Good day everyone, my name is Gboyega Adedeji and I welcome you to this week's edition of Leaderview. How has your week been, I hope it has been great? We bless God for that. I am so glad to connect with you in Leaderview today. I hope your week has been great and I hope your leadership has been effective. Today, we will be continuing with our Leadership Trip to Genesis by considering Genesis chapter 41. Last week, we had a brief break as we were taking through another theme. Today we will continue from where we stopped on two previous editions of Leaderview by considering Genesis chapter 41.
Listen to MP3 Podcast: THE SIX STEPS OF INFLUENCE – HOW TO NAVIGATE THE TERRAINS OF LEADERSHIP
We want to look at something that is very exciting, it is something that I love to talk about and learn about. It is called Influence! Today, we want to look at The Six Steps of Influence. We want to see How You And I Can Navigate Through The Terrains of Leadership. You see, Leadership is like a journey and it requires movement across terrains. And usually, the terrains are difficult, they are sometimes unknowns and they could be challenging as well. If everything about leadership is easy, then everybody would be leaders and everybody would be leading. The truth is we are not all leading. Quite a lot of us are being led day by day.
For us to emerge as leaders, there are certain steps that we must take. Every leader is expected to be a person of influence. You are expected to grow your influence from the lowest level you could have been to the highest level that you could imagine. So, towards getting to that highest step and higher level in leadership, there are six steps that I have observed that you must take, that was taken by somebody that we must learn from today. Our case study is Joseph today. We want to see how he got to that level of influence that he became the Prime Minister of Egypt even though he was just a prisoner. So, he navigated through his leadership journey, taking certain steps and we want to see them today.
I am sure you know that it is not easy for a man to get out of prison in the morning and sleep in the palace in the night. It takes what we could call miracle for that to happen. While we could that miracle, I believe it is the product of preparations. There are certain things that Joseph had committed himself into and has produced the results over time. It is easy for you to wish, but if you must have something; then you must have taken certain steps towards arriving at that point of having whatever you desire. If you want to become a medical doctor, while others may sit down in their father's house imagining how to become one, becoming a medical doctor actually requires a man or a woman to have spent certain years in the university, transiting different stages of academic excellence from part 1 to part 6.
I am sure you know these are steps. If you want to become an influential medical doctor, you must definitely begin from part 1, which represented the beginning of that journey. Today we want to see six steps taken by Joseph towards his emergence as an influential figure in Egypt. So, let us go to Genesis chapter 41, and I will read a few verses there for our consideration. Don't forget that our focus is The Six Steps of Influence and we are examining How You And I Can Navigate Through The Terrains of Leadership. Genesis chapter 41 and we will begin the reading from verse 1.
"Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. 2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. 8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh."
Now, this was a moment in time in Egypt. Pharaoh had a dreams; he had the first dream and another one. Now, he was troubled after the two dreams and he called for men who could interpret the dreams to him. I am sure you know that if dreams were nothing, then Pharaoh wouldn't be troubled by them. He knew the roles and the necessity of dreams to a leader or perhaps to anybody who desires greatness. He knew he had a dream, however, he lacked the understanding of what he saw in his dreams and he was troubled because he knew something was coming and he was not prepared for it.
You see, preparations requires understanding. Now a man who had a dream and a dream was to explain to him certain things that were to happen in times to come which he must be prepared for. So, if he does not understand that dream he cannot be prepared. So, he could be troubled, knowing full well that he is ignorant even though he is a dreamer. So, it is not enough for you to have dreams. You need to know the meanings and the implications of your dream. You need to consult or ask somebody who has the capacity to interpret the dreams to you for you to maximize the dreams.
Now you could call a dream what many people call vision, because when you are dreaming, you are seeing things and usually, your dream is about your future. It could be about your own future or the future of the organization or the future of your team members, your people, your family, your country or your city. It is about the future, about something that may happen or should happen or something that must happen. So, if you have dreams, it is important that you know that beyond you dreaming; you require an interpretation of your dreams. For Pharaoh, he had dreams however, he did not have the capacity to interpret his dreams. So he sought for men who could interpret.
When men gathered and tried to interpret, they could not succeed and so, there was a vacuum. There was a need for a national interpreter. Now, this national interpreter is one who would interpret the dream of the king of the nation. And so, a man who interprets the dream of the nation would become a national interpreter, I am sure you understand that. Now, before a man could ever become a national interpreter, it is important that we know that the man must have been an interpreter at different levels of his or her growth. So, it is what the man or the woman has done over the years that would necessarily culminate to an experience as a national interpreter.
Now, in the book of Proverbs chapter 22 verse 29, the Bible says something that we must learn from. It says: "Do you see a man who excels in his work, he will stand before kings, he will not stand before unknown men." I have come to understand that anyone of us could start standing before unknown men, but our excellence while standing before unknown men would actually produce an experience where we begin to stand before kings. So, a man who desires to stand before kings must never disregard when he stands before unknown men. When you stand before unknown men, do you stand to produce mediocrity, do you stand to know more or complain about difficult life is, or do you actually excel in what you have chosen to do as a work?
