Every time you step in front of people to lead or speak, something happens before you even open your mouth. They are already watching. Already forming opinions. Already deciding whether you are worth their time and attention.

It happens subconsciously — they cannot help it. And neither can you stop it. What you can do is understand it, prepare for it, and use it to your advantage.

Here are the three things your followers are silently evaluating the moment you stand before them.

A) Your Appearance — They Are Reading You Before You Speak

The first thing your audience does is look at you — all of you.

Your clothes. Your hair. Your facial hair. Your belt. Your shoes — their colour, their condition, their shine. Your watch. Whatever you are carrying in your hands as you walk in. All of it is being quietly assessed within seconds.

Most women already understand this instinctively and invest thought into it. Most men, frankly, do not. But the leaders who have mastered this? You can tell.

Now here is something I was personally taught — a quiet but powerful secret most speakers and leaders never consider. Of all the visible parts of your appearance, your hair carries the greatest subconscious influence on your audience. Before your words land, before your voice is even heard, the sleekness and grooming of your hair is already speaking on your behalf. Keep it neat, smooth, and well-groomed. It matters more than most people realise.

After your hair, the next thing they notice is your footwear. Clean, polished shoes communicate attention to detail and self-respect — qualities people look for in someone they are being asked to follow.

On less formal occasions, wearing white underneath projects a subtle sense of purity and order that registers with your audience, even if they cannot explain why.

And your watch — it should be neat and classy. Not necessarily expensive, but intentional.

Four things: your hair, your shoes, your inner wear, and your watch. Get these four right, and your appearance will hold your audience’s focus before you say a single word. Because the truth is — your speech begins the moment they see you. Not the moment you speak.

B) Your Words — Not Just What You Say, But Everything Around What You Say

Once they have taken in your appearance, they shift their attention to your words — and by “words,” I mean far more than the content of your speech.

I mean how you enter the room. The way you walk to the front. Whether you greet them or not, and how you do it. The tone of your voice. The pace at which you speak. The way your hands move when you make a point. The way your eyes connect with theirs. The arrangement of your ideas. The structure of your sentences. Your voice levels — when you lower it and when you raise it.

All of it is being registered.

Your opening, your middle, and your closing are all under quiet scrutiny. Every gesture is a signal. Every pause communicates something. Your audience is not just hearing your speech — they are experiencing your delivery, and that experience either draws them in or loses them.

Think of your words and gestures as products. Like any product, the way they are packaged and presented determines whether people receive them or reject them. Deliver them well, and you will hold a crowd. Deliver them carelessly, and no amount of good content will save you.

C) The Value of What You Are Saying — Does It Mean Anything to Them?

You have dressed the part. Your delivery is polished. Now comes the final test: does what you are actually saying matter to the people in the room?

People do not give up their time for nothing. If your message carries no real value, they will disengage — mentally at first, then physically. And they will talk about it afterwards. People always do.

But deliver something genuinely meaningful? Something that speaks to where they are, addresses what they need, or opens a door they did not know existed? They will leave the room feeling better than when they arrived — and they will credit you for it.

Here is a structure that works, especially when your message contains difficult or unwelcome information:

Open with good news. Build goodwill and positive energy first. Let them feel that this is worth their time.

Deliver the difficult news second. By this point, they are engaged, they trust you, and they are far more receptive to hearing something hard.

Close with strong, uplifting news. End on a note that leaves them encouraged, not deflated. This does not erase the difficult news — but it ensures the overall experience remains positive and constructive.

This is the art of speechmaking. It is also a science. Structure your message the way a skilled author structures a book — with intention, flow, and a satisfying conclusion.

And whenever it is appropriate, invite their input. Ask for their thoughts and suggestions at the close of your presentation. You may be surprised — someone in that room may carry an idea or a perspective that shifts everything. Wisdom does not live in one person alone. In a multitude of counsellors, there is safety. God Himself may choose to speak through one of them.

Do this consistently, and your followers will not just respect you — they will believe in you. They will see a leader who is prepared, thoughtful, and genuinely equipped to face challenges and produce answers.

