A leader is a man or woman, raised up from among a people or from an experience or state to help raise other people out of whatever or wherever they have been confined in time.
Leaders are men and women of experiences and stories; usually, their experiences or stories are basis for their acceptance and credibility among their people.
For a leader to be effective in helping his people therefore, the leader must be aware on a regular basis, the feelings or experiences or circumstances of the people.
Man is described as a composite being – a being that is composed of the soul, body and spirit. It is therefore said that man is a spirit that has a soul and dwells in a body. The implication of this is simple! A man will remain (alive) as long as the body of man is healthy enough to bear both the spirit and the soul.
According to the book of Leviticus 17:11, the life of the flesh (body) is in the blood. Therefore, a man will die if the man continues to loose blood. Should a man's body die, a man's spirit and soul will cease being relevant on earth.
In order to prevent the sudden death of the man (who is on assignment on earth); God the Creator of man, fabricated man's body to be covered with soft skin and He planted countless sensors inside the skin to help a man to recognize pain or discomfort. Therefore, when a man steps on sharp objects that cuts a portion of the soft skin; the man feels the pain on his body; and quickly respond to arrest the danger to prevent premature death of the body.
In same vein, leaders are placed over people to meet the needs of their people. Concerning the people of Israel, see what the Bible says, For we do not have a Hight Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
Effective leaders have sympathy or pity for their people – they show compassion on the people; and only then do they respond to meet their needs. The truth is, it is the needs of the people that makes leaders necessary. Therefore, the secret to being effective leaders is to maintain soft skin in leadership. A leader must be able to cry for and with his people. Our world is filled with thick skinned leaders; and that is the reason for the massive poverty, ignorance and underdevelopment of our families, communities and countries.
May God vsist our land and raise for Himself, men and women of soft skin!
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Matthew 9:35-37
The harvest are the multitudes – the people; while the labourers are the leaders who have been and are being raised up by God to provide succour and direction for the people. Men and women so called by God for the huge responsibility of transforming nations; shaping destinies of nations and guaranteeing the enforcement of God's counsel in the nations. If you have been given the privilege of sharing in God's leadership burden for the nations – then, you're "lucky"; however, you must become such a leader that is touched with the feelings of the experiences of your people for you to be effective in leading them indeed!
