Corruption as defined by Merriam Webster dictionary is to be dishonest, illegal behaviour especially by powerful people, act of corrupting someone or something, something that has been changed from its original form, impairment of integrity, virtue or moral principle.

If you are not ready to relate with people, then you are not ready for leadership, because a shepherd must smell of the sheep sometimes. A leader that does not hurt when the team hurts is not a shepherd. A good leader should shepherd the followers to a large extent.

A shepherd will never eat what belongs to the sheep. Thus, leader should not take what belongs to the followers – that is corruption.

If you take your followers time unduly while retaining the allowances that go with that, is corruption. Paying less than you have been given for a job, then keeping the extra is corruption. Taking part of your driver’s night allowance when you travel is corruption. If people need to bribe you in order to get things done, that is corruption. If you order for certain things needed by your organization at the cost of 70million instead of 7million, you have taken what belongs to your sheep and that is corruption.

A leader that is enriching self with what belongs to all cannot instruct the secretary not to take bribe to book appointments for people to see the leader and the gate man may demand bribe to open the gate for people to enter the premises – then the corruption runs down. This is doing injustice to the organization. It is also called wickedness.

HOW TO AVOID CORRUPTION

1. Fear GOD. Jeremiah 5:26-29 talks about punishment for wicked leaders. It says, ‘my people are wicked men full of deceit, they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek, their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the cause of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this? Declares the LORD. Jeremiah 17:11, Jeremiah 22:1-6, Jeremiah 21:11-14 is about judgement for evil leaders.
2. Have character. Do what is just and right, rescue from oppressors, the one who has been robed.
3. Do not wrong widows and orphans.
4. Integrity will not allow you to take what belongs to the sheep as a shepherd.
5. Know that the LEADER of leaders is watching always.

Therefore, to avoid punishment from GOD, a leader should lead with integrity, speaking out against what is wrong. A good leader should be a provider to a large extent, but when you now take what belongs to your followers after you have over burdened them with work, then, your followers will begin to talk or complain against the oppression.

We can lead sensibly, responsibly and with equity.

A leader that is not corrupt will not be lonely when the leadership tenure is over.

6. Serve as stewards. Leaders come to serve.
7. Keep high morals. Do not seduce or ensnare your followers with your money, house, power or your beauty. If a leader cannot be trusted morally, then it will be difficult for such a leader to breed morally correct followers. A morally corrupt leader is a danger to the followers. A leader who wants to sleep with a lady before helping her or before giving her what is due to her is corrupt. When you sleep with a lady in order to give her a post in your workforce, you are corrupt. And if as a big lady you ensnare with your money or beauty or post, you are corrupt. Ezekiel 13:17-23 has a lot to say about this that can serve as a check. When you give gifts in order to shut the mouth of your followers, you are corrupt. A leader that steals cannot correct the followers that do the same. This leader will have to remove the log that is in his/her eyes before trying to remove the speck in the followers’ eyes. When the prophet came to David with the story of the man who had plenty sheep but took the only one the neighbour had to entertain his visitor, David was quick to pass judgement, only to realise that he had no power to pass judgement, because he was the person the prophet was talking about. Seeing the log in your own eyes minimizes corruption. Some can even kill in order to enlarge their coast. e. g David and Uriah. To get Uriah’s wife, David had to kill Uriah – this is an abuse of power. But the fear of GOD keeps a leader from abuse of power. There is hope for leaders that repent. We can repent. Yes, we can say NO to corruption.

#AppraiseYourself

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#SayNoToCorruption.

Say

NO

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