Posts in category: Leaders Connect

A boss says “go and make sure you do it”; a leader says “let’s go and make it happen”. Bosses control people; leaders involve them.

Great leaders are good team members. They building potentials and create opportunities for others to grow.

They prefer to see their team members work with them and not for them.

Great leaders are teachable, yet they are the best teachers and researchers.

Our leadership styles affect our results and achievements.

Are you a boss or a leader?

No man is born believing that he has dominion over women. Instead, this view is handed down from generation to generation and amplified trough social custom, culture and popular media.

Values, cultures and norms are important as they help to define a person. These cultures however could be dangerous when the values they possess are informal. Its not a new thing that most cultures see men as a superior gender to the female. This is common practice with the African tradition.

African tradition is majorly centered on Patriarchy. This is a social system whereby men hold the primary power of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. This system is associated with a set of ideas that justify dominance of men against women.

No man is born believing that he has dominion over women. Instead, this view is handed down from generation to generation and amplified trough social custom, culture and popular media. It is our cultures and traditions that make us believe this unacceptable way of life.

This practice has suppressed African women in the modern world. There are so many potential leadership positions which women could take and handle so well that it would make so much success; but the dominance factor limits this. This dominance factor has led to men taking women for granted, driving opportunities away from them, limiting women’s achievements and success and go as far as committing violent acts against them in the name of superiority.

This act should be shunned as both men and women are all humans and deserve the same rights and should be treated equally. We should take a deep reflection of this and make things right because truly, a woman deserves as much right, respect as a man does and she is entitled to leadership positions in all spheres.

The culture and tradition that teaches us that men are superior to women or that men have complete dominance over a woman should be ignored to the full. Constant awareness should be round through all medium to emphasize on the fact that men and women are equal in all ramifications.

If women like Okonjo Iweala and Kamala Harris are doing great things today, and also impacting the lives of people around the world positively, more women if given the chance can do better. Women are not weaker gender, they are very organised and great achievers.

Gender has nothing to do with wisdom, success, knowledge, integrity, intelligence and intellectual abilities. Men and women should be treated equally with same respect, and utmost importance.

Many leaders get so overwhelmed and frustrated in dealing with very complicated situations or issues. It is important to know that exceptional situation calls for exceptional measures. The primary responsibility for dealing with crises lies with us. We assume it fully.

Africa must not be left behind in a global fight against peril. Africa is poorly exemplified, and badly under-estimated. Africa, as the support of humanity and a land of old evolution, is not a no-man’s land. Gone are also the doom situations that try to draw an apocalyptic prospect for the region. This continent has experienced far more terrifying and harsher trials. It has remained strong and is standing tougher than ever!
Despite the efforts made so far, Africa is yet to meet the standards of the western world in terms of qualified personnel and health care facilities which are not evenly distributed and this has served as a disadvantage to the rural areas.

Although Africa lags in development, it flourishes in quality human assets, natural resources, including renowned experts, specialists and proficient researchers, who add daily to the progress of the world. The period has come when we should learn from our slipups and our limitations, to redefine the order of importance, to give full significance to the real economy, by capitalizing more in agriculture, health, security, generational wealth creation, infrastructure, sustainable energy, education and training, in order to achieve an expansion that cares for the well-being of all of humanity. The time has come to co-operate so as to bring about a world order that puts humans and humanity at the center of international relations.

Africa nations have also been active in the face of the crisis. What is vital is to learn the lessons from the crisis and to pool our assets and our brainpower in order to oppose, in the same spirit of human unanimity, our common adversary: a silent killer which scoffs at edges, beliefs and variances between developed and developing countries.

Exceptional situations call for exceptional measures. The primary responsibility for dealing with the crisis lies with us. We assume it fully.
It is equally just and genuine that our internal efforts be sustained in the global context of reacting to the crisis. Africa must not be left behind in a global fight against a global peril.

