#iSpeakPOSITIVELY

It’s generally believed and apparent that existence is in two realms: the material world {conspicuous for all to see; tangible} and the insubstantial world {not tangible but existing}. Surprisingly, the latter births and controls the former.Changes, before being obvious to the natural, are effected in the realm of the unseen by conceiving ideas, scrutinizing it, weighing the pros and cons of its implementation, and predicting likely outcomes. In addition, it sometimes takes time for changes to be noticed in the natural world. It is like the story of the Chinese Bamboo Tree. You take a little seed, plant it, water it, and fertilize it for a whole year and nothing happens. The second, third and fourth year too shows no significant progress despite the water and fertilizer applied to it. In the fifth year, the tree sprouts and grows ninety feet in six weeks. That’s quite amazing!

This is very analogous to the product of words. Words are seedsand they yield harvest. Words are the units of creation. They are the building block of life. The oldest, yet existing, principle is that of releasing creativeand rightwords from the vocal cord. Words kill, words give life. A man’s tongue has the capacity to put all his body in control. Great leadershave learnt to leverage on this aged tenet. History has the records. At Britain’s finest hour, his words to the House of Common when newly appointed as the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill said: “…Victory – victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.”Leaders shape their world and inspire people into productive actions with their words.

My dear country, Nigeria, will be 54 on October 1^st. A question prevalent in this season is whether the independence is worth celebrating or not?#LEAD360 has taken cue from GEMSTONE’s #iSpeakPOSITIVELY’s social media campaign and has dedicated today’s focus on speaking creatively rather than debate if Nigeria@54 is worth celebrating. Of course, the headlines are so disquieting but we would rather feed, trigger, and release our faith than accept fate. Knowing that right words are forcible and carries with it the potentials to produce result, especially when backed with actions, I will therefore speak inspired words. Join me as we scatter seeds into different sector of our Dear Country.

Our land produces the best of people with the right value systems. Nation Builders arise with healings in their wings. Men whose heart God has touched, providing solutions to our multifaceted problems because they exude the wide-shining wisdom of God. Men, leading the people with the integrity of heart and the skillfulness of their hands.Men running with the common vision ofdeveloping the nation in different capacities; climbing barricades; undaunted, fearless, unswerving and unstoppable. Each one knows his job and does it. These men will use the old rubble of past lives to build anew. Well acclaimed to be people who can fix anything, restoring old ruins, rebuilding, renovating and making the community livable again.

Our nation designs enduring structures capable of bequeathing the right values to generations unborn; edificesupholding the tenets of democracy; policies not just favouring the high and mighty but also the commonest man even in our villages;systems where transparency is its hallmark; and institutions impacting the spirit of patriotism in our vanguards.

Our Statesmen are people of honour, men with a pedigree of reliability, committed to strong family values, consumed with the nation’s interest, generous andprudent withevery kobo in our nation’s coffers. Men of influence, well respected globally. Men whose words carry power and significantly contributing to the overall good of the continent and the world at large.

Our land yields quality crops in huge quantity which do not just translate to Agricultural experimentsbut a genuine Operation-feed-the-nation scheme. Food gets to the table of the common man and our crops are highly valued in the international market.

The nooks and crannies of our community are safe havens where our children grow without fear and trembling. Terror is flushed out of our streets;fear grips bandits that they dare not operate on our finely constructed highways anymore; our seas freedfrom pirates and our airways steered clear of suicide bombers. Life and property are well preserved!Sustainable ultramodern transportation and railway systems flourishing smoothly in our cities; and trusted airline services in business.Our climate is a temperate ambience breeding investment opportunities at home and abroad. Massive urbanisation of our villages with preservation of our culture and extinction of some customs that hinder progress.Tourism is greatly boosted in our nation.

We prosper in health and wealth. Our hospitals are well-equipped with up-to-date drugs and medical facilities. Viral diseases are kicked out of our land, the immune system of our people is boosted, infant mortality rate radically declines, poverty becomes a defeated malady, and maternal health greatly improves!

