BECOME A LEADER II

Something tells me that the average Nigerian is a leader by divine design. When you go outside this country, especially around other parts of Africa you will realize that we are a different set of people. Nigerians are the most assertive group of people on this continent. You will be shocked at the level of complacency in other African countries.

Relatively, we are fast, innovative, creative, and we have an entrepreneurial spirit. We have been through so much yet we are still on our feet. We have resilience. There is something inside us that stands up to the situation. A Nigerian will always find a way. There is hardly any country on this planet where you won’t find a Nigerian.

It is only unfortunate that we have channeled our sterling qualities in the wrong direction. Our innovativeness has been taken to the highest level in crime. Nigerians have beaten some of the best systems in the world. When you look at it on the surface, the general conclusion is that these are a bad set of people but that is not true.

There is something intrinsically good about every human being. The devil does not create human beings but only perverts what God created. What we need is to have all of the innate qualities God put in us channeled in the right direction. We need the right motivation. Poverty corrupts our motives and easily destroys our moral values.

Nigerians have a desire to succeed but employ the wrong approach. We need the right vision because when you have a country made up of leaders, whoever will lead must be a strong leader. Once you take out character out there is nothing left of leadership. That is exactly what has been lacking in some of the leaders that we have had.

However, a new generation is emerging. A new generation where leaders would set a good example for citizenship. Having the desire to influence someone for good is good. We cannot sit down wondering why it is not being done right when we are not doing anything to put it right. It is a good thing to desire to be able to do something about the situation of our country.

You may not end up being the president of Nigeria but within the context of your destiny, there is something you can do. There are some people you can influence for good and it may just be as simple as setting up a daycare center and inculcating good values in young children. And you can be a leader in your area of passion.

John C. Maxwell, an authority on the subject of leadership, has that there are different levels of leadership with different levels of influence. The first level of leadership is Position. This is when authority is conferred on you by appointment to a position and you are given a title. At this level, you are a leader over people because you have been appointed to a position of authority over others hence they obey you because of the title.

 

Leadership at this level is only an opportunity to become a real leader. The next level of leadership is Permission. This is when the people you lead want you to lead them. They have given you the right or permission to lead them. Position and Permission are two different levels because at the level of position, people obey you not because they like you but because they have to, especially where it has to do with a salaried job.

At the level of permission, the people themselves want you to lead them. You are not just seen as a boss, there is an established relationship. There is trust between you and they are convinced you have their interest at heart. You have won their hearts understanding that leadership is a matter of the heart.

Before you ask for people’s hands you have to be able to win their hearts. If they don’t give you their hearts getting their hands would be difficult. The third level of leadership is that of Production. Now that the people have chosen to cooperate with you, there is multiplication in results and it is an exciting phase. The group succeeds. You get better results and goals are achieved.

People Development is the fourth level of leadership. At this point, the focus is now on individuals with the sole desire to make them as competent and as skilled as you are. You are not fulfilled just being a lone star in the star. Wisdom tells you to switch from being a player to being a coach. You now want to produce people that would be as effective as you are.

At the level of People development, the major characteristic is training or mentoring. We need to get as many people as possible to this level of success in our country. It will accelerate our rate of success. The fifth and highest level of leadership is Personhood. That is the point at which your status as a leader is no longer limited to your designation as the head of an organization.

At this level even when they take away the groups or organizations that you have led your name can stand on its own. You have become an institution. When you look closely at these levels of leadership, you will see where the problem lies in our country. Most of the people who call themselves leaders in our nation don’t go beyond the first level. They are leaders just because of their position and titles.

The moment you need a title to shore up your leadership position you are not yet standing. We need to desire to rise through the different levels of leadership. When you get to the levels of people development and personhood, you become such a great influence over the people around you. Our country and our world would be better because you decided to become a true leader. By the way, who are the leaders we will be voting for come 2023?

Nigeria will Succeed!