Together, let’s stay cohesive and battle-ready, decent and aggressive

I think that someone who takes presidency must not take it to learn. (There is) a crisis of leadership and it needs someone who understands already the depth of human suffering and the difficulties we are confronted with. There is no time for learning in leadership.

Many leaders come to leadership positions unprepared and that has been the cause of bad governance, poor performance and crisis. Before thinking of being a president, governor, senator or even a prime minister, you need to know how to lead.

You need to understand how the system functions. Leadership is not try and  error or something you learn when you have been given the position or title already.

Leadership isn’t about a word in your title, a certain salary band, or any one specific characteristic like charisma or socialness.

The act of leading is an art. A leader must have understanding and empathy and must be willing to work with others. When everything has gone wrong, all the standard systems and approaches are failing, and everyone has lost hope, it’s up to the leader to dig deep and come up with a new fresh idea or solution. This is what actually makes you a leader.

Many nations of the world have achieved a great deal; meanwhile, some of them are still where they are. The success of any nation highly depends on it’s leader.

A leader does not distinguish himself when everything is going well. They distinguish their selves when things are rough and tough and profer solutions. This is how a great leader is identified.

George Weah made a statement; “I think that someone who takes presidency must not take it to learn. (There is) a crisis of leadership and it needs someone who understands already the depth of human suffering and the difficulties we are confronted with. There is no time for learning.”

He was not far from the truth, as a leader, you must have a deep understanding of the system. You must have observed and felt the system so well so that you would be able to make the needed changes. There is no time to learn during leadership, the only thing to do is offer solutions as soon as the problems come about.

The abilities of a leader is greatly reflected upon the country, state or organization he leads. We need to focus on leaders that would do more good and give them our intense support whenever the need arises, and if we are to grow as a nation, country, organization or team.

Everyone is governed by their own fundamental truth or proposition which serves as the foundation for their system of belief or behaviors and also acts as a chain of reasoning. This is known as a principle. This is our drive in everyday life.

Having a principle is actually a good thing. The most important part of having principles is staying true to them and staying true to yourself.

Nana Ahufo-Addo described two types of people in this world; those who dance to the sound of other people’s drums and those who dance to the sound of their own drums. This means people who stay true to their own principles and people whose

principles are swayed by the actions of others. Staying true to principle is a matter of uprightness and self-respect. It includes

standing up for your own ethics and not caving in to the demands or prospects of others. Being true to principle can lead to liberation, self-confidence, bliss, and an ability to steer through life more efficiently, leading to a sense of contentment that you’ve given your best to the world. It can be hard to cross life with personal integrity especially when you’re young but sticking to your principles and staying true to yourself can make you a more content person.

I rather prefer people who stick to their own principles, values, and truth than those whose principles are affected by the actions of others. Always be true to yourself!

Development produces certain cultural changes and it is these cultural changes that lead to democracy. This leads many to ask; does democracy require a democratic culture? Are certain cultures incompatible with democracy? Does culture affect the emergence and survival of democracy?

The notion that political institutions such as democracy and dictatorship are more suited to some cultures is not new. A lot of people have asked if a civic culture produces democracy or if the experience with democracy has produced a civic culture. The answer to that would be yes. For many, the existence of civic culture

is seen as a prerequisite for successful emergence and survival. In addition, civic culture is also crucial for the performance of the government.

Societal development could harbor democratization by producing certain cultural changes, but it could also affect democratization the other way round. The determinants of democracy assume that democracy is increasingly likely to arise

and be sustained as more citizens appreciate the benefits of democracy. We all need development which is brought about by the complete acceptance of

democracy. Slowly but surely, we are acquiring the famous culture of democracy because our main objective is to attain the most flexible form of development which would benefit us all.

Wherever I go, I hear a lot of discussions about greatness. Every one of us has our own aims and vision which we want to accomplish. There is no person that does not yearn and have a strong desire for success and greatness.

