Beginning with leadership, we’ve had lots of people lead various nations from day to day. If some nations were to be humans, they would have passed retirement age, yet, they are still considered to be developing rather than developed. It is pitiable for someone heading towards retirement to have virtually not much to show for a lifetime career.

Why have we had leadership issues up till now? The simple answer is that most of the people that have led us never really knew the reason for leading; they had no purpose for the nation; they were never purpose driven. Any purpose-driven leader always has a positive intention for the led. Those who are not purpose-driven can’t even recite their manifestoes except by reading them from printed papers.

If a leader cannot at a go say what he’s determined to do for a nation and her people, he seriously, doesn’t want to do anything. When a man without purpose gets to a place of enormous resources, he becomes confused what to do with the money. If he hasn’t got a plan, the next thing he does is to embezzle. To a man of purpose, no resources are too much because there’s always a developmental plan ahead of incoming funds. Leadership can only get better when there are purpose driven people in power.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to visit the websites of some book distribution companies in Africa, as I had the intention of selling some of my books at home. To my dismay, many haven’t got websites, and the few that had, only a small percentage of them were accessible. So, I decided to call; luckily for me, three of the companies picked up their calls. I told them my intention, and they all gave me email addresses to write to them. Among the three I emailed, only one that was an American owned organisation responded. This indifferent attitude to someone who was bringing business for them to do shocked me. I began to wonder if they have visionary mindsets, because anyone or organisation with a visionary mindset will be purpose driven. It’s so easy for someone to blame the government for their misdemeanour but most people hardly look at the private sector to x-ray their performances and responses. Everything written or aired by most media is politically inclined; everyone is telling you what should and shouldn’t be done, but no one is telling you how to do it. If our businesses and enterprises must do well, we must be purpose-driven; otherwise, in decades to come, if care isn’t taken, we will be overtaken by those that were far behind us. Our entrepreneurial mindsets must change for good, if we must get there. The world is heading there, but are we among those moving towards that destination of excellence? We can’t reach it with our present mentality; we’ve got to wake up and smell the coffee because it is day break.

In families, education, social life, careers and professions, etc, there is the need to be purpose-driven. Why should a student study a discipline that has no bearing with his life? Why should courses unconnected with a discipline form part of the curriculum? It is simply a waste of time and energy! No one can call for focus when there is no purpose. Anything unconnected with purpose causes distractions. Many times, our children have been distracted from their callings because parents wanted them to become what in their nature, is unbecomable. When they try to become what they shouldn’t become, they end up wearing another person’s image. You can only be best in your own image; you can only be creative in your own image. Anything you make in another man’s image belongs to the image owner; you’ll just be a counterfeit. If your purpose is to be a teacher, please be a teacher, and make the most of it. If you want to be an outstanding teacher, know your subject very well and write an excellent book on it, and see if you won’t make millions more than those in oil companies. Never try to be them; be you. You are a purpose; you are an aim; you were made to be an intention; you are a reason for the existence of the world. Focus on your purpose, and you’ll make it. Stand up, and be purpose-driven.

•SUCCESS FACTOR appears fortnightly on Wednesdays. The Columnist, Kenneth Nkemnacho, is a popular London-based motivational writer and YAHOO Contributor. He can be reached via kenneth@kennethvisionmedia.com or publisher@newsexpressngr.com

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