Introduction
Nature abounds with expressions
that may be termed forms of leadership. In the world of brutes, citing a monkey
troop for instance, we find alpha males[i]
maintaining some form of social order, while the females take time out to pass
on to their numerous youngsters techniques like grooming etc. here we can deduce
leadership in the world of brutes as a position – though serving sometimes as a
tool of intimidation, just as it is with man – and a form of influence.
The objective of this article is
not to examine the concept of leadership from the vantage point of observing
animals but as it is in human relations. It seeks to give the reader an
understanding of who a leader is and what leadership is all about.
The words “Leader” and
“Leadership” have been widely misunderstood or given wrong meanings in some
quarters. Thus, society abounds with accounts of failures vis-à-vis the
achievement of set goals in families, organisations and as touching
nation-building and sustainable development etc. Professor Chinua Achebe in his
book “The Trouble with Nigeria”[ii]
identifies the problem with Nigeria as the dearth of leadership. With the
attendant evidences in all facets of our environment, there arises a question
of “if our leadership is faulty?” or “if there is a dearth of Leadership?”
before going any further to challenge us to awake to our (or your)
responsibility of filling the seemingly apparent leadership void in society, it is important for us to look at what
leadership is; and who a leader is – because to understand a challenge is to
have its solution in sight.
What leadership is all about
On going through, literature one
finds array of definitions. However, this article goes with the definition of
leadership as “positive influence in every sphere of human relations.”[iii]
Hence, anyone who has discovered his innate abilities and leaves deposits –
like the spirit of diligence, staying power etc – in another, in the process of
exhibiting such innate ability, can be called a leader. Common sense
explanation of the last point is that such an individual has successfully shown
the other person how to do something the right way.
To be a leader is all about
exercising some degree of influence on another individual or group. Many have
been deceived today by the fallacy of “some are designed to lead, others are
just designed to follow.” The live their lives therefore ruled over by
inferiority complex. The good news – if you belong to such category – is that
with a little push and self-understanding/discovery, you will prove the proponents
of such view wrong.
Because man has the capacity to
lead at such an early stage in life, it is imperative for leadership coaching
to be embraced by parents at the early stages of their children’s development.
The can be taught about how volunteering one’s help and expertise helps build character
and a better-rounded person; to stir up their minds to think about their moral
duty in society.
The best gift a parent can give to his children is a solid
foundation – complete with clear direction and self discipline necessary for
realising their dreams.[iv]
Children possess high receptive
mind and are easily influenced just by observing the behaviour of their peers
and adults – thus upturning the notion of leadership as title, position, tool
for oppression and self aggrandizement. Some children have been known for
finding solution to tricky challenges – like finding their way around some
obstacle vis-à-vis their age – during play time ahead of their friends; and you
see them encouraging others to follow suit. Thus, we see leadership as not
calling the shots but helping others discover their strength and ability. Becky
Brodin succinctly puts it this way: “to lead is not wielding authority, – it is
empowering people” it is about replicating leaders after you!
Having journeyed this far in
quest of an understanding of what leadership is and its significance – which is
the creation of a society where positive influence and empowerment is the norm
– it is hoped that in the end you are spurred up to dust yourself, having
tripped over the erroneous notion of “all men are not born to lead”; and to
determine to leave your footprint in the sands of time.
Unlocking the code
We now come to look at ways you
can unlock the leader in you; and this part of our discussion will encompass
Self-discovery and Attitude as key themes. Every leaders had or has a secret of
success, some of which include (but is not limited to these): a reading
culture, maximising strength, humility, drive for exceptionality, listening
more and speaking less, setting standards, standing out from the crowd and
letting their work and others speak for them of their success – and not them
doing so. You will find that the aforementioned can be summed up as Character. Friends, you too can lead,
no matter what you think as the odds if you apply same principles. Let’s
proceed to examine them in detail.
Read, read and read
Books
are undoubtedly resources never to be toyed with by anyone seeking to be ahead
of his group in the hot race to succeed; for in them are contained different
forms of knowledge one can ever imagine. The digital era, today, has indeed
expanded the “info-bank” as we now have eBooks and E-libraries, audio books,
blogs, social networking sites, name them; and all contain vast information on
life’s issues. To be successful you must be exposed to garbage and useful
information alike to be able to distinguish ends and to make amends where
others have missed the mark.