Our institutions are indeed citadels of learning producing highly intelligent minds and faculties. Our students excel brilliantly, not just passing examinations with flying colours but readily applyingall they have learnt in different spheres of life. Expatriates queue in embassies just to get visa into our great country, Nigeria. Brain drain emigration regresses abruptly. We exploit the limitless advantages of information technology; expanding our expertise in automobile and aircraft manufacturing; and other major electromechanical devices.

Power stability becomes a usual phenomenon in every crevice of the six geo-political zones of our nation. Justice and equity pervades our legislative system at all levels. Entrepreneurial giants and enterprise developers emerge with creative solutions ~ tackling financial lack and providing employment opportunities for many. Beyond tribal or religious differences, we apply our hearts to righteousness {moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation} and our nation is exalted;our people are delivered from the shackles of guilt and shame; we have a rekindled hope beyond our present realities, faith beyond our fate, and love unfeigned displayed by our country men and women, provoking their unflinching support for visionary governance.

We become everything we can be but have not yet become; we do everything we can do but have not yet done, and we have everything we can have but have not yet possessed. Nigeria becomes the eighth wonder of the world and people – both young and old - marvel at the great transformation that befalls us so shortly. Nations see us and call us BLESSED! GOD BLESS NIGERIA ~ a land of limitless transformational possibilities.

#iSpeakPOSITIVELY #iSpeakLIFE #iSpeakVICTORY #iSpeakHealingOfOurNAtion #iSpeakNigeria #iBuildNigeria #GODBlessNIGERIA #GODBlessAfrica #GODBlessTheWorld.

As we mark Nigeria@54, I charge you to publish these words for great, in influence and affluence, is the company of the publishers of these words. We are the builders! Let’s speak and act the Nigeria we envision into being. We have what we say and receive a hundred percent yield of these seeds.

Happy Independence Nigeria!

Femi TIAMIYU

#LEAD360

You can now obtainThe Pauline Prayers by DamilolaOguntunde, Senior Pastor, CASOR, ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile Ifefrom https://payhip.com/b/H1DRor get your copyat Wisdom Hills, Opposite OAU Campus Gate, Ile-Ife or call Mayodeon 08035920525 for further enquiries.

Sophisticated Sophia, Phoney Phillip

One of the essential ingredients that breed a functional leadership is love. It is this singular entity that distinguishes Mother Teresa from Adolf Hitler and WHO from ISIS. Love does not only ensure a thriving organisation, it is an indispensable quality for any leader or organisation seeking lasting impact {to leave a legacy}. Leadership is the ability to inspire willing and conscious followership. An Organisation, as observed by Late Steven Covey, is made up of individuals who have a relationship and a shared purpose. This purpose aims to meet the need of one or more persons or stakeholders. A marriage is a kind of organisation. A relationship too. And Love, most times, is the legal tender validating this ‘transaction’.

In our discourse today, we have two characters who are not necessarily in a love affair but they are symbolic of ‘some’ structural exhibitions with respect to gender. What is at the ‘heart’ of these two specimens? How are they wired to operate? Would a Sophia, highly sophisticated, want to have a romance with a Phillip so insensitive of his inbuilt capacity to take the lead? Let’s film these characters more closely: Her name suggests her insatiable crave for wisdom {Sophia}. She’s committed to living by the standards of the organisation and she upholds ethical values despite her shortcomings. She’s weathered the storm and now can walk with some poise. She has a twenty-first century fashion sense. Confident. Intellectual. Delectable she is. Witty too. Bishop Thomas Jakes, in The Lady, Her Lover and Her Lord, calls her the mother of nations, the womb of creativity, the garden of life. She manages her emotions well. She accepts responsibilities willingly. Highly initiative. Delivers results with ease and speed. She’s a model to her peers. Her protégées admire her to the point that they ‘secretly’ wish her as their wife. Her male colleague respects her too. The boss is always pleased with her deliveries. She’s found to be always upping her games, knowing what position to assume when rolling the dice for a favourable outcome. And yes, she takes pride in her person always.

