Leaderview, I remain your regular host, Abiola Obayomi. God bless you.

[Centre for New Dimension Leadership]