According to W. Fusselman[v],
a reader today becomes tomorrow’s leader. This is so because – supporting it
with the words of another great thinker – a reader stands on the shoulders of
great minds to see far ahead, beyond the now, when he reads their minds product
as contained in books. Reading affords you the opportunity to rub minds with
great men and to learn from their experiences as yours might not be the best
teacher.
Leaders are always prepared to learn; and in the words of Rick Warren
“the moment you stop learning, you stop leading” because all you possess as
knowledge is but stale as it were. Hence, reading must become your hobby if you
must escape mental deformity and if you want to become the leader, you are
designed to be.
Discover your ability, Maximise
your strength
Self discovery is the most important and
wonderful thing that can/could ever happen to an individual. Knowing your
abilities furnishes you with the right idea about the environment wherein you
will function, excellently! This is also emphasised by Dr. Jack M. Wilson, President
of the University of Massachusetts system, when he commented on Radley Watkins’
book “Animal Leadership: Leadership Lessons Learned from Wildlife for Leading
Yourself”.[vi]
He stated that Radley Watkins’ book “teaches that everyone’s personality can be
compared to one of four great animals of power: the bear, wolf, eagle, and
horse.
Once you know what sort of animal you are you will know what sort of
habitat to put yourself in order to thrive.”[vii]
A fish is naturally at home in water because of its ability to breathe and swim
in it. Bring it out of water and it becomes helpless and struggles for survival
as it lacks the ability to walk, fly or breathe air like land dwellers do on
land. Similarly, you can succeed in what you do when you discover what your
strengths and abilities are. You remain unquestionable as it were.
Henry Ford, founder of Ford
Motors, captures the essence of ability in his assertion when he said that,
asking “who might be the boss?” is like asking “who ought to be the tenor in a
quartet.” Of course, the right candidate is whoever can sing tenor. Hence
search out and work on those strengths of yours – it could be the ability to
stimulate members of a team at the office to press on in challenging
situations.
Talk less, Listen more
Although communication is vital
in human interaction, one who aspires to lead must know when to speak and when
to be silent, listening out for new ideas. Of course, when you listen more you
are teaching others by example – leading by example, pointing out an important
aspect of human communication in relationships. Success comes from carrying
people along. This is achieved when you when you are receptive to their
opinions, suggestions and contributions. A good leader always seeks out new
ideas which makes him more current on issues as it were, because no one is a personification
of knowledge in its entirety.
The fact that failure always sets
in when we refuse to open up to new knowledge is not a new one. In fact George
Crane highlights this fact when he stated this, that “congealed thinking is the
forerunner of failure… make sure that you are receptive to new ideas.” Hence,
to gain more from peers and to gain their respect – this applies to work place
environment and other settings – you ought to demonstrate that they are
important by giving them the opportunity to make contributions as it gives them
a sense of belonging.
The incidence of supposed leaders
shoving those around them aside and imposing personal ideas on them is the
reason many failures are recorded in organisations for instance. In sum,
speaking less and listening more is wisdom for every aspiring leader and any
leader hoping to succeed as one. In addition, you know that you have succeeded,
when the compliment you get from people who work or associate with you is
“thanks for giving me opportunity to contribute.” This is because they felt a
sense of belonging.
Admit and correct mistakes
The
point to be seen here is the importance of courage. Courage to admit wrong or
mistake is one virtue lacking in society, not because people can’t be
courageous, but simply because it simply does not appeal to them – because of
pride. Pride, it is said “… goes before [every
terrible] fall.” It is therefore imperative to cultivate the habit of
admitting error.
Though to admit mistakes is
important, of more importance is the ability and willingness to learn from such
mistakes and to correct them. Quoting John Maxwell, to buttress this truth, he
states that, “a man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to
profit from them and strong enough to correct them.” that is what makes a great
man, a leader.
Create your path, be a standard
Many people have the tendency to
intimidate others. While it is good to have role models, it shouldn’t be the
basis for wanting to be exactly like them vis-à-vis achievement etc. having a
role model is having one you admire and one you can learn from – one who
impresses your mind with positive values that helps you succeed, not in the
same way or in the same business. Always
aim at creating a unique path, be unique yourself. Others shouldn’t be your
future but a point of reference to beat. Rephrasing the words of Stephen Jobs[viii],
“become a yardstick of quality” in what you do, and not becoming someone else's
replica.