Now, when you commit yourself to excellence even among the unknown, doing things among the unknown, doing things that are unknown, your excellence in those moments would produce a moment for you when you would be opportune to present your competence and capacities before men and women that are known and that are able to reward you. Now what are the things that I have observed about Joseph that we must observe this morning. Now, when you look at Genesis chapter 37, where the story of Joseph really started and how he was loved by his father but hated by his brothers. And Bible says in verse 5 that "and Joseph had a dream, and so his brothers hated him more." Again in verse 9, the Bible says he had another dream and they hated him.
And so, you will discover from there that Joseph had two dreams that we are aware of and because of his dreams, he became somebody that was hated more, because one of the things that I have discovered is that you will have no opposition in life provided you have no position in life. Now, once you take a stand; then you give people opportunity either to stand for you or stand against you. If you are firm about your standing, then you should be calm when there are oppositions, and you shouldn't get over excited when there are people standing for you. It is only a matter of your standing.
So, for Joseph, he had a dream and by his dream he became a young man who was envied. Since they hated him, it means he caught their attention. He had an influence on them and he did that via his dreams. So, the first step that Joseph took towards his influence is that he took the step of being a dreamer. He had a dream. I am sure you know that there is a difference between having a dream and you being the interpreter of your dream. There is a difference between you dreaming and you understanding your dreams. At this moment, what we know is that Joseph had a dream, so he dreamt.
Now subsequently, because of his dreams, he was hated and also was sold into slavery by his brothers. And because he was sold into slavery, he began to live a difficult life. He was envied by his brothers but loved by his father and he was wearing a clothe of many coloured. He was having fun. But because of his dreams, he began to face challenge from that time. So, your dreams are likely going to take you to the next step of you becoming a man who is challenged. So the first thing we noted about Joseph is that, he became a dreamer, he had dreams. The second thing is that he got challenges, he was challenged. A man who doesn't want challenges is a man who does not want to become a man or woman of influence. If you want to become influential, then you need challenges. Challenges will come, provided you have a dream for your life.
One of the first things that I noted about the challenges that Joseph faced was also how, when he got to Potiphar's house, he had to contend with the wife of Potiphar when she wanted to sleep with him. He resisted that and he was able to move to the next level. The next thing that I noted is that, apart from him facing challenge, that being the second step towards his influence, the third step is that he interpreted his own dreams and this is where I saw the interpretation of his dreams. In Genesis 37, I am sure many of us are familiar with the story, Genesis 39 from verse 7. The Bible says:
And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
The question is: How did know that? He knew that because he understood his own dreams. Because if you understood the dreams he had in Genesis 37, it was a leadership dream. It was a dream that put him in command and in charge. Knowing the meaning of that dream, he said: “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
Now, because he knew God gave him a dream and he knew the interpretation of that dream, that God has a leadership destiny ahead of him, God had a leadership package prepared for him, he knew he must not sin against God and he knew he must not sin against his master who had put him in charge of all things. Now, if you quickly go to the book of Genesis 41 and read the entire chapter, you would realise that, eventually, Pharaoh became the master of Joseph and he handed everything in that kingdom to Joseph, just as it was when he was in Potiphar's house, then that was how it was also when he became the Prime Minister.
Now in the house of Potiphar, Potiphar was the only one above him, then his wife; since the two shall become one flesh. So, when he was able to overcome that challenge, he was able to also understand and interprets his own dreams. Eventually, what happened to him that he overcame became his experience the moment he became the most influential figure in the government of Egypt, and I want you to note that. It is not enough for you to have a dream, if you must become a man of influence on a higher level, then you must, number one, you must have dreams, number two; you must face challenges because of your dreams, and number three, you must be able to interpret your own dreams.
You can't wait for anybody to interpret your dreams. You must take the responsibility to seek the interpretation of your dreams from the Lord. Ask God to show you the meaning of what He has already shown you. Now, the next thing that I have realised is that, if you read Genesis chapter 40, you would realise that apart from Joseph being able to interpret his own dreams, he became an interpreter of the dreams of others. Genesis chapter 40 shows us how interpreted the dreams of the chief baker and the chief butler who were sent to prison by Pharaoh. And as he interpreted, that became their experience. So, he transited from a man who had a dream, to a man who faced challenges because of his dreams, to a man who interpreted his own dreams and then he became a man who was able to interpret the dreams of others. So, he became an interpreter of dreams.
We can see that Joseph actually took six steps. The last step he took was that he became an interpreter of the dreams of the king. And that can be supported by that Proverbs 22:29 that we read that says "Do you see a man who excels in his work, he will stand before kings, he will not stand before unknown men." Now, because he has excelled as an interpreter of dreams, he became an interpreter for the king. And so, you must see that he was not only a dreamer, he became an interpreter of dreams and he transited from different levels of interpretation of dreams. The truth is whatever God has created you to do, you might start with people who are not known, a time is coming, if you do not stop and get wearied, that you will begin to do the same things before great men who would reward you.