The fact is that we must first be great in our thoughts before we can even think of being great. A person with a positive mind is on his road to greatness. However, achieving this greatness is no simple feat. Determination is the key fact to achieving greatness. No wonder Charles De Gaulle made the statement “nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to do so”.

Unfortunately, many people live their lives in hope and never dare to make it to manifestation. We all come from different races and backgrounds but the simple strategy to reaching your greatest potential in life is centered on determination and a positive mind.

We are faced with a lot of obstacles in life but to get what you really desire, you must be willing to walk alone and believe in yourself when no one does, learn to fuel yourself with an uncommon vision while developing an uncommon belief.

You must be committed to excellence. Be willing to do what others won’t and live your wildest dream.

Provocate yourself to be great. It takes determination and inner power which you possess. If you want something enough, are prepared to pay the price in your efforts to train and teach yourself to that end? Sure! You can do it.

Break your limits.

As we take time out today to celebrate the life of one of the greatest African leaders who has regards for human rights and human lives, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Please read his honest journey of life in few words and that’s our voice of nature today.

He was not born with a silver spoon and despite all the challenges he encountered in his journey of life, he didn’t give up. He endured the sufferings and today he is living his purpose.

Cesar Chavez, one of my best civil rights leaders said, ” We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure”.

Most great leaders have mental toughness and they are disciplined and they have the ability to endure, persevere and have excellent self-control.

I am sure that a lot of people mocked him, made jests of him, avoided him, and called him names for not having good clothes, footwear, and even designers. Did that stop him from focusing on his vision and his set goals? No! He was not discouraged by the negativities and distractions, he was determined to make it in life.

Finding the strength to conquer your challenges in tough times is the best way to greatness. Throughout one’s life journey, there will be times when one can’t see the horizon. These are times of despair in which a person can feel that all hope is lost; nothing matters anymore. Despair comes in all shapes and sizes, affecting people differently. It can be life-threatening, life-altering for one person, and a glancing blow for another or a challenge in the day-to-day for someone else. Yet, we have found that the ability to be resilient within despair and the ability to endure, sustain, and persevere in the most complex of life experiences, situations, or circumstances. The Focus on what there’s to appreciate can ease the burden of despair ever so slightly. The practice of finding things to appreciate grows your strength, I call it appreciative resilience.

Goodluck Jonathan made it in life against all odds. You may be going through what he went through and maybe even worse than him, but know that you will come out of it better and stronger if you don’t give up or allow yourself to be swallowed by the process.

Many wonder why many developing countries are still very poor yet have enough resources that can fix their problems and make their citizens have good lives, adequate security, and other infrastructural developments. Many wonder what exactly is this illicit financial flow and the impact on global communities.

Illicit financial flows, in economics, are a form of illegal capital flight that occurs when money is illegally earned, transferred, or spent. Money that is illegally earned, transferred, or utilized from developing countries has a corrosive impact on the economic growth, progress, and poverty alleviation efforts of the developing countries affected and the recent estimates suggest that developing countries lose about 1 trillion US dollars each year due to illicit financial flows.

Many wonder what these funds are used for and how they are moved and those who illegally participate in bad leadership activities.

A time will come in the world when there’ll be no disparity between the male and female gender. A time when a woman will possess absolute rights and privileges like her male counterpart. A time when the female gender will not be judged by her physical strength, the sound of her voice, the shape of her body, or the tenderness of her heart. A time when what matters will be the power she possesses in her head, and her mind.

Just like Sheryl Sandberg predicted in one of her quotes…” In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders”.

There’ll be no more unequal access to education, employment inequality, unequal political representation, and so on. When it comes to leadership, there’ll be only one gender!

The male and female gender will work for hand in hand to make a statement in leadership and consequently, in the general affairs of the world. The journey has begun already with exemplary female leaders like Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, Okonjo Iweala, to mention but a few. Many more strong women are springing up.

Now is the time!
The future is Female, the future is Male, the future is ONE GENDER!