Be immune to the “Mob Effect”
You might have been discouraged
by what people might or may not have said. It’s okay to feel sad, but that
should not make you think that you are “a nobody.” Many a times individuals
find themselves dancing to the tune of others – the crowd – and in the end fail
to impress the same crowd or achieving anything. That is what is called the mob effect in this work.
A man who wants to go far in life must
cultivate the habit of sometimes shutting his ears to the shouts of the crowd.
Maxwell captures it again this way, “a man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back to the crowd.” If you
have seen a choir or orchestra conductor in action, you will notice that focus
is the most important if he wants success in the end of the performance. He
doesn’t stop at intervals to look at the faces in the audience, of whether they
are smiling, frowning or if at worse, if they have left the theatre. He is not
consumed by applause; he aims for heights alone as it were. Thus, determine to
stand out from the crowd always, like the eagle amongst birds.
Leaders are like
eagles; and according to H. Ross Perot “eagles don’t flock – you have to find
them one at a time.” This is true because you never find eagles congregated at
a spot, like other birds, nor do you find them dictating for one another in
what formation to fly as is observably with egrets and pigeons. They fly high
individually. Stand out, not giving in to dictation. Chart your course, make a
mark positively.
Let your work and others speak
for you
Finally, a good leader does not go about
town blowing his own trumpet. Since leadership is all about making impact and
leaving lasting impression, the objects of such impact automatically become
testimonies. We find in society people going about spreading sermons on their
achievement when there exists nothing to show for such claimed achievement.
Success is all about your output,
so also is the act of exhibiting leadership. Henry ford puts it this way “that
you cannot build a reputation on what you are going to do.” Thus, reputations
are the consequences of our output or influence as it were. When you give a
helping hand in your little corner, for instance, it invariably creates not
only an impact, but your story is told repeatedly somewhere else. Thus, your
reputation grows, with no need for you to blow your trumpet.
Last words
We have set out to understand
what leadership is and who can be called a leader, and we stated that
leadership is not about titles or positions; but about influence. We tried not
to examine leadership from the perspective of some having been designed to rule
– or being anointed specially – because that is a factor that may explains why
things have gone wrong in society today, and why many still reinforce the
notion of a few messiahs in existence.
Nevertheless, this work concluded
by stating that on the contrary everyone leads (influences) others in one way
or the other and at different times and situations. The argument here is aimed
at re-educating and motivating us to build character, for in the words of
Booker T. Washington “Character is power.” For T. Richard Chase, demonstrating
competency, genuine concern for others and admirable character attracts
followers – the consequence of good leadership.
On building character we outlined
some points, though not exhaustive as it is beyond the scope of this work, we
believe that when internalised will set one on course the road to becoming a
success, a leader. We said that you must be a reader to be a leader wherever
you find yourself; you must be a listener and open to change or new ideas and
suggestions; and that you must be humble enough to admit, learn from and
correct mistakes. We also emphasized on the need for you to create your unique
path by striving to excel in what you do and letting your reputation do the
talking for you.
I believe that when you apply the
points outlined and discussed above you will be on your way to success as an
influence, a leader. The world wants you to manifest your leadership, to take
your pride of place in the affairs of humankind as that good boss,
administrator, parent, teacher, a motivator etc; to put an end to the current
states-of-affairs like: do-or-die politicking, embezzlement of public funds,
dysfunctional homes, ballooning population of ill mannered individuals etc. yes
you can! Just dare to be different by building your character because “all
glory comes from daring to begin.”[ix]
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[i] Males that occupy the apex in the
social hierarchy
[ii] See the book “The Trouble with
Nigeria” by Chinua Achebe, Fourth Dimension Publishing Co., 2000.
[iii] The authors own definition
[iv]
http://www.leadership-tools.com%2Fleadership-for-kids.html
(referred from Google Search)
[v] Cited in “The Power of Leadership”
by John Maxwell
[vi]Visit http://animalleadership.com/
if you want to buy the book or to know more about the author
[vii] ibid
[viii]
The founder of the innovative
Apple
[ix] Quote by Eugene F. Ware
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