By Socrates Smythe Saywon
MONROVIA — Leadership is often celebrated through public achievements, influence, recognition and the ability to guide others through difficult circumstances. Yet behind the accomplishments of many leaders are private battles, painful disappointments, personal sacrifices and emotional wounds that rarely become visible to the people who depend on their leadership. It is this often-overlooked reality that Bishop J. Allan Klayee seeks to confront through his forthcoming book, The Bleeding Leader, a work inspired by nearly 34 years of ministerial experience and the difficult lessons he has encountered along the way.
In an exclusive interview with Smart News Liberia on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at his church edifice in Monrovia, Bishop Klayee, General Overseer of Jubilee Praise and Worship Center and Founder and Presiding Bishop of Jubilee Praise & Worship Center Liberty Ministries, explained that his latest publication emerged from personal experiences that have shaped his understanding of leadership, perseverance and the responsibility of continuing to serve others despite adversity. Through the book, he hopes to reach leaders who are struggling silently, emerging leaders preparing to assume greater responsibilities, and individuals who need encouragement to continue pursuing their purpose when circumstances become difficult.
For Bishop Klayee, The Bleeding Leader is not simply a religious publication or an account of leadership principles drawn from theory. It is a reflection of a journey marked by victories and setbacks, moments of progress and periods of difficulty, and the determination required to remain committed to a calling despite the challenges that accompany it. His experience in ministry has exposed him to different dimensions of leadership, including the personal cost of serving others while managing his own struggles.
Explaining what inspired him to write the book, Bishop Klayee told Smart News Liberia that his decision came from the experiences he had accumulated throughout his years in ministry and his desire to help others who might be confronting similar difficulties.
“I have been into ministry for almost 34 years now, and I’ve been through the good times and bad times, the height and the lower part of ministry, and I’ve seen things that have happened to me, and we’ve bled,” he said, describing the experiences that eventually motivated him to develop the book.
The word “bleeding” serves as the central metaphor of his message. Rather than referring to physical injuries, Bishop Klayee uses it to describe the invisible pain that leaders may experience through disappointment, rejection, personal struggles, difficult relationships, unexpected setbacks and the weight of responsibilities. These experiences, he explained, can affect leaders in different ways, even when they continue to perform their duties and appear strong before the people they lead.
His message challenges the popular perception that effective leadership requires an uninterrupted display of strength. In many settings, leaders are expected to remain composed, provide answers, encourage others and make difficult decisions regardless of their personal circumstances. The expectation to appear strong can make it difficult for those in leadership positions to acknowledge their own pain or seek the encouragement they need.
Through The Bleeding Leader, Bishop Klayee seeks to remind readers that experiencing hardship does not automatically disqualify a person from leadership. Instead, the manner in which a leader responds to adversity can become an important part of the leadership journey, provided the individual remains committed to learning, growth, responsibility and service.
One of the chapters, which he identifies as “Bleeding but Still Leading,” captures the central principle of the publication. The chapter speaks to individuals who may be facing difficult seasons but must find the courage and wisdom to continue fulfilling their responsibilities without allowing disappointment to destroy their sense of purpose.
“It is important that no matter how life situations will come, the storm could come, the wind could blow, and you may have some disappointment, but it shouldn’t stop you from leading,” Bishop Klayee emphasized.
The statement reflects a practical dimension of his message. Leadership, in his view, cannot be measured solely by how well a person performs when circumstances are favorable. It must also be understood through the ability to navigate difficult periods, learn from painful experiences and maintain a sense of responsibility when the road ahead becomes uncertain.
For Bishop Klayee, the struggles associated with leadership are not limited to the church. Although his experiences are rooted in Christian ministry, the principles explored in the book have relevance for people serving in government, business, education, community organizations, professional institutions and other areas of public and private life.
A church leader may experience disappointment in ministry, while a public official may face criticism, an entrepreneur may struggle with business setbacks, and a community leader may encounter resistance while trying to advance a worthy cause. Although the circumstances differ, each may experience the private burden of carrying responsibility while confronting personal challenges.
This wider relevance is one of the reasons Bishop Klayee believes the book can speak to readers beyond the religious community. During the interview, he stressed that the publication is intended to help people at different levels of society, from the highest offices to individuals serving in less visible positions.
According to him, the message is applicable to anyone who occupies a leadership position or aspires to assume one, because the challenges of leadership do not disappear simply because a person has achieved a particular title or attained public recognition.
