The first leadership lesson in the story of Arnold Bennett in Light From Many Lamps is found in the vision he had for his own life of having “a brilliant and successful writing career” (Watson, 1951, p. 142). We are told that Bennett did not have a lot in terms of financial resources (Watson, 1951), but he dared to dream regardless. T. D. Jakes says that as a leader we have to believe in a vision that goes beyond our provision; that if we have a vision that everyone can get behind, that vision is too small (The Global Leadership Summit, 2018). Bennett possessed tenacity to fight for the vision he had for his own life, which he ultimately achieved. This inspires me to be willing to envision huge things. This is essential in my role as a leader in full time ministry because it empowers me to dream with Jesus for the big things that He has. If I can do it on my own I do not need Him, and I never want to come to a place where I forget my reliance on Him.

The second leadership lesson in this story is that leaders manage their time well. Bennett realized that what he had was time and that he had to use it wisely (Watson, 1951). There is no way to increase the amount of time we are given which is why it is imperative that we learn to steward our time and spend it working towards our vision(s). Furthermore, like Bennett we must not only budget our time wisely, but “make people aware of time as a valuable commodity” (Watson, 1951, p. 143). As leaders we must help followers understand time in this way.

We live in a time where we have powerful technology at our fingertips. This technology can be harnessed to help us unite followers, increase productivity, and ultimately move towards actualizing our vision, however, it can also distract us, cause us to lose focus, and ultimately waste our time. I am of the opinion that the potential for poor use of time is only going to increase as we continue to advance technologically and continue to idolize busyness. This lesson of time management is immediately relevant to my life as I struggle to properly allocate my time between my job, my studies and my personal life. It serves as a poignant reminder that no matter how successful I become as a leader, I will never gain more time, rather, I have to spend my time wisely.

References:

The Global Leadership Summit. (Producer). (2018). T. D. Jakes [DVD]. Available from https://store.growingleadership.com/collections/gls-2018-resources/products/2018-gls-team-edition-pre-order-dvd

Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from many lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster.