When In Search Of New Leaders anywhere, anytime is not a small thing. Followers or the led hardly know what they want from leaders, hence not knowing what to check out for before selecting one. Some base their selection criterion on who is related to them or who will pay their children’s school fees – what a frivolity to mortgage one’s generation’s destiny. Incidentally, our leaders have learned and perfected this knowledge and can never allow the people to be economically empowered. The led should know what they want from the leaders, the leadership, and the system.
Followers; hear me well. Given your contract, money, shouting more in the meetings or monopolizing it is not a criterion for being the strong leader that you desired, but check out these few qualities from my book: LEADERSHIP IS EVERYTHING;
- DESIRE. Leading starts with a desire to lead. Never invite a man who is not desirous, interested, and passionate about helping/leading others to come on board and lead. It’s not the man being humble for not desiring but the person inviting him being stupid. Tomorrow, the man will say he was coerced, it wasn’t his original desire. Nigerians do this nonsense a lot: asking people who don’t want to be presidents to be and those who want to be to go home and sleep. The outcome is overwhelming, unpreparedness and learning on the job.
- EXPERIENCE. Leadership platforms whether it’s political, management, unionism, or pastoral are not originally learning platforms but leadership-delivering platforms. Don’t get me wrong, please. We learn daily and from anything. What I mean is that those positions are not where you start asking questions and begin learning, they are where you hit the ground and start running – leading. In your considerations, check out experienced people in empowerment and development.
- INTELLIGENCE. Don’t get idiots or daft to lead you otherwise, you are the bigger daft. Don’t get thieves to lead you else you get more impoverished. You need people who have a ‘sense’ of doing things, developing and empowering people. They are called intelligentsia, not intellectuals. Intellectuals are those who can read and write and convince examiners. They may or may not get a sense, but go straight for intelligent “sense” people – they may or may not be intellectual at the same time.
- LOVE. Go for people who love people. Most Nigerians in the public & private sectors mostly go for people who hate Nigeria but love their tribes. True leaders must love their people unreservedly whether they vote for them or not. Sir, please you CAN’T (‘impossicant’) TAKE A MAN THAT YOU HATE, DISLIKE, OR DISGUST AT TO HIS DESTINY. Think of it. Leading is taking people to their future, the end of this future is called destiny or destination. Go for leaders who love the people NOT the group (content). Don’t go for religious bigots, those who can kill or maim followers.
- ENVIRONMENT, CONTEXT, PEOPLE. Go for people who understand the trio. It’s madness for one residing …until we meet live.
CONTACT Mike Ihezuo now.
