THE MINDSET AND CHARACTER OF PERSONAL LEADERSHIP FOR ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP DEVELOPMENT; TRANSFORMING OUR NATION’S SOCIO-CULTURE ONE “LEADER” AT A TIME!
There is an incisive quote from the renowned leadership expert, John C. Maxwell, that has been on the profile status of one of my messaging Apps for quite some time now; “A leader is the one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”. You can rephrase the statement to mean, when an individual has a deep knowledge of himself; his inherent ideals, values and purposes, and shows that conviction by taking concurrent action towards those ideals or values, and as a result inspires and influences others with his focused commitment and consistency to this delineated purpose or ideal, then he is a leader.
The power of leadership, the criticalness of effective leadership to confronting the varied challenges and limitations we face as individuals, organisations and as nations, cannot be overemphasised. The difference in the quality of life for two individuals or entities is not so much in their potential or technical competencies, as much as it is about the strength of conviction and strategic might or capacity of its leadership figures. Leaders move things and people to actualise a superior purpose or ideal for the benefit of a collective.
As a country or continent, the great part of our problem has been that of unfounded leadership; a leadership that has not been concerned or committed to the actual discipline of forecasting and manifesting the critical ideals of meaningful growth and development for the greater good of all. Where there is no concrete leadership — where there is not the right leadership inspiration, mindset and capacity for meaningful visioning and resourcefulness — then potentials are wasted and progress is stalled. Mediocrity and stagnation become the order of the day. This has no doubt been the story of Nigeria and most other African countries; and the reason why the continent has not lived up to its vast resources and potential.
But this piece is not so much about “leadership” in terms of physical positions and offices occupied by our society’s elites whether in the business or political sphere. The call to leadership, the art and discipline of leadership, has very little to do with occupying an office or holding a position of power, as it is to do with the capacity to initiate necessary changes for growth and development. Therefore, in this context, everyone irrespective of position and rank, can practice leadership and initiate the values and ideals of development and progress in his or her own space. Against this backdrop, every follower, in an organisation or within a society, is a potential leader. As the late Dr. Myles Munroe said it, “Trapped in every follower is hidden leader”.
It is obvious that today, more than anything else, we as a country and continent has an urgent need for bold, courageous and visibly impactful leadership. As the world reels from the devastating effect of the Corona virus pandemic, and the entire world is now mostly subjected to virtual interactions and digital communication systems (most of which have their back-end infrastructures and administrative centres in the very developed regions of the world), there is no time like now for us especially in Africa to develop different kinds of individual and national leadership initiatives or innovations to improve our lives and the state of our society. Without bold, responsive and strategic leadership commitments on our part [as citizens and as a collective society] for the future, our societies or continent is sure to be further thrusts behind in this fourth wave of human intellectual/socioeconomic evolution that we are currently in; what we term the Fourth Industrial revolution.
In this piece, I share a few points on how [at an individual citizenship level] you can effectively rise to your own leadership potential and responsibility, and positively influence your life, your space, and the overall culture and social condition of our nation and society. How can you better develop and improve your leadership effectiveness in this time to not only increase your personal influence and socioeconomy, but to as a consequence add your own unique “value” to our collective consciousness or culture as a society? This is the heart of this article, and in the ensuing lines I share a few thoughts and concepts.
Invest in Greater Self-Knowledge and Self-awareness: One of the great challenges of the under-developed world — societies where the culture and social mores are rather repressive and restraining — is the fact that not many citizens truly know or accept themselves. Not many truly understand or embrace their original worth and inherent natures or their unique personalities. For the few who have a glimpse of these inner attributes or uniqueness, they just can’t seem to find the courage or freedom of heart to express this God-given worth and value.
The power to create or initiate changes for the future (individual dreams and models for growth) lies in deep inspiration and sound introspective or critical thinking by the individual person. Social or societal reformation always starts with the individual person. You have to dig deep on a very spiritual or psychological level and get to understand your ultimate strengths and limitations, as well as your true motives, values and purposes in life. In the midst of the prevailing culture, attitudes and sociological values and norms that have characterised the nation and general society for centuries, you must stand aside to determine what truth and life really means to you.
Self-aware people, having taken time to understand their true worth, their God-given strengths and convictions and acknowledged their human limitations or frailties, have the tendency to develop vision and choose a preferable future for themselves in every area. In the midst of the prevailing culture and limiting influences of their environment, they raise their own personal standards and decide to lead a life that is conforming to those high ideals and values they have chosen for themselves. And this is what leadership is about.
