Leader~sHHHip (IA)

Still on tweaking the dictation of Leadership perhaps we could get some fundamentals of leadership from this theme. The Leader~sHHHip series aims to consider the ‘trinity’ of Leadership – its heart, hand and head.

With the heart yet being scoped out, we should emphasize that the motive behind a leadership act is very crucial. A wrong motive cannot make right an action. Leadership should never be stumbled upon. It is deliberate. Of course, providence might have conferred upon you the responsibility to take the lead at certain instances. However, rejecting the privileges of deliberately growing your understanding of leadership and advancing your influence is sheer absurdity. Let’s touch some more attributes on the heart of Leadership.

Willpower

It’s really saddening that in Africa today, many leaders or wielders of power have weak willpower. They say and don’t act! Why? The drive to propel the desired change wasn’t as intense as it should be in the first place. No one needs to be told any further, leadership is becoming confrontational. Political leadership most especially! It is fiercest at this era ~ a battleground of influence indeed. It’s not a fun day for leaders who want to play it safe. The recent combats between Israel and Palestine have won my admiration for the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. He’s an unapologetically brave leader of our time. Aside his enlistment in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and having being involved in many military training and operations  in the 60’s and 70’s coupled with managing an Anti-Terrorism NGO in the 70’s, Netanyahu seems to understand the language of the season. Hence, he could unequivocally threatened the Palestinian’s HAMAS terrorist group that “for every missile you shoot at Israel, we’ll return with SEVEN.” In front of the cable screen this fateful day, a sensational thrill flooded my system. He didn’t necessary frown giving that charge but you’d sense that he meant every letter of those statements. In 2012, Forbes Magazine’s list of The World’s Most Powerful People recorded him as the 23^rd on the list. The Jerusalem Post had him as the “Most Influential Jews in the World” for 2010 and 2012. Undoubtedly, the If-I-Perish-I-perish kinds of leaders are needed in this present dispensation. The news flash is that they eventually do not perish.

Identity and Security

Insecurity limits the growth of any organisation as potential leaders under an insecure leader become incapacitated and in no time, they bow out. Well, if Robert Green states #7 of his The 48 Laws of Power as “get others to do the work, but ALWAYS take the credit.” Methinks an observance of this kind of principle would only breed a bunch of insecure leaders. Well, that’s a subject of power and it’s quite tactical in a leadership context. I once quipped: “Is it leadership with(out) power OR power with(out) leadership?” Of course, being in a position of authority confers a sizable amount of power on you with respect to the system being considered in this instance. However, leadership is not all about title but service. A leader must be secured enough to see his subordinates, successors and co-leaders do exploits. And that takes a leader with a proper understanding of his/her identity. Leaders who know wherein lie their passions, pains, and dreams. Leaders who can decipher that push required to move to the next phase of their leadership. Leaders well informed of the gifts in their possession. Leaders who can draw patterns from the opportunities on their paths. Societies and organisations crave for leaders of such makeup.

 

Values & Priorities

A leader will never outgrow the relevance of prioritizing. Settling our utmost priorities within puts our minds at rest and engenders focused actions. A tweet from @WhiteHouse read thus: “As Commander in Chief, my highest priority is the security of the American people.” – President Barack Obama in his weekly address. No intentions whatsoever to hype non-African political leaders as every leadership has its own loopholes, the morals notwithstanding is that, it liberates when a leader clearly spells out his priority regardless the degree of his/her leadership. The other stance is that priorities are predicated on values. Values, though personal but never private, outlive goals, build character, direct decisions and improve our lifestyle. A leader’s values ultimately determine his VALUE! 

Let’s guide, guard and guage our heart of and for leadership for that’s where life in our.
leadership starts. Raise the edge always! Take the LEAD!

Femi TIAMIYU

#LEAD360

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