THE PLACE OF WISDOM IN LEADERSHIP

Life is getting complex almost all the time. The more complex it become the more puzzles to be solved. But puzzles can not be solved by mere thinking or wishes. They can only be solved by in-depth knowledge. Likewise, running a successful leadership is a serious task for any leader who really hopes to influence people. But such leaders must know first, that the hardest of God's creation to lead are human beings, not animal. 

This is not to say that humans are unnecessarily stubborn - it is just that somehow, they know what they want, how they want it and when they want it. With this, they certainly will resist anything that looks to them as ' imposition', without their due consent. As for animals, they will just respond positively to any prompting of instruction and direction, no matter how small that might be.

Leading human beings is far more complicated than that. But no matter how complicated, leadership must be see, and rightly adjudged too, to be done in crucial moments of test and trial, which often can make or mar the work of any leader. In doing this, wisdom must be part of the inner internal and external qualities of leaders in order to lead well. 

Here, I define that: wisdom is the ability to make sound and sensible decisions that will ensure good advise, based on acquired experience and knowledge which helps the mind to understand deeply issues and people in leadership. Or simply put – wisdom is the correct application of knowledge, which helps someone to distinguish between right and wrong when deciding on a matter. In searching for wisdom therefore, constant learning is inevitable because the only school you can never graduate from is the school of wisdom(see my work on PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT).

As a leader over people – either in business, ministry, governance, corporation, market, union,school, office or even in the family at home, you must know when and how t behave wisely in times of crucial decisions. Leading and enlisting support of people we are leading is not often by the certificates we possess; the dress we wear; the school we attended; the position we occupy or the shouting we do to make them obey us when it is and not necessary.

To lead well is to know well; and to know well is to do well in discharge of your leadership responsibility. No matter what do, without wisdom you can not do it better. If you are a leader without a sense of wisdom, indirectly you will be led anyway, by the same people he or she claim to be leading. Leadership does not operate in a vacuum. When you are not alive to you responsibility, people you lead will take it over for you. If that happens, then, you have lost your leadership already and you will be at their mercy always before you take take your decisions. 

But if you a leader with sound wisdom, you will always be ahead of the people you lead. Because that will give you profound discretion to use in moment of serious pressure that can not be easily eased off by theories learnt in schools. Wisdom display by you in such frustrating circumstances, will increase the confidence of people you are leading. Lack of wisdom makes leaders foolish, and as such when faced with options, they manifest their ignorance and stupidity in understanding human affairs. A leader who acts foolishly against the exceptions of the people he or she leads, will set the benchmark of leadership backward, seriously.

Shallow Leaders

Everywhere leaders determine the quality of their leadership. It is the leaders that produce the leadership. Of late, modern  leadership research has revealed various types of leaders, with their strength,weaknesses, excesses, deficiency, excuse and error which affects leadership development in and around them - either positively or negatively. Here we will look at;


These group of leaders are known by their lack of depth on leadership        matters; perhaps because they got to leadership position by politics or use of force. Leaders in this category are proud and always full of themselves. They are usually noise makers who enjoy bullying people, especially those working directly under them. To them, they believe by shouting you down people in moments of their rage will make you be afraid of them and succumb to their whims and caprices.

Shallow leaders cherish the use of their titles always and take solace in their position. They see position as the power to do and undo whatever does not agree with them, in order to protect their ego. They are men and women who have nothing in their heads to offer and yet, insist on having a say in matters they know little or nothing about - just to always prove they are 'in charge' after all. They are arrogant and not submissive to even leaders above them. The worse of it all is that, shallow leaders don't learn new things, neither do they believe anybody can teach them more than they already know; and that make them unteachable.

These leaders exist every where around us. They in politics, administration, governance, business, civil service etc. Honestly, those working with these type of leaders will really have difficult time growing and improving under them.

KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP 4

One factor that is very important in leadership is: RELATIONSHIP.

Relationship is defined as, “a close association between people for the sole purpose of understanding, agreement, assistance, sharing and mutual trust based on attraction to, and interest in one another. Lilian Whiting said, "To be rich in friends is to be poor in nothing”. Leadership is all about people. No one can lead better without establishing a strong relationship with people because it is absolutely impossible to lead from arm's length. To be successful in leadership, solo efforts must be discarded and bridges of good relationship must be built – because,

1. Relationship helps you know and understand people better

2. Relationship will increase your ability to get along with people

3. Relationship can determine the success or failure of your work

4. Relationship will establish for you a pool of human resources

5. Relationship helps you not to be alone in moment of distress

6. Relationship can take you beyond your shores and limitation

7. Relationship offers you opportunity to help people in any way you can.

8. Relationship helps you enjoy sound and robust counsel whenever needed

9. Relationship serves as platform to meet and connect to people you never met before.

10. Relationship ensures you enjoy personal and collective attention, prayer , fellowship consideration and recommendation.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

To do well in leadership and become successful is to keep improving yourself. The largest room in the world is the room for improvement. Leadership starts from you first. If you don't develop yourself regularly through learning, you can never improve and add values to the lives of people. How you keep improving yourself will determine how your leadership and those under you will be – because, 

1.    If you are weak, your leadership will be weak.

2.        If you are a reader, people under you will appreciate reading.

3.        If you are indecisive, your work or business will suffer greatly.

4.        If you are growing, people under you will grow too.

5.        If your mental capacity is low, you will only attract low-level people in your         leadership.

6.        If you detest learning, you will be left behind by your equals.

       If your skill acquisition and application is little, your result may be 

LEADERS AND VALUE

The study of value, which is known as axiology,  is very crucial to modern leadership development. No leadership will do well without specific and identifiable values and value systems. Dictionary asserted that ‘values are beliefs about what is right and wrong and also important in life.

In other words, values are principles, ethos, worth, motive and standards guiding what we do and how we do them. They are also ideals of life that people live by to get going. In leadership,

1.    Your value will determine your priority in all you do.

2. Your value will determine your thinking.

3.    Your value will determine your mentality to work.

4. Your value will determine your attitude to people and issues

5. Your value will determine your planning and how you pursue your goal.

6. Your value will determine your friendship.

7. Your value will determine what you adulate always

8.    Your value will determine your perception about money and how you use it.

 9.    Your value will determine your reward system for people 

 10.   Your value will determine your worth.

 

LEARNING TO LISTEN

One the most powerful LEADERSHIP SKILLS i teach in leadership classes is: Listening Skill.

 

Listening is an art and it is imperative in leadership. It increases your capacity to read people and understand them deeply. When you talk, you only voice out what you already know. But when you listen, you have a chance to learn new things. To lead well, always find time and listen to people you lead – because when you do, you will hear what is not even spoken by mouth.

 

Leaders who do not listen to their followers will encourage them to be listening to others outside. When your listening ability is faulty, you will be taking decisions without considering the feelings of people. To be a good listener,

1. Show people you care about them and not just the work the         do for you.

2. Be patient with them when they are talking.

3. Control your emotion when they display outburst of any sort.

4. Remove anything that can cause you distraction during               important discussion.

5. Fix your eyes on the discussant always and never look away         at interval; it will betray their confidence in you.

6. Take note of specific mentioning of names, events, places etc.

7. Never make jugedgement quickly especially on issues that           bother on personal confession or admission of error.