In every person, there is potential for leadership. Despite this, there are very few individuals who realize this power and fewer still who have responded effectively to the call of leadership. As a result, our families, nations, societies and communities are suffering from an astounding leadership vacuum.
Our communities need positive role models, our children need fathers and mothers, our state in particular and the world in general needs direction. It’s only true and selfless leaders that can serve as true models, fathers and mothers, and point the direction of growth and development to people.
The essence of leadership is the exercise of influence for a common cause, be it moral, social, cultural, religious, spiritual, or political. Leadership clearly places the responsibility of leading people and the nation on the shoulders of educated, disciplined, and enlightened persons. Today, the responsibility to meet this need is the challenge of our generation for the generation to come.
Leadership does not exist in vacuum where and when there is no leader. And a true leader is a model for his followers. Great leaders emerged in the world scene at times of great difficulties and their capability to impact positively on people is the manifestation of their leadership prowess.
2.0 Understanding leadership
An adage, “great leaders never desire to lead but serve”, is a time tested maxim that we should engrave dearly in our hearts. In succinct terms:
· Leadership is the ability to lead others by influence. The influence exerted by true leaders could be forceful or subtle, depending on individuals and circumstances, and the rights of action that would induce followership.
· Leadership is an outward manifestation that awakens one to respond to responsibility, duty and commitment of a group, organization, family, nation or state.
· Leadership can be a product of natural endowment and personality traits that each person is born with, or the product of education and training attained by acquisition and mastery of skills.
True leadership is the product of both natural endowment of leading personality and the mastery of skills attained by training. Thus each person is a leader born to lead and be led. He is to be led, firstly, by the spirit of God Within him/her; and secondly, by those superior to him/her in thoughts, and skillful actions; age, size and stature notwithstanding.
Developing character and vision is the way leaders are made. Leadership is therefore, fundamentally, a matter of becoming who you are. Its mission is in fulfilling your destiny and God’s purpose. Developing character and vision is the way leaders are made.
3.0 Learning to lead
Exerting a leadership influence is not an easy task. Perhaps the greatest challenge of leadership is that of installing a new order, if not the ability to lead, organize, coordinate and direct. Thus, learning to lead calls for the capacity of a leader to influence, inspire, rally, direct, delegate, encourage, motivate, induce, move, mobilize, and activate others to pursue a common goal while maintaining commitment, momentum, confidence and courage.
For you to be able to lead, you must be a fast learner, creative and innovative, self-driven, self reliant and visionary. You must be able to organize, harness, and coordinate resources; energize, build, establish and maintain relationships in a productive context for intended results.
Leadership is impossible without a guiding principle, vision, mission and goals that generate passion for accomplishment. Real leadership is found in those who are willing to suffer for the sake of goals great enough to demand their wholehearted obedience and attention.
An important ingredient of leadership function is the ability of the leader to draw the best out of other people and inspire them to maximize their potential and that of the resources, people, business, communities, or the government they manage and direct.
For you lead well, you must learn how to stir and inspire others into action. The purest form of leadership is by influence through inspiration; the crudest by coersion. The latter always turn the followers against the leaders. Avoid it by all means, if you must be a leader.
4.0 What makes a leader?
True leaders are not born, but made. Everyone has the capacity and potential to become a leader. But, what makes one a leader? Some distinct characteristics that are common to true leaders and effective leadership include:
1) Purpose: The foundation key to becoming a leader is discovery and capturing of a sense of one’s purpose in life. Purpose is a clear, guiding vision that drives persistence, perseverance, faith and hope, even when a leader is faced with setbacks and failures.
2) Passion: This is a deep controlling desire that makes a leader to become committed to the purpose or goal of his life. You must love what you are doing, and you must do what you love. You must love doing it, if a leader you would be. This serves as fuel to your life goal.
3) Integrity: Act with self-knowledge, candor and maturity. Knowing yourself, your strengths and weaknesses provide the experience for significant success in life. Accept yourself as good, worthy and valuable. A leader must be man or woman of candor – honest to his/her thoughts, words and actions; steadfast and devoted to principles founded on soundness and wholeness. Maturity is important for balancing of thoughts and emotions; being dedicated, observant and capable to work with others. Be a person of integrity and people would vouch for your credibility and fight for your sake.
4) Trust: A leader must earn the confidence and trust of his/her followers, and trust is the product of integrity. Without trust, a leader is lost and left to stand alone without a follower. And trust is born out of individuals whose characters have been tried, tested, proven and established as faithful and trustworthy. Thus trust is the product of sound character and competency. To become an effective leader you must earn the trust and confidence of others.
5) Curiosity and daring: Leadership, just as life, is an adventure. A leader must be willing to take risks, explore and experiment new ideas. Leaders are willing to challenge traditions and conventions and do not worry about failure. It is in failures that leaders reorganize themselves and become strong agents of change and reformation. Thus, a leader must be observant and eager to learn. He must be bold and upright. As an aspiring leader, you must concern yourself with expressing yourself rather than making attempt to proving yourself.
6) Service: True leaders do not seek to be served but take to serving others. Leadership cannot be taught but are learned and the capacity to learn resides within you. This potential within everyone expresses itself at best when one offers himself or herself to serving a cause for general well being of others. As leaders are simple people who live their lives and express themselves fully, service becomes an avenue of expressing those values that help lead people onward and forward. Take to service if you want to lead.
5.0 The purpose for leadership
Leadership, as conventionally understood, is viewed as the ability of one person to influence others. To understand the purpose for leadership, we must discover how followers were created and the objective of following, which is the goal of leadership.
· The purpose of leadership is to produce leaders. Effective leadership inspires every follower to become a leader and fulfill his potential.
· True leadership helps others to discover, develop and become themselves.
