Leadership Series Part 1 - The 3 W's of Leadership

Welcome to our Leadership series, were we will discuss in details WHAT Leadership is, WHO a Leader is, and WHY Leadership. We know a lot have been said about this topic and  YOU may be a guru in this topic both theoretically or/and practically. 

But my questions to YOU are: 

WHY LEADERSHIP?

WHY is this concept important?

Before we talk about WHY Leadership, I will like to talk about my definition of leadership and who a leader is. 

WHAT is Leadership?

A lot have been said about Leadership and I will like to take my cue by defining Leadership as the very reason why our species are existing on this earth, the very reason why our finger prints are different, the reason our DNA signatures are different. Therefore each an everyone of us has the the trait of Leadership. Furthermore, Leadership is an act in which an individual displays his uniqueness in a manner that conforms to his purpose, vision, and mission of his life so that he/she can bring his dreams into reality. Leadership is not a position, therefore you don't need any title to become or practice it. 

WHO is a Leader?

A Leader is a person who is made (and not  born) in an image that reflects responsibility, self awareness, effective communication, self-confidence, emotional and social intelligence, etc. All this tools is what is required to spread ideas, push boundaries, build communities and above all inspire others. I believe their is a LEADER in us all.

WHY Leadership?

I believe everyone knows WHAT leadership means, WHO a leader is and HOW to become a leader, but a few persons knows WHY they should LEAD, and these few persons are currently successful or are on their way to success. This article centers on explaining the concept of Knowing WHY Leadership is important. I believe Leadership is the most  important tools for anyone who desires any form of SUCCESS, and without it there is no SUCCESS. For me leadership can be likened to a lamp that is at the feet of an individual, and it brightens his/her path. 

My fatherland Nigeria is filled with Leaders who knows 'HOW' to lead and not 'WHY' they are leading, this observation is better explained in the words of Diane Ravitch in 1980 "Those who know 'HOW' gets the job, while those who knows 'WHY' becomes the boss. I believe that this fact is applicable in all works of life and if applied will guarantee SUCCESS.

What Makes up a "WHY Leadership" paradigm

1. Having an "OTHERS" centered Values:

Values in this context means the blueprint of an individual in other words the summary of who a person is. This blueprint serves as a moral compass that guides an individual decision making process as they journey to success. Different individuals have their personal value system, but to understand "WHY LEADERSHIP " your value system must be centered on building a healthy relationship with OTHERS. The best approach to achieve this is to obey the golden rule which is "Whatsoever you wish that men should do to you do it also to them." This simple rule if applied to our everyday life will perfect all that concerns our lives. It is very important that you build you value system around others. 

If you will need help drafting your core values click here for a step by step approach to it.

2. Lead with your ears 

I was on a canopy  walk at the Nigeria Conservation Center in Chevron estate with the President an CEO of Jobberman Mr. Ayodeji, the Former Minister of Information Communication and Technology Mrs. Omobola Johnson, and the Programs officer of ALI-WA Mrs. Onyinye, one significant lesson I learnt was in the Leadership skills they showcased. Mr. Ayodeji, was the Leader of our batch and all he did was to listen to us as we spoke about our difficulties and he gave us a model to which we can use to solve the problem collectively. Anyone who aspires to have "WHY Leadership" mentality must always listen, because the ears holds the key to the heart of anyone....

Stay tuned as we discuss more about this topic in our next series on Friday.

Question for Discuss

If President Barack Obama was a Nigerian, can he become the President,? If yes, will he be able to LEAD us well?

The Best Week of my Life

This past week has been so insightful for me not just because I lived in luxury or added 10 pounds, but specifically because of the privilege I had to be in the same room with some of the most influential men and women in Africa. I was privileged to be at Epe Resorts as a volunteer for ALI-WA Seminar. ALI-WA means  Africa Leadership Initiative – West Africa which is charged with the mandate to develop the next generation of community-spirited leaders in West Africa. ALIWA’s primary goal is to capture the energy, the talent and the resolve of an emerging generation of leaders in West Africa -- leaders who have already realized a certain level of success -- and to inspire them to move from success to significance by engaging in the foremost challenges of their countries and their times. This experience will be memorable for me. Whilst they were conversing all through the seminar, I learnt a great deal of things that I will like to  share.

1. Effective Collaboration: The importance of collaboration is not a new concept in our present day generation, but my perspective was changed through listening to their conversations that collaboration is effective when the parties involved have a Unified Interests that must be of the same specific magnitude. For example if the interest of two people is to change Nigeria, their collaboration can only be effective if both parties agrees on a specific means and end. Therefore, I recommend that WE COLLABORATE EFFECTIVELY, so that we can move forward.

2. My Meaning of Success: the definition of Success is different and it is based on the paradigm of the individual who is defining. Although, there is a word that is quintessential to any definition, which is "VALUE ". Furthermore, this word must be put in two important contexts in this same definitions and they are:
i. Success must portray your personal VALUES and
ii. It must add VALUE to others.
Without this word and it's significant application, SUCCESS can't be defined or attained. I now define success as my reward when I refine my values based system to one that benefits my society, then translate it to the understanding of ALL indigens in my society, and finally transform my society based on this VALUES starting today and everyday with one man at a time.

3. Understanding and Managing TIME: I define TIME as the irreplaceable measure of a man's value with respect to his purpose in life. In other words, it is the measurement of how prepared an individual is to achieve success.In addition I learnt never to Waste TIME to save MONEY, but to spend MONEY to save TIME, these statement has shifted my paradigm on how I live my life and make decisions every day. Although this concept has not been completely proven, I believe  this concept is what differentiates the rich from the poor. Time can never be managed effectively if it is not understood. Understanding TIME requires discipline and above all it requires that the individual has a mental picture of where he/she is going (purpose for living). It is only when this condition is met that time can be managed effectively. Finally, I believe "The discipline in Managing TIME is the beginning of SUCCESS".

QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION:

Do you think Time is equivalent to Money alone? (Why or Why not)

I will like to get your comments below.

Thanks for reading, I am Kalu Kalu Kalu and I am sharing to inspire.

#AgentsOfPositiveChange

#ShareToInspire