Office of the Chancellor

Covenant University

TOWARDS A TOTAL GRADUATE

TTG 2022

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
PRINCIPLES
(Part 1)

David Oyedepo | PhD, FNAE

Preamble
There is a place for
everyone in space.
All we need to do is to learn
how to fly a spacecraft.
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But there is much
more to flying a
spacecraft than to
flying an aircraft.
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There is more to
flying an aircraft
than to drive a car.
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One that flies a spacecraft is
called an ‘Astronaut’, while one
that flies an aircraft is called a
pilot and one that drives a
moto vehicle is called a driver
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We have billions of birds
hovering the space of the
firmament, yet the
firmament looks so empty.
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The sun has not been
shielded from shinning
by the multitudes of
the birds in the air.8
A clear illustration the
fact that there is a
place for everyone in
space. 9
Leadership Redefined
1. It’s not occupying a
position; it’s making
outstanding
contributions – Luk. 13:6-9
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2. Leadership is not
occupying a seat,
it’s accomplishing
a feat. 12
3. Great leaders are not
those with chains of
degrees, but those who
change the world – Neh.
5:14-15 13
4. Outstanding leaders are
not those with barrage of
titles, but those whose
impacts constitute footprints
on the sand of time – Heb. 6:12
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5. The real worth of a leader
is in the value he adds, the
contributions he makes, the
feats he accomplishes and
the impacts he engenders
– Deut. 34:10-12 15
6. It is not talking the
lead; it’s taking the
lead – 1 Cor. 11:1/ Phi. 3:17
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7.It is not an
appointment, but an
attainment – Heb. 11:32-34
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8. It is not in the titles
we wear, but in the
values, we bear
– Mat. 24:45-47
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9. Leadership is not
an endowment; it is
an accomplishment –
Heb. 12:1-2/ 1 Cor. 9:24-26
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10. Leadership is not
just about leading
people; it’s about taking
the lead in a given task
– Jugd. 7:17 20
11. Every player in the field of sports is a
potential star, but what each player
invests in terms of training, self-
discipline, dedication, and sacrifice
determines which player becomes a
star – Gen. 8:22/ 2 Cor. 9:6-7
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12. Leaders are readers,
and every committed
reader is a potential
leader – Dan. 9:2/ 2 Tim. 4:13
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13. Leaders are
learners, and every
committed learner is
a potential leader. 23
14. Leadership is all about
taking the lead, setting the
pace and blazing the trail
in one’s field.
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This implies, anybody
can become a leader if
he is willing to fulfill the
demands of leadership
– Mat. 20:25-28 25
 There’s a leadership seed
inside every child of God, but
we have to cultivate and
nurture it, so that it can begin
to produce fruits – Gen. 1:26
26
 This is why, how much we are
investing today in terms of
time, energy and resources in
our pursuit in life, will
determine where we stand
tomorrow – Luk. 22:28-30 27
All of the above implies
that anybody can
become a leader if he is
willing to give it what it
takes. 28
FIVE BIBLICAL STEPS TO
REALIZING OUR FULL
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIALS
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 1

Vision – Ecc. 10:10

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Without a vision is a
people made naked.
The moment one does not
know where he is going,
he is sure to get nowhere.
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The first requirement
for every potential
leader is to locate a
direction for his life.
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Until one’s field is
defined, his leadership
potential may never
have expression.
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 Lack of vision will make a
slave out of any prince.
 Lack of vision will make a
peasant out of a king.
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 Vision is the number one
step in the making of a
leader.
 Vision is at the root of
outstanding leadership.
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Leadership is tied to a well-
defined task; that is,
knowing what one is out to
do, having a clear vision for
one’s life.
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Because until one’s
task is defined, his
leadership potentials
cannot have
expression. 37
Today, we talk about a
leading entrepreneur, a
leading lawyer, a leading
academic, a leading
preacher, etc.
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Vision, in our context, is
not about having a
dream, it’s about
locating God’s dream
for one’s life.
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 2

Wisdom - Eccl. 10:15

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Wisdom is the ‘know-how’
about a given task.
But there are no finish
lines in the school of
wisdom
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As important as knowing
where one is going may
be, knowing how to get
there is far more
important.
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Knowing where one is going is
easier to discover than
learning how to get there and
to stay up there.
Learning the ‘know-how’
takes time.
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 This is why every great
leader is a great learner.
 Because It takes learning
to rise, and it takes
learning to stay up.
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For example:
 Daniel an addicted learner
remained relevant to the
government of Babylon for
sixty-five years under three
different kings – Dan. 9:2
45
Paul a most outstanding
among the Apostles in
Bible days, was a man of
books, a life-long student
of the word – 2Tim. 4:13
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T. L. Osborn once said,
‘When one stops
learning, he starts
dying’
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 Abraham Lincoln said,
‘I don’t think much of a man
who is not wiser today than
he was yesterday.’
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 Henry Ford once stated,
‘When you stop learning, you are old,
whether at twenty or at eighty; and
when you keep learning you are
young, whether at eighty or at
twenty’
Simply put, wisdom is
applied knowledge,
wisdom is not just wise
talk, it is the know-how
in one’s field 50
 And Just like knowledge is
the principal raw materials
for wisdom in the same vein,
wisdom is the principal raw
material for the making of a
leader – Pro. 8:15-16 51
This is why one may
never come across a
leader of worth who is
not a committed reader.
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Every great leader is a
committed reader, and
every committed reader
is a potential leader.
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We cannot sit down wishing to
get to the top; we must learn
how to climb our way there.
As I once noted; ‘The top is
open and free, but everyone has
to make his way there’.
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 3
Self-Discipline - Ecc. 10:16-17

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 Self-discipline can be defined as:
operating as demanded not as
convenient in the pursuit of any
given task.
 It is about investing one’s time
instead of spending or squandering
it.
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Discipline is being where
you should be at the time
you should be there, doing
what you should be doing
as demanded by your task.
57
George Washington said,
‘Discipline is the soul of an
army. It makes small numbers
formidable; it procures
success to the weak, and
esteem to all.’ 58
One may never find an
accomplished
individual in any field
who is not self-
disciplined. 59
To this end, Self-
discipline is essentially
being a law to oneself.
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 4

DILIGENCE- Eccl. 10:18

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Diligence can be defined
as a practical commitment
to the pursuit of a given
task – Pro. 14:23
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Our working knowledge
of the truth will never
be a substitute for
diligence.
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Hardwork is a must for
anyone to emerge a
leader. – Jhn. 5:17/ Jhn. 9:4
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 It’s not just grace, grace
without labour will result in
disgrace – 1 Cor. 15:10

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 Our leadership potentials
will never have expression
beyond the quality of our
engagement.
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 Where we find ourselves in
future is not a product of luck,
but a result of our quality of
labour today – Pro. 22:29

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5

SACRIFICE – Luk. 12:49-50

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Sacrifice is going the
extra mile, and paying
the extra price.
It is burning the extra
midnight oil. 69
Sacrifice is a universal
demand for the
leadership potential in
us to find expression.
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 To access the topmost
place in our field, we must
be willing to pay the
ultimate price.
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No one can ever get
out of life more than
he is willing to put
into it.
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Thank you

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