· True leaders set others free to become leaders.
· True leaders show or point the way out to others.
6.0 Tapping your leadership potential
Great leaders are ordinary people who do extraordinary things because circumstances make demands on their potential. The great leaders of historical past were people just like you and I. What made them exceptional was their passion for life motivated by a deep guiding purpose and a sense of destiny. Tapping into your leadership potential requires that you strive to attend mastery on:
1) Independent decision making: Leaders learn from others but they are not made by others. Do not allow others to influence your decision. Be firm in your decision and be slow in effecting changes if need be.
2) Govern yourself: Control yourself and learn to remain calm at difficult and trial times. A leader who loses self-control forfeits respect and loses influence. Be disciplined and set high moral standards for yourself.
3) Control your emotions: Develop skills and ability to manage your emotions. Do not allow yourself to be upset by anger for whatever reason. An angry man loses all and attracts failure to himself. Aside, he generates poisons within himself which slowly cause him ill health conditions. Let only reason, instead of emotions/feelings, be your guide. Though leaders are very compassionate, they rule and lead with their heads, not their hearts. Let your head rules your heart!
4) Be an independent thinker: A true leader does not follow the majority or the crowd. It is only those who think differently and independently that has changed the world and contributes positively to the advancement of humanity. Remember, majority are not always right. Quite a number of examples abound in history. Think independently. Develop your own philosophy and working principles.
5) Handle disappointment with creativity and innovation: See every disappointment as opportunities to maximize your potential. Derive new strength and inspiration in every situation of disappointment. Embrace creativity and innovation; make changes and adjustment where necessary. Strive to stand still, even when your knees get shaky.
6) Inspires confidence: Secure the co-operation and respect of others by keeping and practising moral virtues. The only way for others to have confidence in you is to see that you are faithful over little things, committed to your purpose and is willing to sacrifice all for your cause.
7) Be reliable and accept correction: Make people rely on you for advice, counseling and assistance in delicate circumstances. As they rely and depend on you, you take charge and control of their circumstances and directly influence them to follow your advice and directives. But care is needed so they do not over-depend on you. That way, you lead them on their course.
Accept blames and your shortcomings and make every effort to correct them (and yourself). Also use discipline as corrective measures instead of as punishment to your followers or those who rely and depend on you.
8) Be a mobilizer and a conciliator: If you can inspire, you can mobilize with little effort. By inspiring others, you induce them to happily do some legitimate things through utilization of their personal resources and potential.
An important function of leadership is conciliation; the ability to discover common ground between opposing viewpoints and then inspire or induce both parties to accept it. This calls for wisdom and wisdom guides every leader in his judgment. Be a peace maker, a lover of peace; and you will excel as a leader.
9) Build and maintain relationship: True leaders are not afraid to establish strong friendships because they are secure in themselves. For this to be realized, be truthful, sincere, transparent and honest in friendship, or any other relation such as business. Be sensitive to the affection and love you share with others. Never attempt to take undue advantage in any relationship. Do not force relationship but allow it to develop and grow naturally.
10) Accept others unconditionally as they are, and as they present themselves.
11) Be self-confident and approachable. Make yourself available.
12) Subdue your ego and think of others before yourself.
13) Learn to forgive, and encourage others.
14) Trust in God and learn to commune with HIM daily. Seek HIS guidance at all times. Live with HIM and do not depart from HIS presence.
7.0 Qualification for leadership
The quality of your character is the measure of your leadership effectiveness, thus:
1) Be committed to maintaining integrity.
2) Study and work for self development and improvement.
3) Develop strong moral and ethical values.
4) Show temperance and tolerance to contrary acts of others.
5) Act with maturity and intelligence.
6) Fulfill family and domestic commitments.
7) Offer yourself to opportunity of service.
8.0 Essential qualities of leadership
1) Be discipline.
2) Have a clearly defined vision, and act with a focused mission.
3) Use and apply common sense to solving problems.
4) Be decisive in making decisions and have a strong will to stick to it.
5) Be humble and avoid pride. Have the aptitude to learn at all times, even from among the fools.
6) Be courageous and develop moral fortitude and mastery over fear.
7) Develop a good sense of humour and mix well and freely in social gatherings.
8) Be patient and act with discretion. In every thought, word, and act, let prudence and temperance be your guide.
9) Develop and build strong bonds in fellowship and friendship.
10) Be inspirational by your words and deeds.
9.0 The price of leadership
True leaders transcend private comforts to comfort others. Anyone who aspires to the position of leadership must not be misguided by the perceived glory, prominence and benefits of such an honourable position. Every leader must be ready to carry his own cross. He should prepare himself to pay the following prices:
1) Personal sacrifice.
2) Rejection by friends, family members and associates.
3) Subjection to stern and demoralizing criticism.
4) Suffer loneliness and persecution.
5) Face undue pressure and perplexity.
6) Suffer mental and physical fatigues.
7) Annihilation of personal and family interests.
10.0 Dangers of leadership
Though aspiration to leadership is an honourable ambition, you must also be aware of the hazards and dangers of leadership. Some of these dangers are:
1) Popularity may lead the leader to the development of cult-like personality, thus seeing himself as a god.
2) Pride due to the occupation of position of prominence and significance tends to encourage self-congratulation and self-importance thus treating others with contempt.
3) Jealousy due to apprehension and suspicion of rivals.
4) Disrespect occasioned by betrayal of trust, immorality, dishonesty, and enrichment through corrupt practices.
5) Security risk associated with abuse of power and authority.
Thank you as you strive for excellent leadership.
LEADERSHIP AND THE LEADERS WE NEED is the complete text of lecture presented by Mr. Godwin Ekpe at the LBA Forum on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at Lotus Lodge.