He also directed a special message to emerging leaders, warning them against entering leadership with unrealistic expectations that the journey will always be comfortable or rewarding.
For those preparing to lead, the book offers an opportunity to understand that responsibility comes with challenges that may not be apparent from the outside. The achievements of established leaders can sometimes conceal the disappointments, sacrifices and difficult decisions that helped shape their experience.
Bishop Klayee observed that many accomplished leaders carry the marks of past struggles even when the original pain is no longer visible.
“Most of the leaders you see today, they bled, but you will not see their bleeding because they only remember the scars,” he explained.
The observation offers one of the book’s most compelling lessons. Scars can become reminders of experiences that once threatened to overwhelm a person but eventually became part of that individual’s story of survival. For leaders, such experiences may provide valuable lessons about patience, humility, resilience and the need to approach others with understanding.
However, the message of The Bleeding Leader is not that leaders should ignore their pain, conceal every struggle or continue carrying unbearable burdens without assistance. Rather, Bishop Klayee hopes the book will help readers understand their experiences and discover ways to move toward healing while remaining committed to their responsibilities.
His desire is that readers will not merely identify with the wounds described in the publication but will also find encouragement and practical spiritual guidance for addressing them.
“I pray that as we go through the book, as we read this book, it will not just bring out the wounds and the bleeding, but at the conclusion of it, that it will bring healing to the wounded leader,” he said.
That aspiration represents the heart of the publication. By drawing attention to the hidden struggles of leadership, Bishop Klayee hopes to create an opportunity for reflection, renewal and a deeper understanding of the human experiences that shape those entrusted with responsibility.
The journey from the initial inspiration to the completion of the book was not a quick one. Although Bishop Klayee initially expected to finish the manuscript within a year, events and experiences continued to influence its development, requiring him to revisit his work and incorporate additional reflections.
He disclosed that the writing process took approximately five years, as new experiences repeatedly prompted him to add further insights to the manuscript.
“I wanted to take a year to write this book, but every time I’m finished, something else will happen. I have to wait and inject it there, so I took about five years just to write this,” he told Smart News Liberia.
The extended period of development suggests that the publication evolved alongside the experiences that informed it. Rather than treating the book as a project to be completed within a fixed period, he continued refining its message as circumstances provided additional lessons about the realities of leadership.
Bishop Klayee said he had other unpublished books in progress but felt a particular urgency to bring The Bleeding Leader to the public because he believes its message can help people who might otherwise become discouraged and abandon their responsibilities.
He explained that he considers the publication important because of the need to encourage people who are struggling in ministry and other leadership positions not to surrender their calling simply because they have encountered difficult experiences.
For him, the book represents an extension of his ministry beyond the pulpit, offering readers an opportunity to engage with lessons that can be revisited through reading, reflection and discussion.
The publication is expected to be formally launched on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Monrovia City Hall, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Bishop Klayee said invitations would be extended to individuals from various sectors of society, including President Joseph N. Boakai, Vice President Jeremiah Koung, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, government officials, and other distinguished guests.
The launch is expected to bring together church leaders, pastors, ministry workers, professionals, community members and other individuals interested in the subject of leadership and personal development. Bishop Klayee also disclosed that pastors and other leaders from counties where his ministry operates are expected to attend, creating an opportunity for the book’s message to reach beyond the capital.
As Founder and Presiding Bishop of Jubilee Praise & Worship Center Liberty Ministries, a network comprising 43 churches with branches in Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire, Bishop Klayee has an established ministry structure through which he hopes to introduce the publication to audiences across national borders.
The network’s presence in Liberia and neighboring West African countries offers a potential channel for extending the book’s reach through church gatherings, leadership engagements and other ministry activities.
Bishop Klayee disclosed that the book will be offered at a general sale price of US$30, while the price applicable at the launch will be different. He acknowledged the importance of ensuring that the publication eventually becomes accessible to people who may not be able to afford its initial cost.
He said strategies were being developed to reduce the price over time and make copies available to a wider audience. His intention, he explained, is not simply to launch the book in Monrovia but to ensure that its message reaches communities throughout Liberia and, eventually, readers in other parts of the world.
The planned outreach to the counties is particularly important to this ambition. Bishop Klayee identified Nimba County as one of the areas where his ministry has a substantial presence, with 22 church branches, making it a major location for future engagements.