Phillip on the other hand, lives a deceitful lifestyle. He is not necessarily a fraudster but he swindles himself. He prioritizes earning over learning, wealth over wisdom, pleasure over pains; appetite over purpose; power over knowledge {of authority}. Mistaken maleness for manhood; misdirected the exuberant nature of the male-man. I usually like to use the seven G’s Check of a Man: God (simply Spiritual Intelligence ~ the optimum functioning of a man is dependent on understanding this Living Entity ~ His Source); Gaze (Vision); Governance (Leadership); Gumption (Knowledge, Mind Power, Emotional Intelligence); Goal (Pursuits); Gold {Financial Intelligence); and Gait {Physical and Social Intelligence). This is even not exhaustive as compared to the seventeen F’s renowned Speaker and a visionary Icon to me and many youths, Fela Durotoye listed in his Mr Fanstastic. Of course, we don’t expect Mr. Phillip to carry a ‘placard’ around trying to regurgitate these highlights. These, actually are programmes that would ooze from the man’s codes by default if he’d thoroughly internalized them.

Apparently, this is typical of some settings. I have witnessed different versions of it – ‘some’ voluntary organisations, clubs, associations and faith-based organisations. Some corporate circles are spared as motivation of personnel in firms is a function of some induced incentives and activating a work environment that allows for the growth { social, professional, etc.} of the employees. The description of Sophia and Phillip might not have been so absolute but you would agree that commitment and support seems to be readily solicited from the female species than their male counterpart and her alacrity can be guaranteed. Some ladies are recalcitrant though….*Lips Sealed*. Of course, women being emotional, tend to pay more attention to matters of conscience {and Leadership is a matter of conscience. Love is its gauge!}. They put the whole of their being into what’s committed in their care. Little wonder, records have it that there are more women than men in Churches, though not obtainable in ‘every’ Church. An Author had quipped that many husbands lacked vision. In turn, the woman primarily designed to be a helper would always want to assist any man with a vision, hence the rationale behind the massive drift of women to Churches to assist the Pastors’ vision. Well, ultimately, the vision is not the Pastor’s. It is God’s. But I digress.

#LEAD360, inspiring effective leadership, is concerned with this trend. Phillip must stop being phony. For once, he’s to take life, at least, with a pinch of gravity. Let’s look at three areas where this theme must be tweaked. 

1. Home

Where else is the display of leadership needed most if not in the family? Every standard seems to be falling apart today because of compromised family values. What would be the outcome of the matrix if the proportion of SOPHIAs to PHILLIPs, as described from the preceeding, is 70:30 respectively? That’s an invitation to anarchy I suppose. We must charge Mr. Phillip that the conferment on him as the head is not for decoration. As much as it is honourary, which is what the understanding and application of leadership does to any being irrespective of sex, it is not a value statement about worth. Being the head doesn’t make you the greatest in your home. Heads and leaders are first servants. Leadership is service! With authority come responsibilities. The first being knowledge. Authority is unleashed by virtue of knowledge. Hence, leaders are knowers. They search and not sag or laze around. If all you care, the Holy Book calls you the Head of your wife. Put your house in order Mr. Phillip. Uncover the 7 G’s and 17 F’s mentioned above. Man Up! 

2. Organisation

There is nothing wrong with Sophia. God bless her heart if she truly understands the concept of submission. However, Phillip must develop some responsible traits in his workplace. Phillip’s initiative ability must be resuscitated. Life is not lottery Phillip! So stop loitering around rehearsing excuses for one failure to perform or sloppiness in duty. I concur with my friend’s PM some days back; Dami Oguntunde says excuses are the adornment of lazy people. Profound! Leaders are conscious of the influence over them and the influence they wield ‘cos being under an influence and you as an influence to others validates your leadership equilibrium {I’ve never heard that term before though, perhaps it would be a theme at our subsequent discourse *winks*}. 

