On Life 46 – The Leader and Making the Impossible – October 4, 2014

   “Leaders are not just born, they are made,” say people. During man’s lifetime, he sometimes plays the leader, or follows others’ lead. Yet, in both cases, you have learn and train yourself on leadership: for one day you will become a leader who is capable of influencing others.

   Remember, a leader starts with his own potential which he grows and develops. It is said, “Start with the necessary, then go turn to the possible. Suddenly, you will make the impossible.” So, never ask a person what he cannot make right now: for when he does his best and utilizes his potential fully, he will be more capable to give. In effect, you can help yourself and others grow. Indeed, trying to do more than you can is like overburdening yourself with things which will, eventually, fall off from your shoulder, and so will you.

   Among the most important elements of leadership is refusing the idea of failure and impossible. It is said that when Napoleon was asked how he inspires his soldiers with confidence, he answered, saying, “I’d answer three thing: to whoever says he can’t, I’d say, ‘Try’; to whoever says he doesn’t know, I’d say, ‘Learn’; to whoever says, he it’s impossible, I’d say, ‘Experiment”. Thus, learning and training are essential elements in making leaders. Learn a lot and train yourself a lot, patiently, on what you learn that you might excel at it. Do not fear difficulty. It is said, “The best routes might be the most difficult ones; but you have to train yourself on them and pursue them: for this will make them look easy.” Then, look beyond what you have learnt to achieve excellence. Einstein says, “Try to be a significant.”

   Once upon a time, forty-five millionaires worked for a successful leader, which surprised many people.

   One day, a journalist asked him, “How did you convince all those rich people to work for you?” He answered, “When they started working at my company, they weren’t millionaires. Bringing the best out of people is like mining gold. When you look for it, you have to delve deep, clear up the outside dusty crust, then mud, and continue until you find gold. I do the same with my staff. I keep digging until I find the gold within them!”

General Bishop

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center