Leadership begins with a personal choice to raise your personal standards in the midst of a mixed multitude of societal values of your environment or culture, and daring to influence your environment with those positive ideals. I believe the more we become strong and independent as individual citizens, the more we exert our spiritual, intellectual and citizenship rights and get to demand better collective changes on a societal level paramountly.
The more the light of self-assurance and independent expression shines from one individual to the other, the more the entire society catches up with that energy and frequency of reality. Leadership begins with your ability to be clear about your inherent potentials — your goals, motivation and guiding values — and daring to respond to that inner awareness and ability.
The art of Self-mastery
Leaders must learn and practice the art of self-mastery to be effective at applying themselves to their callings, purposes and guiding values. Self-mastery is a necessary requirement and skill for leadership, less the leader is thrown of course; out of his self-developed vision, convictions and guiding values. Without adequate self-mastery, leaders succumb to their disruptive emotions and the wrong energies and opinions of their outside environment or culture, sabotaging their focus and commitment to their goals.
Leadership is not about the amount of monetary resources a person has; it is the courage to influence your world with the positive values and convictions that you possess as a self-aware, enlightened individual. It is the courage to go after your far-reaching ideals, vision and potentials without being distracted by negative emotions or by the environmental culture and opinions of others.
With self-awareness, leaders get to understand themselves; they become clear of their purposes, visions and goals, as well as their inherent shortcomings and gaps. This sense of self-awareness and personal acceptance imposes a strong sense of confidence and personal mastery. Because they know themselves and what they are committed to achieving and the personal limits that challenges that ultimate self-expression, they have the tendency to engage in continues personal development to turn these weaknesses into strengths in order to live their purpose.
Self-mastery helps you to stay rooted, stable and focused, against the constant barrage of emotions and disturbing influences of your external environment. With adequate self-mastery and discipline, the leader accepts himself and his situation at the moment, but also recognises his ultimate responsibility to his purpose for life. He is then able to confront his goals and dreams with confidence and personal power, irrespective external conditions or differing opinions from others.
Integrity
Integrity is living in harmony with your highest convictions and values in line with universal principles of life. Having understood who you really are, what you stand for in terms of your guiding values and standards for life, you refuse to make excuses for failure and hold yourself accountable to your highest ideals and standards. Whether in your personal life or your social, economic or professional relationships, you refuse to live below these standards and personal code of ethics.
Author Steven Covey says that, private victories guarantee public victories. Whatever you do in the closet, away from the public eye, will show up in the open. If you cut corners and find the easy way out in your work, relationships and commitment to your values or ideals, this lack of trust with yourself will show up in your outside relationships and will affect your trust with others.
Strong leadership begins with a commitment to discipline and accountability, in line with chosen goals and objectives, and in accordance with universal principles. Building a strong sense of accountability and discipline in line with who you say you are, will earn you trust and increase your influence with others. These people/relationships in turn become your ‘’fanbase’’, helping to support your cause and contributing in a number of ways to its actualisation.
Power of Courage
Dr. Nelson Mandela said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgement that something else is more important than fear”. It takes tremendous courage to separate yourself based on a unique sense of self-worth and personal value system that you have discovered in the midst of the general socio-culture, environment or familiar space you have lived in for years. And it takes even greater amount of this courage to live this path and values you have chosen on a consistent basis. But true leaders have the courage to go after their goals and live their ultimate values, in spite of the conditions of their culture or environment; in spite of the opinions of others.
The greatest threat to growth and progress whether for individuals or nations is fear. In Africa, especially, the biggest challenge holding our societies and its people is fears of all kind. African societies have cultures and traditional ideals that are built on fear. The leaders are essentially afraid, with no real sense of self-worth or confidence to believe in their inherent ideas and ability to improve their environment without the apparatus of some external support, and therefore default to an avaricious quest for that power without recourse to the rights of their citizens. The citizens on their part are afraid of daily living and existence, and thus abdicate their rights and ultimate social responsibilities to demand accountability from their leaders. Citizens either flee to other countries with better economic or social standards, or “manage” their way through the status quo to fulfil their own living or existential dreams.
Fears shuts in potential and possibilities and denies every chance for growth and development. But to be a leader, critical influencer or change maker, you must confront your fears and inner temptations to maintain status quo and stay in your comfort zone. You must confront your past inner demons and cultural conditionings, and find the courage to express your highest convictions, truth and overriding standards for life.
Courage is like a muscle a bodybuilder deliberately forges and develops in the gym. With practice and consistency, the muscle develops and becomes strong and powerful, reinforcing other muscles and creating a solid body tone overtime.