3. Society

The PHILLIPs need to be reminded that the future of any generation lies in their hands. How disgraceful it would be if the ‘unborns’ or ‘toddlers’ grow up to know their left from their right and can’t find us as samples of their models? The development of any community with a sustainable growth appraisal is dependent on Phillip’s audacity to take the lead just as Obama stepped out. Recommending his Audacity of Hope won’t be out of place at this point. Of course, we’re not saying Phillip should start daydreaming being the next president of his country ‘cos he loves those illusive fantasies. Nah! Phillip must make real and right his thoughts ~ a proper estimation of his perceptions, conceptions and inceptions ~ definite phases every vision/dream must pass through. The community was placed in your hand Phillip! Arise and take charge! Live out your mandate. You are born to rule Sir!

Charge any Phillip around you to ponder over the underlying points in this masterpiece and caution Sophia to maintain her champion while performing her role with utmost humility. Well, for the obstinate and disrespectful SOPHIAs, you just asked what we are to do to them. First, we won’t call them Sophia. Second, we would open their files consequently! *LOL*

Raise the edge always! Take the LEAD!

Femi TIAMIYU

#LEAD360

The Pauline Prayers by Damilola Oguntunde, Senior Pastor, CASOR, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife is very much available. The Masterpiece is forwarded by Pastor Dele Osunmakinde of The Baptizing Church. Place your order at Wisdom Hills, Opposite OAU Campus Gate, Ile-Ife or call Mayode on 08035920525 for further enquiries.

Communication Protocols

“The belief is this: every person in the world wants voice and dignity, and every person deserves them. By ‘voice,’ I mean people want the opportunity to speak their minds and have their ideas, opinions, and feelings heard, regardless of their nationality, gender, age, or culture. By ‘dignity,’ I mean people inherently and instinctively want to be respected for their work and effort and individuality.”
Scripted from the blockbuster of the eighth Chairman and CEO of General Electric Company, Jack Welch’s Winning. Dignity, just like love, is conferred on a person through words and deeds. Leader wield influence through persuasion, motivation and more importantly, honour ~ communicating esteem to others through service and in return inspire them to act. It’s regrettably saddening how leaders could sometimes talk their subordinates down or how an ‘underling’ could have, through repeated failure to act or words or even actions, provoked a leader to speak unadvisedly.

A citation in Eugene Peterson’s contemporary rendering of the Holy Book is as apt as the synopsis for this discourse:

“Congenial conversation -- what a pleasure! The right word at the right time -- beautiful!”

Beyond the power of the words spoken, the manner in which the words are conveyed also matters a lot as you’d realise that communication appeals not only to hearing but also to sight and feeling. Every leader must be schooled in communication. It is an ongoing learning for a leader. Communication enhances the transference of passion. It is the platform for influence and impact.

Apparently, communication is a broad subject finding massive application in all walks of life. Hence, a limitation is posed on us to focus on a section of it. With the core objective of #LEAD360, empowering leaders for effectiveness, Communication Protocols aims to look at the nuances of communication ~ that manner to convey thoughts such that ‘that’ voice and dignity which every man seeks is accorded him. Let’s address the different flows of communication in an organisation and the different elements to cultivate in each scheme. {Pardon the phrases I’d chosen for this purpose as they do not have direct meanings with their literally interpretations.}