He indicated that the Monrovia launch would serve as the starting point for a wider programme of activities, with leaders returning to their respective communities carrying knowledge of the book and helping to introduce its message to additional audiences.
Beyond the launch, Bishop Klayee plans to organize seminars based on the book, allowing participants to benefit from its teachings even if they cannot immediately purchase a copy. Through these engagements, he hopes to provide access to the knowledge and encouragement contained in the publication while making arrangements for copies to be offered at lower prices.
The proposed seminars could also create opportunities for discussions about the practical challenges facing leaders, the importance of perseverance and the need for personal renewal when leadership becomes difficult. Such engagements would allow the book’s central themes to be explored collectively rather than limiting the experience to individual reading.
Another element of the outreach plan involves educational institutions. Bishop Klayee said he intends to engage students at the University of Liberia and other institutions, including high schools, through devotional sessions and motivational discussions before introducing the book for sale.
His approach reflects an interest in reaching young people before they assume major leadership responsibilities. By speaking with students about leadership, discipline, perseverance and the realities of responsibility, he hopes to prepare them for challenges they may encounter in their personal, professional and public lives.
Introducing these lessons at an early stage could help young people develop a more realistic understanding of leadership, recognizing that positions of responsibility require patience, commitment and the ability to learn from difficult experiences.
Bishop Klayee also plans to use the book as a central teaching resource in his ministry following its launch. He disclosed that many of his sermons over a period of six months or longer could draw from the publication, giving congregations and other audiences repeated opportunities to examine its lessons.
He further expressed the hope that the book would eventually become available through Amazon, an option he believes could support its distribution beyond Liberia. Given his international ministry engagements, he said he also intends to carry copies with him to places where he travels to preach and minister.
The possibility of a second volume is also part of his thinking about the publication’s future, although his immediate priority is to introduce the first book and allow readers to engage with its message.
Bishop Klayee said the publication incorporates several passages of Scripture intended to guide readers toward understanding how wounded leaders can find healing. The biblical foundation is central to his approach, reflecting his belief that spiritual guidance can provide encouragement and direction to individuals facing personal and professional challenges.
For Christian leaders in particular, the book presents an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between faith, responsibility and perseverance. It also invites readers to consider how the lessons of difficult experiences can shape the way they lead, serve and respond to the struggles of others.
At a time when leadership is frequently discussed in terms of achievement, influence and public recognition, The Bleeding Leader directs attention to a less visible aspect of the experience: the personal cost of responsibility and the need for healing along the way.
Its message is that leaders remain human, regardless of their positions, and that their ability to guide others does not mean they are immune to disappointment or personal struggles. Recognizing that reality can encourage a more compassionate approach to leadership, one that makes room for growth, reflection, support and restoration.
For emerging leaders, the book offers a warning against romanticizing leadership. For experienced leaders, it provides an opportunity to revisit the lessons learned through years of service. For churches and other institutions, it opens a conversation about how to support people who continue to carry responsibility even when they are struggling privately.
Bishop Klayee’s nearly 34 years in ministry have provided the experiences behind this message, while the five-year writing process has allowed him to shape those experiences into a publication intended to serve others.
As preparations continue for the October 31 launch at Monrovia City Hall, his invitation extends to the entire country. He wants the gathering to move beyond simply discussing wounded leadership and toward identifying ways leaders can find healing and continue serving effectively.
The central message of The Bleeding Leader is both direct and encouraging: difficult experiences do not have to become the end of a leader’s journey. With reflection, spiritual guidance, perseverance and the willingness to pursue healing, individuals can learn from their struggles without allowing those experiences to erase their sense of purpose.
For Bishop J. Allan Klayee, the book is therefore more than a record of personal experiences. It is an attempt to transform the lessons of nearly three and a half decades of ministry into a source of encouragement for others who may be facing their own difficult seasons.
As he prepares to present the publication to readers in Liberia and beyond, his hope is that those who recognize themselves in its pages will find the courage to keep moving forward, the wisdom to learn from their experiences and the guidance to pursue healing while continuing to lead.
The launch of The Bleeding Leader on October 31 will mark the beginning of that public journey, with Bishop Klayee seeking to turn a deeply personal message into a resource for leaders, aspiring leaders and anyone who has discovered that carrying responsibility can sometimes come with unseen wounds.