So, to change your world, make a deliberate decision to work on your courage muscle. Stand up for your values. Recognise that you are worthy and that your dreams and values are valid, and then exercise your right and discipline to manifest those experiences in your life with courage.
The Power of Confidence or Persuasiveness
With overall awareness of their innate strengths and capabilities and accepting their responsibility to work on their limitations, leaders are capable of accepting and aligning with their true selves with confidence and personal power. To stand up for yourself and play your leadership role in society, you have to develop tremendous personal clarity and conviction about your ideals and values. No one can grow this “skill” in you; you have to gain that inner certainty that enables you to comfortably express yourself and foster the relevant relationships that will help you manifest your overriding purpose as a leader.
I talked recently in one of my writeups about the story of Steve Jobs who when faced with the challenge of his numerous inner resistance and self-criticism in light of his inspired overall vision and purpose, made a pilgrimage to India for spiritual cleansing and enlightenment. Alone with Buddhist Monks in the monasteries of India, Jobs at the young age of 19 will eventually acquire the deep mental clarity and confidence of his purpose in life that he desired. And just about two years after his return from this retreat, at the age of 21, Jobs will come to launch what is today the most valuable company in the world. The first company to hit the $1 trillion market valuation, Apple, on the 19th of August 2020, became the first US company ever to hit market valuation of $2 trillion.
The more you invest in gaining superior clarity — spiritually, emotionally and professionally — the more your confidence level and authentic conviction is felt by all that come in contact with you in your different avenues of expression. Confidence and courage are infectious virtues. They are the twin tools of leadership and influence. When you don’t show or demonstrate visible confidence and certainty in what you say you believe or stand for, you don’t give others the chance to trust you and believe in what you are saying. And without people, without the willing cooperation or some support from others in what you are doing, there is no leadership. As John C. Maxwell says, “you are not really leading; you may just be taking a walk”.
Confidence is the backbone of communication, and communication is the fundamental tool of leadership. Without confidence and sincere personal conviction, you can’t influence yourself beyond your comfort zone, not to talk of having the effectiveness in communication to influence other people towards your viewpoints and personal ideals.
To become a leader who will influence your environment, invest in building your sense of confidence and certainty towards your goals, purposes and guiding values. Never stop learning, growing and changing. Read books, attend seminars and courses, listen to inspirational audios and messages from inspired teachers and spiritual guides who will make you stand inside so you are be able to stand up for your purpose.
Humility
Someone said, humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. To be able to express your authentic self, gain trust and build relevant relationships with others to actualise your leadership ideals and goals, you have to embrace the virtue of humility. Life is full of ups and downs; things will not always go your way and not everyone will agree with you in your process of leadership development. Your ability to accept yourself and your physical circumstance and experiences per time [while taking the required responsibility to put in the effort needed to effectively serve your values to your circle of influence, is the mark of humility.
You refuse to put on airs or pretend that things are okay the way they are, but you also accept the reality that you have to do the work here and now and follow the universal principles and natural laws to change the situation. You respect other people’s views and refuse to get worked up if your own views or perspectives are disregarded by others. Knowing yourself and your ultimate motives and commitments, you refused to be bothered by what other people think of you. Whether for good or bad, you leave other people to their personal choices and rights of judgment and focus yourself daily on proving the value of your convictions to the world.
Humility also means that you are honourable and attentive to other people’s interests and needs. While leadership is often pictured by many as that singular commitment to a far-reaching goal, ideal or purpose; true leadership requires that you ‘lose yourself’ in the discipline of service to others, especially the ones in your sphere of influence, who share in your convictions and ideals. This requires humility; the willingness to put your own ego and self-interest second, in order to step up to serve others with dignity and integrity.
In conclusion, the points or principles of thought I have given here are by no means exhaustive to the personal leadership development question. There is a longer list of other concrete skills, ideas or concepts that the leader exhibits in the pursuit of his purpose and goals. More than 5000 books are said to be written each year on the concept of personal leadership, with quite expanded conceptual frameworks and ideas. Our business schools, colleges and seminar halls are filled with different courses and templates that teach individual, organizational and institutional leadership. But overall, they boil down to these fundamental principles or concepts that drive the mindsets of the leader and makes him effective in creating important changes for others through his personal values and convictions.
I believe that as we practice these values in our personal lives as citizens, we expand our field of influence and impact others with this essence of our individual personalities. Little by little, one person after another, this culture of individual independence, integrity and commitment to higher purposes and goals, begins to reflect in the society’s social consciousness and in turn cause an overall national change and socioeconomic transformation.
