LEADERSHIP AND SENTIMENT: A CURSE OR A BLESSING

1. Sentiment is a thought which is influenced by emotion. Sentiment has to do also with an attitude or opinion.  It is a feeling of love, sympathy, kindness etc.  It is an attitude, thought or judgement prompted by feeling.
2. In our text, the replacement of Judas Iscariot was administratively expedient and prophetically desirable.
3. However there appeared to have been a little bit of sentiment in the emergence of a worthy replacement. (A) They chose two based on the condition stipulated by themselves not necessarily put in place by God.  (B) They ask God to pick from between the two  (C) They cast lot and Mathias emerged (Compare  this with the commissioning of Saul and Barnabas in Acts 13:1-3)
4. A comparative analysis of the emergence of Apostle Paul and that of Mathias by way of inference might imply that God actually intended Paul to replace Judas among the 12 Apostle. Paul never satisfied the conditions put forward by Peter yet God chooses the despised and weak things of this world to shame the wise. 1 Cor. 1:26-28.
5. Tradition has it that Mathias was one of the seventy – Luke 10:1. Though the disciples prayed before his emergence, they appeared not to have fully trusted God for divine direction given their recourse to the superstitious practice of casting lots.  No record of Mathias’ evangelical exploit after his election, though tradition has it that he went to Ethiopia, laboured there and was martyred there.
6. The emergence of King Saul in Israel could also be described as based on sentiment, a desire to be like neighbouring nations thus neglecting and rejecting the Most High God. 1 Sam. 8:4-22.
7. Leaders must learn to see issues the way they really are for a wrong perception of an issue subject the issue to wrong diagnosis, wrong solution and wrong results.
8. The interference of our personal interest in any given situation amounts to being controlled by sentiment. A state of absolute disinterestedness is highly desirable to make headway in leadership.

DANGERS OF SENTIMENT IN LEADERSHIP DECISION.

1. Surrendering to emotions which sometimes beclouds reasoning because it distorts the reality.
2. Loss of the power of objectivity.
3. Perception of issues from a jaundiced view. Leadership organizational success has a lot to do with perspective, perspective speaks of outlook and the outlook determines the outcome.
4. Inability to take proper action.
5. Inability to reinforce and enforce what is RIGHT.
6. Inability to correct what is WRONG.
7. The leader is disrobe of sensibility.
8. Ineptitude sets in (Lack of skill or ability)
9. Inability to make serious and appreciable impact.
10. The personality and interest of leadership in decision making more often than not impact negatively, reason medical practitioners are not allowed to treat their relations.
11. Sentiments affect our judgement, beclouding it.
12. Sentiment poses a challenge to our professionalism.
14. TYPES OF SENTIMENT

FILIAL sentiments, Tribal sentiment, Village sentiment, Societies sentiment, Club sentiment, Gender sentiment, Professional or Vocational Sentiment etc.

1. NEED TO EXORCISE AND ESCHEW SENTIMENT
2. It enhances the taking of right decisions.
3. It ensures the taking of right actions.
4. It enables us to go for the best hands.
5. It affords the opportunity of looking and exploring the bigger picture.
6. It guides in keeping the vision in focus.
7. It allows for the accommodating of opposing views.
8. It culminate in GREATNESS. Greatness does not dance to the beat of sentiments. Those who aim for success must learn to be unsentimental.

CONCLUSION

To ensure that we remain great till the coming of the Lord the owner of the Church Himself, we must eschew all forms of sentiments starting from us as leaders of the people of God.