       1.    Talking Down

By Talking Down, I mean communication flow from the Head/Point Man/Project Coordinator to his/her subordinates. The foremost trait to display to your team players is Sincerity. Let your mouth and gesticulation really depict the act of the hour. Yes, diplomacy is required at certain times. However, you owe your team that reliability. It’s a gridlock working with dishonest leaders. Little wonder some African countries can measure little or no progress in their nation’s affairs. Many citizenries have since thrown the trust virtue in the ocean of forgetfulness. We have seen news titbits where politicians' trickeries insult our intelligence. Hence, there is an individual and a collective quest for leaders with integrity in all sphere of influence. Mean that compliment when you say it. State your vision with Clarity. Correction and Rebuke should be done in love, that is, for constructive purposes and not the reverse. Correct him who errs but do not know he goofed; rebuke the man who stumbles knowing the right thing to do but didn’t do it. Sometimes, it really could be difficult for some leaders to maintain positivism with a continual lack of performance from a junior leader or worker. In corporate circles, the minor gets fired after series of query! In NGOs, FBOs or Voluntary Organisations: some heads with a corporate sense of duty fires the guy too and some could help the guy straighten out his shortcoming. However, as the set-man, never forget that your guys always want to be reminded that you believe the best of them. Encouragement remains one of the best gifts you could ever offer your people. Leaders must also learn to receive feedback. It’s a form of communication. Listening to your subordinates too has attached benefits.

       2.    Talking Across

This refers to your communication with co-team leaders or colleagues in your organisation. Great team players seek to promote the co-existence of every man on the team. Let your words and actions communicate passion. Seek to point tiring players to the big picture of the organisation. If you notice a team player is struggling at a responsibility and an assignment, stylishly seek to help if you could. Be objective when giving out feedback. And yes, ensure you tighten every loose end on your path too. Avoid gossiping, rather encourage. Do not sow discord. Let your lips disperse knowledge and understanding at all times. Don’t hoard vital information; it profits no one. If you have a clue to who or what resource can help your colleague get the job done speedily and cost-effectively, proffer it. Celebrate others’ achievements.

       3.    Talking Up

When communicating with your superior, seek to clarify expectations. I have seen several instances where team players, when assigned new roles, just rush out to start acting. Granted, there are situations where you need to act almost immediately. It would do you some good to get clarity from his boss: Know the figure anticipated; the expected growth rate; what, when and how should you implement the task? ‘Inferiors’ should learn to listen to the heart rhythm of their leaders ~ learning to hear what is not said {a very crucial attribute every leader must possess}. Know this truth: your boss ain’t angry with you giving suggestions, he only has issues with how you present them. Don’t cross boundaries by proposing a vision to your leader. Rather submit opinions on how the present vision or goal can be achieved. Read moods. Then submit your opinions respectfully and loyally. As a member of the organisation’s staff committed to helping the firm save more money, earn more money, increase their market share and ultimately grow their brand;  divulge any information that could prevent the firm from achieving this target.

Trust your head to give you an honest feedback on your performance level in the organisation. There’s a part of you that other people see better than you can, receive such feedback openheartedly. When under pressure, endeavor to yet respond to your boss with the right tone. You will make mistakes but always keep your intentions right. The more reason you must feed on right thoughts.

Apparently, this piece has not focused on analysing Obama’s US Strategy to ‘destroy’ ISIS delivery nor has it try to dichotomize the different speeches of NATO representatives. However, daily operational procedures in an organisation would produce greater impact when these communication protocols are duly observed. In addition, the ‘voice’ and ‘dignity’ of every man on the team is maintained.

Raise the edge always! Take the LEAD!

Femi TIAMIYU

#LEAD360

PS: I wish to recommend The Pauline Prayers by Damilola Oguntunde, The Senior Pastor of Christ Ambassador Students’ Outreach (CASOR), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife. The insights shared in this Masterpiece are so profound and would bless you tremendously. Call Mayode on 08035920525 for further enquiries. 

The Eagle-Eyed Leader

A handful of prospective graduands of an Organisation’s Academy were all resplendently dressed, set to face a panel of five – core leaders of the Organisation. In defending their projects, these students came in one after the other, observing all formal interview’s protocols as they stepped into the room with their slides’ projection and vocal explanations. On the panel was a detailed man - very supportive, humble and respected - whom every student became watchful of. Why? He could spot, at a quick skim, the varying negligence in some of these guys’ project work/report. Privileged to chair this panel, I kept track of how this trusted Associate would show the students their blunders ranging from deviation from the traditional language standards {using sms/chat languages in a literature review} to incomplete phrases/sentences, misspelt headings or inconsistent paragraphing; irregular font patterns etc. Well, bravo to these prospective graduands as third-quarter of them are Year One Students who might not have been previously exposed to project defense of this setting.