And so, a man who begins life looking for reward may miss out on the real reward that is ahead of him. Now, if you look at the story of Joseph again, that chapter 39, when he was confronted with the wife of Potiphar, the wife of Potiphar said "Lie with me." Now, if you understand the deep meaning of that, you could see that it was an opportunity for Joseph to also interpret the dreams of Potiphar's wife. But that was to be with a momentary reward of interpretation of dreams of Potiphar's wife. The dream of the wife of Potiphar was that Joseph, a good looking young man, would sleep with her. That was her desire. She saw it, she imagined it and so she want an interpretation of it.
Now, because the interpretation of that dream involves a momentary reward that could derail Joseph from the real reward, the Bible says he ran away from her. You see, you must know that as an interpreter of dreams, as a dreamer yourself; you cannot be an interpreter of dreams for momentary reward. You must learn to see. Now the Bible says when Joseph interpreter the dreams of the chief baker and the chief butler, they did not give him anything. He was the one that even said to the chief butler that when you get out of here, please remember me. And the Bible even says that the man forgot him.
If you read the starting of that Genesis chapter 41, Bible says it was until two full years were completed, that was when Pharaoh had a dream. So, Joseph was even still in the prison for another two years after he had interpreted the dream. Now, if it were some of us, we will only interpret provided people would reward us. Joseph did it without a real expectation of reward. So, you must know that the first step toward your influence is not you being an interpreter of dreams, you must first be a dreamer, and haven become a dreamer, you must be ready to face the challenges that your dream would bring and then being able to move from that phase into interpreting your own dreams.
You see, it is the interpretation of your own dreams that would give you the capacity to handle, no matter how challenging life's challenges may be, when you are challenged as a dreamer, your understanding of the meaning of your dream will help you though it all. And then, haven being able to interpret your dream, you become an interpreter of dreams. Becoming an interpreter of dreams also gives you an opportunity to interpret the dreams of your friends, your colleagues and family members. Now, if you can do these things at different levels without necessarily demanding any reward or compensation, then you are preparing yourself for the real thing because in reality, what you are doing in those little moments are the things you would do in those other moments when you are celebrated.
Just imagine any celebrity that you know today, they are not celebrities today simply because they suddenly became it. The things that they are doing that you are wowed with are the same things they had been doing when no one celebrated them. So, it is important that there is a place of you having a dream, and being challenged for that dream, the place of being able to understand the implications of your own dreams, and then being able to become an interpreter of dreams and being able to interprets others dreams. The truth is as a leader, you are an interpreter of dreams and if you have never been useful to yourself, you may never be useful to another person, and your leadership is as influential to the degree of your usefulness.
So, what you have been able to do for yourself, you must learn to be able to extend it to others. And whatever you want to extend to others, learn to do it to yourself. Prepare yourself in those low moments, in those moments when nobody knows you, in those moments when nobody celebrates you and you are hardly surviving. Commit yourself to excellence even in that moment and in those moments because if you can continue, in due time, you will be rewarded by God. When Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh, he received a national reward. He became a national leader. You see, you are a leader of the people you interpret their dreams. If you can increase your capacity to interpret dreams, then you can increase the spread and the scope of your influence as a leader.
This is the word that has been laid in my heart. The Six Steps Of Influence: How You And I Can Navigate Through The Terrains of Leadership. Leadership is both great and rewarding, but you cannot have that reward as the basis for your relevance because if you are tying every relevance to reward, then you will not even become capable to be relevant in the first place. Imagine if your capacity to have reward in life is tied to your capacity to help anybody in life with his or her handwriting for instance, and then you want to begin by being paid for you to even write, now because there are fewer people who would be willing to pay you at those earlier moments, you will have fewer opportunity to even write yourself. Since you don't write, you don't master the art of writing.
Why are you looking for those who will pay you before you do good? Can't you go around doing good? I remember that Scripture in Acts 10:38 that says "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." I am sure God is with you. Don't wait to be rewarded by men. Go around and about, the villages, the cities, the campuses, do good, heal, speak to men, be a blessing, produce things that solve the problems of others.
I hope to connect with you again next week in this same edition of Leaderview, my name is Gboyega Adedeji and I want you to remain leading, to be a blessing and I want you to remain a leader ho interprets dreams. Don't forget, you must have dreams yourself and you must be able to interpret your own dreams before people can trust you with their own dreams. I hope to connect with you again next week, my name is Gboyega Adedeji and you are watching Leaderview. And in case you haven't subscribed to our YouTube channel, the Centre for New Dimension Leadership, please do right now and also click the notification bell so that every time we have a new video, you will be notified.
Thank you and God bless you.
