Leadership without example

We were taught how to decode people in less than 10 minutes of meeting them, because according to Goffee (author of Why Should Anyone Be Led By You), people drop hints of who they really are – what motivates them, their view of life etc – whether they want to, or not.  It is for […]

We were taught how to decode people in less than 10 minutes of meeting them, because according to Goffee (author of Why Should Anyone Be Led By You), people drop hints of who they really are – what motivates them, their view of life etc – whether they want to, or not.  It is for a trained mind to pick up the hints as they are being dropped.  Indeed this is what people do naturally – picking up hints – but after the LBS training, I became more adept at this skill, and really, I am right 95% of the time in my analysis of people.

For me, this stage of the training was exceptionally memorable.  We had completed some psycho-metric questionnaires before the training.  You know, those types where there are no right or wrong answers.  When everyone’s questionnaires was being evaluated in the open class, I was the only one in the class who scored less than 10 marks in the first question. “Uhmm, you will have to see me after class for special counseling!”  Goffee joked, and the entire class (which was like a mini United Nations), guffawed in hysterical laughter.  I felt like some freak!  However, Goffee explained later that the question was an evaluation of how money was important to the respondent.  Invariably, in the entire class, and as at that time, I held that money was least important to me.

The response of the President regarding asset declaration has set my mind thinking, whether it is not now very urgent and important for Nigerians to institute some sort of psycho-metric test on political office aspirants, so that we can know exactly what motivates them and marry that with the duties they vie to perform.  Note that there is nothing wrong for example, in being motivated by money, or power, or recognition, or creativity, or solitude etc, and of course what motivates one depends often on what stage one’s life is.  This is not to say that there are no ‘outliers’ – situations when someone should have moved on from a certain type of motivation, but finds it impossible.  In Nigeria for example, many people are still pursuing money when they should have matured to some higher type of motivation. Many well-intentioned people have also suggested this kind of tests to reduce corruption.  I think Nigerians should take the suggestion more serious.

But the most critical part of our leadership training was about what it really takes to be a leader.  It is apparent that one cannot be a leader except one has at least one follower.  I remember the oft-used cliché – “Lead, Follow, or Get Out Of The Way!”  Discussions progressed quickly to types and styles of leadership.  It was soon obvious to all present, that the only model of Leadership that works is LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE.  Many so-called Leaders delude themselves that their followers will do as they SAY, but in 101% of the time, followers will ultimately only do as Leaders themselves DO!  An example was made of Mahatma Gandhi, as great Leader who SPOKE what exactly he THOUGHT, and DID exactly what he SAYS.  The most effective form of leadership – indeed the only legitimate type – is one where leaders have a THOUGHT-SPEECH-ACTION congruence. The problem with the world today is really that political and business leaders, THINK one thing, SAY another, while DOING something totally different!  Anyone who aspires to leadership at any level, should take note. YOUR FOLLOWERS HARDLY LISTEN TO WHAT YOU SAY, THEY DO EXACTLY AS YOU DO.  Of course it is possible to deliberately and effectively lead one’s followers into perdition. A hardened armed robber or terrorist can show good EXAMPLE to his followers too, so leadership is a double edge sword.

The president’s now famous ‘I don’t give a damn’ speech has drawn much of public ire.  Truth be told, because I know just how difficult leadership is, I really hate criticizing leaders.  But in this instance, and by his own very admission in what could pass for a psycho-metric test (the media chat), the president himself revealed something fundamental about his view of life. And it is indeed worrisome.  In admitting that he resisted Yar’adua’s orders to declare his assets, the president confirmed my near-Canonification of Umaru Yar’adua as perhaps the most honest Nigerian president ever.  Yar’adua sought to live by example, saying to Nigerians by that open asset-declaration; “I know I am not compelled by Law to declare my assets openly, but I will do that all the same, because i promised, and because i want you to see my honesty, because i want you nigerians to follow my example and shun corruption”.  Leaders cannot hide under legalisms – “oh, the Law does not say this, the Law does not say that”.  Real leaders, sincere leaders, positive leaders, simply show transparency and walk the talk.

In saying ‘I don’t want to play into the hands of some people’, if he declared his assets, the president showed he is still thrilled by worldly acquisitions, which is unfortunate.  I made acquaintance with President Jerry Rawlings recently on a flight to Ghana.  The great man did not display much wealth, but a cool calmness that will feed him and his offspring for a long time.  An ex-president should have enough pedigree to land many international jobs or even get a lot of speaking engagements.  That is where the cool money lies.  In saying other government functionaries would have to declare their assets if he did the same, the president denied Nigerians the ONLY thing they ask of him – some effort to end the blind stealing of our commonwealth.  And in linking asset-declaration to Boko Haram by asking “Will asset-declaration end Boko Haram”?, the president showed that he enjoys or benefits from the trauma that Boko Haram is causing the whole Nigeria – especially the north.  Asset-declaration and Boko Haram are two different issues, but what the president sought to do, right there in front of the whole world, was to 1. Change the Topic, and 2. Remind us of our fears.  It was a cheap trick indeed.

Something died in me with that presidential chat.  I was already tired of criticizing the president.  I would have wanted people to rally around him.  But the precondition was to find out exactly what his motivations are.  It was apparent that he still battled with money issues even when the country he governs is on fire, with public thieving at its highest ever!  He even has time to politick while the country dies a fast death.  The Punch of Saturday 7/72012 tells about his dominance of Bayelsa Politics.  I was awed that he had time and enough calmness to go to Benin for campaigns.  There is a trend to all these.  And we the followers don’t like where the president is leading us to.  Some are following avidly though, making billions of Naira in this despondent environment, and with those billions, fanning ethnic and religious embers.  I guess those are the true followers, who see the right examples in the man at the top!  But say, are we now happy what we did to Yar’adua?  Nigerians should congratulate themselves, while they cringe in the corners of their bedrooms from all sorts of terrorism and tribal killings!