This excellence-driven leader, Daniel Awodele, oversaw the administration of our Organisation and served meritoriously well. Many organisations need an eagled-eyed leader like Daniel. Beyond titles, leadership is more of functions. More than talks, leaders acts. Leaders see beyond appearances. They utilize their hindsight {properly evaluating past events for worthwhile futuristic decisions}; maximize their insight {having the right perspective on present issues}; and leverage on their foresight {accurately discerning the future}. Some leaders don’t just get it when it comes to the aspect of paying attention to details. Regrettably, many a leader blames their temperaments for this inefficiency. Irrespective the portfolio and personality, every leader should exhibit a measure of administrative and organisational ability.

Eagle-eyed leaders are very useful during planning and execution of programmes. They know how to do the routine checks. They know when that proposal or invitation letter is not well-punctuated or roughly addressed. On entering an auditorium, within seconds, they can tell something is wrong with the setups – they know the lectern or centre stage was not properly cleaned or not centrically placed, the decorating pattern not in sync with the theme and style of the occasion; the host/hostesses not well positioned at the designated places; the aisle not well-spaced and so on. You can develop your sharp-sighted leadership by internalizing the following truths.

     1.   Start with Personal Order

Organisational order would most likely begin with personal order. Order is the first step towards productivity. So get deliberate about some things. Choose your outfits on purpose – that you are helping to get the acoustic/multimedia set for a three-day conference shouldn’t make you look tatty. Have a schedule ~ endowed with an exceptional planning ability, I could recall how having a personal design of my daily, weekly & monthly plans helped me tremendously while on campus. I could see vividly the time I had left for my ministry and leisure after deducting lectures and academic study time. We tried to augment our leaders’ personal effectiveness too by designing a Semester plan for them so every leader is far aware of any upcoming programme {duration, day and month} and necessary preparations made beforehand except for few alterations. {You can contact me if interested in having your personal or organisational plan in an annual/monthly/weekly outlook}.  This schedule was and is {‘cos I still use it} interesting in that my activities became imprinted on my heart by default so I know when I was/am just squandering time like Benjamin Franklin put it. Good, you have an office. Not too bad if you don’t, get a desk, a chair and a good lighting system in that apartment if you really mean productivity. Go for that shopping with a list of the items you really intended to buy. There’s no harm in multitasking in as much as you give a particular activity the whole of your attention before jumping to the next. A place for everything and everything in its place: drop your car keys or other frequently-used items dat the same spot daily. A lot of people are actually guilty of not returning things at the exact spots they are taken from. I’m sure I do have a witness! *Lips Are Sealed*.

     2.   Simplify Complexes

An analysis has shown people to be two types: the big picture or detail-oriented person. I defer to say that you can be both. And great leaders live out both. Before he became the point man, he’d been executing his superior’s instruction to the letter. So he couldn’t have emerged the Arrowhead without an embodiment of those traits. So the sharp-eyed leader doesn’t just cross his leg in the office displaying the big picture to his subordinates. He can actually pinpoint the minutest details and help them avoid loopholes. When simplifying complexes such as a project, launching of a product etc – study to be quiet! Get engaged in a real deep thought. Really, it’s a fast-paced world with noisy notifications here there but you must learn to deliberately shut the doors behind you at least 30mins or an hour daily. Sometimes I switch off the light and ensure a temporary darkness with my eyes open so I can really feel the vibes within and pen my thoughts in a blank white A4 paper no matter how haphazard my scribbling is. At other times, I close my eyes. As you practise meditation from time to time, you’d develop the capacity to blank out distractions and focus on the real issue notwithstanding the place you are. Great leaders meditate. Thoroughness is a function of depth. An excellent individual excel-in-length because he puts a measure of thoughtfulness in his work. Eagle-eyed leaders think big-picture, broadly, deeply, ahead, positively, proactively, possibility so they are never clueless of how simpler or better a result could have been achieved. 

