Nov 2, 2021/0 Comments/in Featured Story, Impact Stories /

By Emmanuel JB

Leadership has and remains to be the axle upon which proper human civilization spins. Unlike before, there is an increasing demand for leaders whose performance is above the ordinary. This has been occasioned by the ever pressing challenges of all time. It is against this backdrop that several leaders have come up to try to bridge the leadership gap. Contrary to the expectations, most of these leaders end up being driven by high appetites for self-gain and aggrandizement rather than service delivery.

There is therefore a great need for a crop leader whose motivation is making remarkable impact in people’s lives. Transformative leaders focus on working with their teams and or followers to achieve a vision that they hold dear. Where there is clarity of vision, the means to achieving it become apparent, and many times people find reason to put their effort where there is direction. As to whether these leaders are born or made, I believe that birth precedes making.  In as much as some are born with inherent leadership qualities, without intentional sharpening of these qualities they may soon degenerate and fail to match the present demand.

The process of becoming a transformative leader is such a tedious one which requires that individuals first get their identity clear. In this article, I do not prescribe any magical steps to cracking this complexity, I will instead provide insight into how one can remain focused as they journey on this road. It is very important to appreciate that the passing of time does not necessarily make you a better leader but it offers you the space within which you can develop yourself. One therefore has to actively seek to grow by plugging themselves in avenues that will promote such growth.

I have had a rare opportunity of serving in various leadership positions since my high school days when I served as both the students’ council chairman and the Christian union chairman. Each of these positions provided a lot of opportunities to learn better leadership traits which later became very useful in higher leadership roles in my university days. Anytime I have a chance to lead, I take it so serious being cognizant of the fact that it is not the magnitude of the position but the impact one makes that really counts.

We are living days when many young people want to rise to celebrity status overnight but the reality is that it does not take a day to become a celebrated leader although whatever you do  every day counts, this applies to all areas of life. Most people prefer to take shortcuts; it however does not apply to transformative leaders. To be very useful while in the scene, you must invest heavily in your time while behind the scenes. It is undisputed that the journey of great leaders is marked with several years of unlearning and learning and painful stories that people may not want to relate with. It is also very important that those wanting to be great must be willing to sit under great people who can carefully instruct and mentor them throughout the journey.

In conclusion, it has always been said that everything rises and falls on leadership. We should therefore be very aggressive to grab every opportunity to improve our value as leaders of today and tomorrow.

The author is a champion of value-based leadership and an alumnus of Emerging Leaders Foundation-Africa and Taifa Teule Leadership Experience.

You can connect with him on his Facebook Page: Emmanuel JB.