TAKE NOTE Let me start by saying “everyone is a leader”. There has been many definition of the word leader; some say that leaders are born while others say that leaders are made. I totally agree with both schools of thought, I know for certain that leaders are born but I also know that even such a leader has to improve his abilities day by day in order to become a better leader unlike what we are experiencing in Borno at the moment in which opposite is the case. If you don’t consider yourself a good leader now and you really want to be better, all you need do is identify the qualities that make a good leader and begin to develop those qualities in yourself but I think it is too late for this present administration in Borno because any improvement we might begin to witness in the next coming days is termed as just mere campaign in order to deceive the citizens by re-electing those hydra dragon power mongers into office. It is impossible to achieve credibility in six months when more than 3 years of your administration is disastrous. Below are the identified greatest qualities of the best leaders that we should TAKE NOTE and elect as a new GOVERNOR come 2015. Influence: The true measure of leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. Every true leader is a person of influence. In fact, if you don’t have an influence on somebody, that person cannot follow you. Influence may be defined as power or authority arising from elevated station, reputation, wealth or character. You can gain influence by any of these means but true influence is a product of character. You might have cabinet on your payroll, they will definitely be loyal to you as far as they are under your employment but I’m afraid it won’t be long before they’re tired of you. That is why Borno State failed to appoint new cabinet. If you want to become a great leader, spend more time working on your character. Be that person that everybody wants to be like and likes to be around, and people will automatically follow you. Passion: Firstly, there is a vision and it takes a leader to have a vision and remain true to it. One of the major differences between a leader and a manager is vision; leaders have the ability to project into the future. It’s not enough to have a vision, you must be able to see that vision become a reality and that’s where passion comes in. Rochas Okorocha will not have succeeded without passion, Rabiu Kwankwaso wouldn’t have made it either because even when no one believed in them in the first place and things were not going their way, passion sustained them and see where they are now. They are capable of ruling the nation when the one I can call my own good for nothing governor running helter-skelter seeking for another re-election. Another important lesson I’ve learnt about passion is that when you put together a team to help your vision, communicating the vision to them is usually not an easy task, you can tell them by mouth or write it on paper but they will never really understand and run with the vision or else you are full of passion. People automatically follow you when they see you working hard towards your goal no matter the situation. Passion makes people believe in your dreams. Integrity: As a leader, it’s good to be predictable for what we are witnessing now in Borno is unpredictable leadership. The reason being that when you are not around to take decisions, your followers should be able to do exactly what you would have done if you were there. A leader should also be very honest and of good character. A lot of so called leaders are so insecure that they can’t reveal a lot of things to their followers and this is the reason why a lot of businesses die once the founder is dead. Don’t confuse the people you are leading, they are a direct reflection of who you are, so if you can’t trust anyone to appoint him as a member of your cabinet, it means you can’t be trusted yourself. Communication: Everyone communicates but only few connects, and that’s the reality of life. Whether you are leading a small group of committee on how relief materials can be distributed to displaced citizens at virous camps in the state or you are the CEO of so so ministry or even if you are the CEO of the state, you must communicate regularly. Communication is not only represented by our speech, in fact, most of our communication everyday is non-verbal. Body language, eye and face contact, reaction to situations are all a part of communication. Imagine you are in the army, who would you rather follow, a leader that will stay back and push all his subordinates to front of the line or one who will be in front at all times protecting his comrades no matter the cost? One shows cowardice, the other courage but the truth is that the two are communicating, one is saying you are not worth much but the other is saying you are in safe hands and I will protect you, both of them communicated but only one of them truly made a connection. The rule here is “leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand”. But see what is happening at those various camps in the state. The reverse is the case; isnt it? People are willing to give everything for a leader with whom they have made a connection just the way you are willing to sacrifice more for your spouse than any other person. Curiosity: Readers are leaders and leaders are readers, this fact cannot be overemphasized. If you are going to be an effective leader, you must read regularly and know the happenings around and about your state by yourself not through your praise-singers because knowledge is power. It’s the height of what you know that will differentiate you from the pack. “The more you know is the more you grow”. In fact If you don’t read and ponder things by yourself, you will soon become brain dead. I’ve not met anyone who naturally loves to read, it’s a habit you have to develop. I read because I have to read, whenever I hear a new word, I check the dictionary for the meaning because by doing that, I have gone a level higher. Know something about everything and everything about something. Do yourself this little favor, rate yourself honestly based on these qualities mentioned and endeavor to get better at them. So TAKE NOTE!!! Engr. Babagana Abba Dalori 14th November, 2014.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:25:31 +0000
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