      3.   Work with a Checklist

Michael E Gerber described a resort hotel he’d patronised for almost seventeen years as at when he wrote The E-Myth Revisited. Venetia, as he portrayed it, is a thoroughly systemized hotel with a topnotch service scheme. Gerber discovered, after a privileged discourse with the Manager of this exquisite hotel, that everything works perfectly in the guesthouse by virtue of the personnel’s compliance with the checklist and fixing what needs to be. Then a double-check by a supervisor. I’m sometimes amazed when the point man gives instructions or set of objectives to be achieved and the team members fold hands and watch. What an anger it invokes when people come to business meetings with unimplemented action plans agreed upon from previous meeting. Be deliberate for a little while: show up in that meeting with a writing pad and don’t forget to hold your pen too. Ditto a one-on-one appointment with your boss, mentor or superior. Don’t deceive yourself if your mobile gadget can’t help you achieve this feature ‘cos some people’s mobile devices are the root of their ineffectiveness. That’s a topic for another day! More importantly, have a list of your expectations/functions, tick as you perform your assignments. 

      4.   Design a System

The Eagle-Eyed Leader is a problem-solver. He anticipates problem. Really, if you observe closely, most organisation’s problems are predictably trajectory except for few occasional ones {which actually is advantageous that we experience them too}. Hence, eagle-eyed leaders work with a SYSTEM ~ simply a process that Saves You Stress, Time, Energy and Money as Nelson Searcy, the Lead Pastor of The Journey Church defines it. I remember how Daniel designed a coded system for our leaders to get every member of the fellowship into a discipleship plan/structure. Yes, you can reach your clients systematically and periodically so you need not wait till festive seasons or public holidays before sending that SMS. You can design a stakeholders’ reporting system or a Memo/Invite/Query/Minutes’ template if your organisation entails such. Yes, having a steady leaders’ training scheme or a succession plan is no big deal if only you can be deliberate about it.

The preceding highlights do not in anyway translate to reducing your leadership to a stereotype. However, seek to reinvent the patterns. Be dynamic. Always up your game while tweaking the norm. Walk the talk and see how your progress would be evident to all. Be the next Daniel that three successive administrations yearn to work with. Aye, you ~ the next Eagle-Eyed Leader!

Raise the edge! Take the LEAD!

Femi TIAMIYU

#LEAD360

Leading a New Team

Leading a New Team

It is not a pathetic scene to see novices being appointed for leadership positions. Some are ridiculously clueless on the first step to take when finally in office. Soothingly, the leadership instinct infused in every man helps him to navigate at moments such as this. Apparently, changes in leadership are inevitable at strategic moments in organisations {NGOs, Faith-Based (churches, mosques etc), Community Based, Voluntary Associations etc}. While some organisations operate a rotary system where leaders are selected or appointed to lead departments or units in the organization within a specified time frame, other institute hire or appoint a new team leader due to change in either the environment {technology, competitors, suppliers and buyers}, architecture of the organization or the vision of the organization. Assuming YOU are this new team leader, appointed or hired either from within or outside the organization, you are saddled with providing answers to these questions: how do you meet management or stakeholders’ goals and yet keep the team motivated to perform and win? How do you make alive a seemingly lifeless team? What are the greatest challenges you would face while trying to accomplish that which you have been chosen or hired for? How do you cast your vision and gain the buy-in of a team with players having conspicuous unaligned agendas? Seeking to understand the following would help a great deal to navigate well at your resumption in office. 