Leadership 101 — The Bottom Line

Every time you stand before your people, carry yourself with intention and deliver something worth their time. Lead with good news, speak it with confidence, and watch the way people respond to you change completely.

Peace be with you.

Thank you.

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There is a piece of advice the Lord gave me about leadership that I believe every leader needs to hear — for He Himself is a leader, and He understands the dynamics of it better than anyone.

If you hold a leadership position of any kind, here is something critical you must never lose sight of: you are not the only leader in your followers’ lives.

While you lead them in one area, they have an entire world outside of your circle. They have husbands and wives, choir masters, classroom teachers, CEOs, godfathers, elder siblings, fathers, mothers, and business administrators — all of whom play leadership roles in other areas of their lives, and sometimes even within the same space you occupy.

This is the reality of every single follower you have. Every one of them.

And because of this reality, your followers are constantly dividing their time, energy, money, love, loyalty, and attention among all these leaders — yourself included.

Now here is where it gets important.

Followers naturally gravitate toward the leader who consistently delivers the most value to their lives. Whether they are conscious of it or not, they move closer to whoever satisfies them most — and they pull back from whoever does not. This means that, whether you acknowledge it or not, you are in quiet competition with every other leader who has influence over your followers.

If you are not bringing more value to their lives than the others, do not be surprised when they begin redirecting their time, energy, and loyalty elsewhere. It may not even be a large group pulling them away — sometimes it is just one other leader who is simply doing a better job of making them feel valued.

The bottom line is this: as free moral agents, your followers owe you nothing. If they choose to leave, that is well within their right. No one is obligated to follow someone who is not serving them well.

So what does this mean for you as a leader?

It means you must consistently do things right. You must give them reason to stay. You must treat them with the highest level of respect, love, and genuine care — because that is what pulls people closer, and keeps them there, over every other competing influence in their lives.

However, this does not mean there should be no boundaries or discipline within your circle. There absolutely must be. But discipline must always be administered in love and with wisdom — because harsh, loveless correction will only breed bitterness, and bitterness will eventually drive people away to find comfort and acceptance elsewhere.

Lead with value. Discipline with love. Compete by serving better.

This is one of the most important pieces of advice you will ever receive as a leader — especially if your goal is to steadily grow your following and rise to the top.

Peace be with you.

Thank you.

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There’s this great advise the Lord gave me about leadership, as He Himself is a leader:

Now, if you’re a leader in any circle, one of the things you’re supposed to note is that you’re not the only leader your followers have in their lives.

While you’re being a leader to them in just one field of life, your followers also have other leaders apart from you, in other circles of their lives. They have their husbands, their choir masters, their class teachers, a C.E.O, a godfather, an elderly sister, a father, a mother, or a business administrator who’re all playing a leadership position(role) in other aspect of their lives, or perhaps in the same circles of your leadership. (Yes, understand that this is how all followers are to you.)

In this case, understand that, these followers will have to share their time, energy, money, love, fellowship and almost all other interests among these other leaders, with you inclusive.

Each of the subject you have, has this situation going on in his or her life; each of them do this, no matter who they are.

Yet, followers will tend to go more to (dance more with), the leader (s), who in every way, bring them the most satisfactory results. This means that, you’re in competition with other leaders, who are either in the same circle or in different circles of their lives.

So then, if you do not bring more value to their lives compared to the others, they may shift their ‘gears’ to the others, spending their love, time and energies more with them.

It could even be just one of those faithful leaders who is doing that-and not everyone of the other group.

Therefore, we should make sure we’re giving them the best treatment, otherwise they may relinquish their bet from us. As free moral agents, they owe us nothing, if they should change their course.

That suggest that, you have to be doing your things right to get the highest bid, so they stick more to you and your course. So, do the right thing to make them consciously give them to you.

You need to treat them with upmost respect, love and care, which will pull them closer to you than all the others. However, this does not suggest that they can say nor do anything they want when they come to your circles of leadership, in such a way that there won’t be discipline. There must be discipline, but should be done in the way of love, otherwise, they may become too embittered, provoking them to leave you, to find comfort or solace elsewhere.

This advice is very important, if you want to carefully grow your group to get to the top.