HOW TO KNOW YOU ARE NOT A GOOD LEADER

Sometimes ago, I read a write-up, where it was written that Nigerian youths are mere whatsApp group Administrators, while their oversea counterparts are very innovative. This I think says a lot about leadership in African youths.

The writer might not be totally right, but there is an element of truth in the write-up.

African youths seem to know how to criticize more than any other thing. Try to visit a vendor on a Monday morning and see how jobless youths speak so ineloquently grandiloquent when they criticize the leaders, yet get angry at the slightest provocation. Does a good leader get angry like that? That mean they criticize what they can’t do.

It is relatively easy to cast aspersions on the leaders, but would you have done better if you get there?

Talking about being a whatsApp group administrator, I have seen whatsApp groups, many of which the participants are less than 80, that have ceased to function because the owners can’t just manage people or get them to follow the right cause. But these set of people will also come out and point faulty fingers at incapable leaders. It is simple, if you can’t manage a whatsApp group successfully, you are not a leader.

Being a whatsApp group administrator is even harder, what about leading your younger ones at home and making them follow the right cause? If you can’t do that, why then did you think you can lead a country like Nigeria, with about 160,000,000 people, most of who are very impatient and unreasonable in their analysis of things, especially when it doesn’t favor them at the moment?

It is so pathetic that most of African youths do not have any idea what it takes to be a leader. Look, any fool can acquire position boasting of being the boss, but to be a good leader is different.

So who is a good leader?

A good leader is anyone, who is able to follow the right course and make other people do the same without abusing their volition.

This means you will neither threat nor force people, not even beg them to follow you, they have to do it at will, then you will become a good leader.

According to Soul’e Rhymez in an online lecture titled “Rudiments of Leadership” it was stated that leaders don’t focus on leading people, they lead life and people follow them at will.

Now ask yourself, are you a good leader?

One of the major problems with good leadership in this part of the world is the fact that even the so-called leaders do not understand that it takes vision, not ambition to be a good leader. The reason is that vision is all about the people and ambition is all about you.

I have been into some whatsApp groups, where the leaders of the groups remove certain members, not because they break the group’s rules, but because they didn’t respect or recognize them. That shows they are not good leaders.

Look, if good leadership is all about carrying a long only those that respect and recognize you, then any fool can become a leader. Maybe that’s why we have a lot of fools, who thinks they are leaders anyway. Leadership takes you to look beyond yourself and carry along both those that recognize you and those that don’t. If you can’t do this, you had better kept mute when they talk about good leadership.

Let me use myself as example.

Did you know that despite I have received what you could call threats, junks and insults; I have never blocked anyone on any of the social media platforms I belong?

Did you know that I have never removed anyone from the groups I manage on the basis of being rude to me?

I have seen hundreds of people blocked me for what they considered insults or disturbance. These people lack ability to look beyond selves and that makes them less leaders. True leaders think about the people (vision) first, before self (name, ambition).

How does what I listed above relate? See it for yourself below.

A lot of qualities are required to be a leader, but the traits listed below shows you are not a good leader.

Ø  If you are easily offended: This shows you care yourself, how you feel (ambition) alone and it makes you less a leader. This includes leaving a group or blocking certain people because you find certain messages offensive or if you stop doing certain good things for the people because you feel insulted.

Ø  If you want people always do your wish and gets annoyed when they don’t: this also shows you can’t look beyond yourself, you are ambitious and most likely place your ambition (your achievements) above your vision (the people’s interest). That makes you a dictator, not a good leader.

Ø  If you always find it hard to apologize: leaders apologize even when they are not wrong, just for peace sake, this tells they value people. Doing otherwise shows you don’t value people; you are self-centered, it is all about how you feel about the situation and with that, you will make one of the worst leaders.

Ø  If you find it hard to revise your decisions: a lot of people actually think not changing their decisions actually makes them leaders, but the reverse is the case. Not changing your decision, especially when doing so will benefit many others mean you place your integrity above the people; it shows mere ambitiousness and lack of vision. In other words, it is self-centeredness and with that, you can never be a good leader.

Ø  If you always want yourself sorted out first: some people think leaders must always come first; then others will follow, though they must lead by example, but a leader should always let the people be sorted out first. That’s sacrifice and Jesus Christ was proven right to say to his disciples that whosoever wants to be the first among them must be the servant. Except Mandela and a few, Africa has never produced any leader. We only have rulers, who want to sort themselves and families out first. This is not what a good leader should do. If African past and present so-called leaders have been doing this, it means Africa have not produced any good leader yet.

Do you really want to be a leader?

Then look beyond yourself and think about other people's interest first. It is the first and the most efficient quality of a leader and other qualities follow.

Thanks for reading.

Written by Soul’e Rhymez