     1.  The Situation

Seek to understand the circumstances that brought you into the present leadership position. A thorough assessment would help you evaluate, to a large degree, the expectations of the major stakeholders. It is a horribly arrogant or insensitive blunder to make assuming responsibility with a sheer neglect of the shared history of the team or presuming it was all bad before you got there. Trust is earned. And leadership is built on the solid ground. Thus, you need to earn the right to lead the team irrespective of your appointment pattern. Maximize your intuitive ability. Rightfully discern the situation at hand, juxtaposing past events with the present and foreseeing what future trends portend.


      2.    The People

A leader could get nothing done except with people. An exemplary leader can work with and through a team. People are your asset. The right people your greatest asset. However, it’s only a thought away for the supposedly wrong guy to be the top gun on the team. Every leader must learn to maximize the troublesome Jacks on his team. Never shy away from problematic or unresolved issues. Be open. Study every individual on the team. As a leader, you must learn, via any resource at your disposal, to study people from afar or close by. I remember once working with a 45-man team {core leaders} as a University undergraduate, I designed a table using Microsoft Excel on my PC to gather insightful info regarding my leaders ranging from their identity, potentials, passion, strengths and weaknesses, relationship status, academic and financial strength to their perceived sphere of influence, and so on. In another team I led, I used my journal for this purpose. I refer to this input from time to time. “Guy, why put yourself in such stress?” Someone just asked! I wanted to relate with our team members more closely. It was a bid to sharpen my sensitivity to spot any graceless mien, displayed by any leaders, at my slightest gaze. I aimed to establish a connection…feeling their pains and celebrating their gains…seeing them beyond the fellowship’s positional leadership structure. Of course, my discoveries, however organized, could not and did not reveal all the intricacies of my fellow leaders, it was one of the factors that aided the win-win experience we recorded after the dispensation. You might not be a detailed leader as such, knowing that leadership is deliberate, take the discipline to know your people. It is gradual, evolving and adventurous. Know your people’s temperaments, breakpoint, yielding point etc. More importantly, this would give you a scan of how to stretch them out of their comfort zone and not their gift region. 


     3.   The Vision

Having understood the situation behind your emergence into leadership and the people you’d work with {or WIN with as a like to use it}, you must also aim to run with a shared vision. Shared vision here does not imply that every team member begin to suggest a vision for the team. The different operating heads of an organization are obliged to run with the vision set by the point man. While it is important to write vision, leaders must take it a step further by creating vision ~ that participatory atmosphere witnessing the contribution of every team member. People tend to own what they create. Ensure your vision accomplishes the Management’s objective, connects the past with the present while providing direction for the team, and propels passion in your team players. Stay focused and discipline on your vision.   


     4.   Timing

A good interpretation of the season or phase that the organization is presently thriving in, is of utmost importance. Beyond the organization, what time is it with respect to the Industry? What are the recent global trends and what are their likely implications regarding the firm. World’s Leading Forecaster on Global Trends, Professor Richard Scase defined leadership as understanding times, seasons and trends and knowing actions to stay ahead of the game. His definition is very similar to {or culled from} the Biblical Sons of Isaachar who had expert knowledge of the times, the best corresponding actions and had their kinsmen at their command. Hence, you must rightly discern the timing that brought you into the organization or the new team. 


     5.   Priorities

Outline the basic needs - the areas that need your whole concentration. Understanding priorities help you know what decisions to make per time and ultimately actions to enact. However, you must learn to harness the power of priority backed with concentration. Impliedly, you not only know what to do, you also strive to get it done. Great leaders focus seventy percent of their time and energy on their strength; twenty-five percent on learning; and five percent on their weakness.

Conclusively, leadership is dynamic and you’d most likely meet situations you might not have even read about in any leadership material. The points above too are not exhaustive though foundational. I charge you to always trust that leadership instinct within you. There’s a guide we can all get from within however dependent on what we have fed that inner entity with. Raise the edge always! Take the LEAD!

Femi TIAMIYU

#LEAD360

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